The markers are all qualified educators with at least three years' experience in teaching at Senior Certificate level for subjects in the standard grade, and five years' experience for subjects in the higher grade. They can only mark if more than 40% of learners at their schools passed the teacher's subject in the 2000 Senior Certificate examinations.
Before marking begins, markers familiarise themselves with marking memoranda prepared for examinations set both nationally and by the province.
For quality assurance
purposes, moderators check 10% of all papers being marked, and intervene if
they believe that a marker is not marking according to the memoranda.
Mark checkers check
each script to ensure that marks have been added correctly. The checkers are
university and technikon students, most of whom are studying mathematics and
science-related courses.
Marked scripts are
collected and stored centrally. They are carefully packaged and labeled to facilitate
retrieval if necessary.
Strict security is
in force to ensure that no scripts or marking memoranda leave the marking venues,
and to limit access to marking venues to those directly involved in marking
or managing the process in that venue.
Mark sheets are removed
from packages of scripts and are filed to facilitate remarking if necessary.
Mark sheets are taken
to the WCED's head office in Cape Town where marks are captured twice. The marks
have to match to be accepted. The 13 mark capturers are specialists in data
capturing, and are expected to complete this task by December 11.
Marks are checked again
and balanced prior to submission to the South African Certification Council
for certification.
The marks are then
processed for distribution. The scheduled release date is December 27.
