What is the approach?

In building the relationship with its External Examiner, three considerations are important:

• the needs of the department
• the nature of the subject
• the External Examiner’s approach and expertise.

The Examinations Secretary sees the role as maintaining a flow of information and negotiating with the External Examiner.

What is the amount of contact between the External Examiner and the Department?

At a conservative estimate, there are some thirty emails/ telephone conversations during the course of the academic year. These contacts cover issues such as the examination timetable, the expected workload leading to the Exam Board, cases requiring additional scrutiny etcetera.

What materials/work does the External Examiner see?

Since this is a small department, the External Examiner is able to see the work of more students than in a larger department.

In each year the External Examiner sees all core elements for all candidates in the second and third years.

Over a four-year cycle of the Examiner’s appointment, there is the opportunity to see work from all examined elements of the course (from both year 2 and year 3 of the undergraduate course).