General Board Guidance on the arrangements for external examiners

<strong>Guidance</strong> for Chairs of Examiners
2. Guidelines on use of External Examiners in University examinations
Duties and responsibilities of External Examiners
Chairs of Examiners are asked to familiarise themselves with Section 3 of this guidance.
Attention is also drawn to the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter 7: External
Examining.
The duties outlined in Appendix A are considered to be the minimum requirements for the
duties of a Moderating External Examiner and an External Examiner; a Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or
comparable authority may choose to enhance the role with other duties and responsibilities
and should clearly outline to the individual External Examiners where the duties have
departed from the defined role.
Reporting requirements for Moderating External Examiners and External Examiners
To fulfil their duties, all External Examiners are required to submit a written report and
coversheet at the conclusion of each examination. The “report coversheet” is provided to
them on appointment 1 .
The report, along with the coversheet, will be submitted by the External Examiner to the
Vice-Chancellor: this will be forwarded to either the Secretary of the Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or the
Head of Department 2 associated with the examination, and an individual response to each
External Examiner is expected from them. The Secretary of the Faculty <strong>Board</strong> or Head of
Department is advised to consult with relevant bodies (including the Chair or <strong>Board</strong> of
Examiners) before replying. Further information about the University procedures for the
consideration of External Examiners’ reports is provided as Appendix C, and on the website
of Educational and Student Policy:
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/education/examiners/index.html
Documentation for External Examiners
On appointment, all External Examiners will receive from Educational and Student Policy:
• a letter of appointment with:
• a link to Section 3 of this guidance, including the appendices (<strong>Guidance</strong> for External
Examiners);
• link to a report coversheet, to be returned with a written report
(http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/education/examiners/eecoversheet.doc). Both
report and report coversheet can be submitted by email at
vcexternalexaminers@admin.cam.ac.uk;
• information on fees and expenses.
As Chair of Examiners, you are expected to send them:
1 Also available electronically at
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/education/examiners/external.html
2 These can be submitted by email at vcexternalexaminers@admin.cam.ac.uk
Last reviewed: 29/08/2013 Page 6 of 17 SD