The point of the 'Anonymous Marking' flap?

Ineedaflash · 02-05-2012 01:44PM #1

When we only put exam numbers and not student numbers or names on the front cover, why the need to sign and seal the corner of the booklet?

I've always done it, normally because I've had a couple of minutes to spare at the end of an exam, but wondered why nonetheless.

02-05-2012 02:39PM

There's spaces to put your name and student number on the flap. You seal it over so that whoever is correcting can only see your exam and seat numbers. Hence it is anonymous.

Ineedaflash · 02-05-2012 02:41PM

But wouldn't it be just as anonymous by not filling it out?

As opposed to expressly being asked to fill it out and fold it over by some invigilators?

Kwekubo · 02-05-2012 02:48PM

It's there as a backup in case you write your examination number down incorrectly.

RedFFWolf · 02-05-2012 05:45PM

Another point being solely that any lecturer, particularly one you may have some "beef" with or are very "pally" with, doesn't know your name (as they shouldn't know your number), hence no bias marking.
(This is assuming you get those answer booklets that don't require you to fill in your actual name except in the anonymous section - I'm not sure what is the case across the college if there are different ones).

When the lecturers correct the answer, for the most part they are not responsible for tallying up the scores. They'll probably pass it on to the one person in the department (perhaps a lecturer, but who wouldn't have been marking, or at least marks first and then sees the details) or secretary perhaps or even some external person depending on the course probably in which case, the anonymous bit will be removed and checked most likely.

That being said, I'm sure there are lecturers that peek!

galwayjohn89 · 02-05-2012 05:47PM

Are we meant to fill that bit in?!?

languagenerd · 02-05-2012 07:52PM

What annoys me about them is that when you write your name and number at the bottom, the black ink on the other side sometimes transfers onto the first page of the booklet! Which makes them entirely pointless...

After noticing that, I always put the exam paper between the cover and the page so it transfers onto that instead.

Vuzuggu wrote: »

Are we meant to fill that bit in?!?

Yeah! It says it at the top of the paper... Have you never noticed everyone licking the corner of the answerbooks at the end?!

PurpleFistMixer · 02-05-2012 10:16PM

I find that flap thing just opens almost instantly anyway. Maybe my saliva is just bad or something.

Lawliet · 02-05-2012 10:26PM

I'm always tempted to bring some blue tack in with me to close it, especially when I have five books; I feel like idiot sitting there licking paper for ages.

Interferon Gamma · 02-05-2012 10:39PM

I have an exam on friday that needs eleven booklets. >_< The glue tastes bad enough already.

I wouldn't mind but the nature of the exam means you would never use more than the first page of the booklet too. Seems like such a waste.

partyatmygaff · 02-05-2012 11:30PM

Are we meant to fold over the flap? >_>

It shouldn't make a difference right? The two exams i've sat so far are in a different department so none of the lecturers would recognise my name anyway.

gutenberg · 03-05-2012 12:18AM

I remember my old head of department telling me that apparently the executive officers there would go through the stack of exam scripts when they arrived and make sure the anonymous marking flap was sealed properly before handing them on for marking to lecturers. I don't know if they're all that conscientious though...

dabh · 03-05-2012 12:41AM

Well maybe perhaps 98% of candidates sit in the correct set, know that their exam number is the five-digit number on the student id card, and correctly fill in the exam number and the seat number.

If for any reason the seat number does not agree with the exam number, which is correct?

Some may think that the module code is the exam number. If the only identification for the script is the seat number, is this sufficient to identify the candidate, or is there a danger that the result may be mis-attributed?

What if candidates mistakenly think that their exam number is the same as the one they used the previous year? It happens.

A number of cases will arise each year where departments have to consult with the Exams Office to discover from invigilators' reports who was recorded by them as sitting in a particular seat, in order to identify an anonymous script whose cover has not been correctly filled in.

There have been cases of candidates not filling in either exam number or seat number, and not putting any details under the sealed flap!

If there were no sealed flap, to be opened if all other means of identifying the candidate have failed, then a significant number of scripts would remain unattributable.

ArtOfEscape · 03-05-2012 01:15AM

After four years in college, I've finally figured out to tip some water from my bottle into the bottle cap, dip in my fingertip and use that to seal the flap. Looks ridiculous but a hell of a lot nicer than that nasty taste :P

03-05-2012 07:46AM

ArtOfEscape wrote: »

After four years in college, I've finally figured out to tip some water from my bottle into the bottle cap, dip in my fingertip and use that to seal the flap. Looks ridiculous but a hell of a lot nicer than that nasty taste :P

Or you could just put your finger in your mouth and then run it along the edge....

Maybe it's just me, but I find that a lot less elaborate.

galwayjohn89 · 03-05-2012 11:41AM

Ha nope Ive never sealed the flap nor have I seen anyone do it. Most people just fill it in and not seal which is what I do.

PurpleFistMixer · 03-05-2012 01:07PM

Interferon Gamma wrote: »

I have an exam on friday that needs eleven booklets. >_< The glue tastes bad enough already.

I wouldn't mind but the nature of the exam means you would never use more than the first page of the booklet too. Seems like such a waste.

Sounds like the exam I had this morning... 20 questions, do 10, each in separate answer books... Seeing the invigilators trying to carry massive stacks of answer books is funny, but wasting hundreds of pages is not.

03-05-2012 02:30PM

ArtOfEscape wrote: »

After four years in college, I've finally figured out to tip some water from my bottle into the bottle cap, dip in my fingertip and use that to seal the flap. Looks ridiculous but a hell of a lot nicer than that nasty taste :P

If you have a sports bottle you can just put your finger over the end and it's enough. Too much water is as bad as no water. I just lick it and play with it with my finger until it's finished.

Richieee · 03-05-2012 02:48PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I just lick it and play with it with my finger until it's finished.

tenandtracer · 03-05-2012 03:24PM

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

I find that flap thing just opens almost instantly anyway. Maybe my saliva is just bad or something.

PurpleFistMixer · 03-05-2012 04:50PM

: (

boblong · 03-05-2012 07:40PM

I don't really understand why you should have to seal it over. If a marker really really wants to find out who you are they aren't going to be out-foxed by a flap of resealable paper.

blucey · 04-05-2012 09:25AM

RedFFWolf wrote: »

Another point being solely that any lecturer, particularly one you may have some "beef" with or are very "pally" with, doesn't know your name (as they shouldn't know your number), hence no bias marking.
(This is assuming you get those answer booklets that don't require you to fill in your actual name except in the anonymous section - I'm not sure what is the case across the college if there are different ones).

When the lecturers correct the answer, for the most part they are not responsible for tallying up the scores. They'll probably pass it on to the one person in the department (perhaps a lecturer, but who wouldn't have been marking, or at least marks first and then sees the details) or secretary perhaps or even some external person depending on the course probably in which case, the anonymous bit will be removed and checked most likely.

That being said, I'm sure there are lecturers that peek!

ya think? heres the reality. All exams are corrected by the lecturer and are input into a spreadsheet. That is one that is keyed against your seat/exam number. And we often have the exam seating sheet so we can check, again, that yes we have 74 submitted scripts which were submitted to the invigilator. The number of times a count check and an individual check is done is high. This is to ensure that we dont lose scripts. So at the inputting of grades in the spreadsheet stage we know who is whom. Anyone who thinks that this flap defends against malign intent is fooling themselves. Its a pleasant sop to us all akin to security theatre. In many places also then theere is a set of internal reviews to ensure that no mad results are apparent - this protects students "hey, Smith has three firsts and a F2" and then we find a missing paper for smith or it was misread as 24 not 74 etc.
There is no true anonymity. There cant be if grades are to be assigned to named individuals.

RedFFWolf · 04-05-2012 03:19PM

blucey wrote: »

ya think? heres the reality. All exams are corrected by the lecturer and are input into a spreadsheet. That is one that is keyed against your seat/exam number. And we often have the exam seating sheet so we can check, again, that yes we have 74 submitted scripts which were submitted to the invigilator. The number of times a count check and an individual check is done is high. This is to ensure that we dont lose scripts. So at the inputting of grades in the spreadsheet stage we know who is whom. Anyone who thinks that this flap defends against malign intent is fooling themselves. Its a pleasant sop to us all akin to security theatre. In many places also then theere is a set of internal reviews to ensure that no mad results are apparent - this protects students "hey, Smith has three firsts and a F2" and then we find a missing paper for smith or it was misread as 24 not 74 etc.
There is no true anonymity. There cant be if grades are to be assigned to named individuals.

So, you're a lecturer yourself? I know it was in a sense almost a naive post of mine, but I wasn't putting my heart on my sleeve when I speak of anonymity - I know there's no true anonymity, but at the least an attempt or some rationale behind it (even if it's known they'll see later). Perhaps I was just completely wrong! Or maybe it's not fair to say all departments do it the same way!
The question though I'd ask is there marking done first and then would they see who they have marked?

(And I'm speaking kind of rhetorically in my questions, it's starting to divert off-topic a little).

blubloblu · 04-05-2012 04:37PM

As long as the name is revealed only after the correcting is done, that's good enough isn't it?

sock puppet · 04-05-2012 08:05PM

boblong wrote: »

I don't really understand why you should have to seal it over. If a marker really really wants to find out who you are they aren't going to be out-foxed by a flap of resealable paper.

Have to? I've never once sealed it.

FloatingVoter · 04-05-2012 08:27PM

Never sealed it either. Too much effort for a pointless gesture.

blucey · 05-05-2012 09:32AM

RedFFWolf wrote: »

So, you're a lecturer yourself? I know it was in a sense almost a naive post of mine, but I wasn't putting my heart on my sleeve when I speak of anonymity - I know there's no true anonymity, but at the least an attempt or some rationale behind it (even if it's known they'll see later). Perhaps I was just completely wrong! Or maybe it's not fair to say all departments do it the same way!
The question though I'd ask is there marking done first and then would they see who they have marked?

(And I'm speaking kind of rhetorically in my questions, it's starting to divert off-topic a little).

One doesn't give a stuff who wrote the paper...it's about getting them marked. Then at input stage you might notice a name you recall...
Key thing is how MANY students out no name, seat number etc on the paper. fill.it.in please so we can allocate grades..

Good luck.

Lawliet · 05-05-2012 10:07AM

I never bothered with seat number since I'm in a different exam center to the rest of my class, I didn't think it was too important...

Brian · 05-05-2012 04:42PM

They need saliva samples of students so they can clone anyone who gets firsts across the board.

languagenerd · 05-05-2012 06:04PM

RedFFWolf wrote: »

When the lecturers correct the answer, for the most part they are not responsible for tallying up the scores. They'll probably pass it on to the one person in the department (perhaps a lecturer, but who wouldn't have been marking, or at least marks first and then sees the details) or secretary perhaps or even some external person depending on the course probably in which case, the anonymous bit will be removed and checked most likely.

I don't know if it's quite as stringent as that! Surely it doesn't matter if they see your name after they've marked it? It's only before that that it might be a problem...

The point of the 'Anonymous Marking' flap?

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