Exam marking problems

Just had my SAR for the SA exam I passed (thank the Lord) last year. It's happened again, markers more than 10 marks out from each other, in my case on Q2.

Pass mark 62. I got 66.

Q1 no problems, same mark from both markers = 77/120 = 64.5
Q2. Marker 1 = 55/80 = 62.5, marker 2 = 66/80 = 82.5

So although in this case it didn't threaten a fail as all questions by both markers were over the pass mark... the discrepancy is big!

Also marker 3 turned up to give a mark for only question 1(iii) to confirm 8/12 rather than 6/12. Nowhere to be seen on Q2, where there was a large discrepancy between markers?!?! Especially on question 2(iii) where marker 1 gave me 32/42 and marker 2 41/42? Makes no sense to me.

 

Agree with the above regarding the need for there to be an independent ombudsman with the power to compel the IFoA to take corrective action for students to refer complaints to, as (and not just make recommendations as some 'ombudsman' can only do), as the current system is not fit for purpose.

The OIA sounds like an ideal one in this regard.

Sounds like there may also be some good news coming in Wednesday's budget for students affected by the breach in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by the IFoA not marking in line with their published exam marking policy in the student handbook:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ne...tion-traps-and-simplify-small-print-in-budget

"

• Create new powers to fines companies that mistreat customers: Consumer enforcement bodies such as the Competition and Markets Authority will receive powers to ask civil courts to fine companies - including those in unregulated markets - which breach consumer law"

 

Anyone else wandering why it takes more than two months to mark exam papers so badly. Are the markers sitting on their hands for 5 weeks before pulling the papers out from under the bed!!??

 

Hi all,

I have two questions I'd like to ask:

1) For those wanting to appeal based on what the SAR returns, what do we think would happen if you put in an SAR over 25 days before results came out?

• The 40 days would be up before the 15 day appeal deadline so you'd definitely get a response by then.
• Whilst they might not have results information at this point, its a valid assumption that they'd have it by the time they actually process the request (my SAR took around 30 days to come through).
• Bear in mind that whilst they're very busy at results time, they still have to get the SAR back to you within 40 days.
• I'm thinking, you send in the SAR, they sit on it/ignore it for around 25 days whilst they're busy, by the time they have the time to look at it they only have 15 days to get back to you.
• Otherwise, could you send in the SAR a few days before the results come out and hope that they return before the deadline?
• I'm thinking, can they really respond promptly in the days before results come out with "sorry, we can't give this yet/we have no information on you presently" and then a day after the results say "sorry, despite getting back to you promptly before, we're now too busy to look at your request in the next 15 days - hahahaha - our 15 day appel deadline really stuffs you over here doesn't it"?

2) Has anyone got anything back from the SAR (for a written exam) other than the breakdown of marks obtained, marks available and adopted marks?

• Whilst the breakdown is useful and interesting, as I can't remember the answers I gave, it doesn't help me identify what didn't obtain marks.

Cheers
Pete

 

Hi Pete, I like your suggestions in 1, might be worth a try? I suggest a phone call to the Information Commissioner's Office helpline to see what they suggest.
For 2, I did get some comments on CA3 SAR in addition to the breakdown of marks. Likwise I didn't find them very helpful, in fact I found them bizarre but the IFoA will not comment further.

 

Just to clarify: when you enter any IFoA exam and pay your exam fee then you enter into a contract with the IFoA. This means they are meant to provide what they have promised with regards to the examination: provide a syllabus & guide to subject, set the exam paper in accordance to these and make a fair assessment of your exam attempt according to their published processes. Any failure(s) here can be contested in the courts as a breach of contract.

 

Hi Pepps

I have tried to contact you via inbox but message is not going through.

Please get in touch if you are interested in taking the matter further.

Thanks

 

The FRC have confirmed to me that should an individual IFoA member consider that they have not been third marked properly, contrary to IFoA procedures, and have raised a direct complaint with the IFoA and been dissatisfied with the IFoA's response, this WOULD fall under the FRC's remit. Email them your examples at oversight@frc.org.uk . They will not lift examples from this thread; they must be sent to the FRC directly.

 

Hi all,

Is anyone aware of any rounding inconsistencies? I have my SAR's for my CA1 exam - April 16 and ST2 - Sep 16, where I managed to fail both by 1%.

Again I have suffered all the previous problems mentioned earlier in the thread with the third marker inconsistencies. But on top of this I have noticed that in my CA1 exam I got 54.65, which was rounded up to 55 (pass mark 56) and in ST2 I had a score of 58.8, which they rounded down to 58 (pass mark 59). How is this allowed? Surely there should be one rounding method that is consistent for everyone?

My first two markers gave me 119 and 120 in ST2, which equated to a pass. Then a 3rd marker has remarked a part of one question where both markers gave me 24 marks and reduced it to 22 causing me to fail. This was the only time a 3rd marker was present in my SAR for ST2. I have tried to get answers and all I am told is 'the principal examiner felt this was appropriate' but I am not given any details on why its appropriate, when both markers were in agreement on the question and my entire paper?!?

Does anyone have any advice please?

 

ActuariesForJustice - please notify the FRC of this at oversight@frc.org.uk

 

I will. Have they been responsive?

Does it seem like there's any hope of action from them?

 

I wouldn't hold my breath for them to actually do anything exceptional. However I believe it is important, when they admit this is in their oversight remit, for students to share this increasingly shocking evidence as otherwise certainly nothing at all will be done!

 

FRC told me the following;

"You have confirmed that your complaint is about the difference in marks awarded to you by three different examiners who have marked the same exam script.
The FRC is not an avenue of appeal against specific decisions taken by the IFoA or against its existing processes and has no power to overrule the decisions taken by individual examiners when marking your script."

 

Thanks. I'm getting the FRC to properly clarify why their remit considers some aspects of exam breach of contract complaints but not others.

 

I'm still yet to read one example I think is massively suspect. Have you tried googling exam moderation? A lot of examples come up for exam boards, universities etc all across the world, it might help. This entirely feels like people who are not used to failing exams throwing the toys out of the pram when it happens a few times and they're not sure how to fix it. I don't even know what you're fighting to get the institute to do, other than drop moderation altogether? I can see its frustrating when moderation works against you and you just miss out but I'm sorry to say it is a common, necessary and universally used process.

 

Just thought I'd provide an update. 2 1/2 months after submitting my issue with the IFoA regarding the lack of third marking I have finally had them admit that this wasn't done and has now been done (apparently). Previously the third marker just looked at marker 1 and 2 marks and decided that because they were similar the average of these was suitable (without apparently even looking at my script) and so the mark I was awarded was 58. I have been told that this has now been marked a third time and I have been given a mark of 58. I am trying not to be sceptical but I have put in a further SAR to see evidence of this and to see what marks were given for each question. I wonder if by sheer coincidence the third marker has awarded the average of marker 1 and 2 marks for each question....?

 

So far no one has produced an example of the third marker coming up with anything above average of marker 1 & 2...

 

As getting 50.5 and 74 from two different markers using same marking schedule doesn't concern you, maybe you can specify for us what would be of concern... 45& 80, 40 & 85, 35 & 90?

 

IFOA Law of Average works ever where even if it is 90 and 10 awarded will be around 50 with perfect justice...what a joke

 

IFOA "Law of Average" Ha ha ho

 

Well IFoA Justice done....No matter what you will always get the average of two so no one is disadvantaged
Do you think it is hard for them to construct third marking with perfect average of two?
Vey Very Highly suspicious..... same was the case with my marking
They do not realise students are sacrificing a lot to take these exam and their marking is childish