Why I Believe Marking Exam Papers Makes Me a Better Teacher and Tutor

Let's not sugarcoat it,  marking exams is gruelling. Most of us are still teaching the same full timetable while racing to meet the batch deadlines set by the exam boards. Five or six weeks of early mornings, minimal rest, and a social life that's essentially been put on hold. I'm typically up at 5am, squeezing in some exercise and a strong coffee before the marking begins, all before the school day has even started. The deadlines are relentless and the clock ticks very loudly.

I used to feel genuinely frustrated about turning down every social invitation during this period. But I'll be honest — the older (and grumpier) I've become, the more I secretly appreciate having a cast-iron excuse to stay in. Shush. 😂

So why on earth do I do it?

It's a fair question, and one I ask myself regularly. It's not compulsory, after all. Maybe I'm in it for the money? Wrong. The pay for marking simply does not reflect the emotional weight of the work. Every script represents a real young person's future, especially in English Language, where failing to reach that Level 4 means they're resitting. That responsibility sits with you. You feel it on every single paper.

So no, I don't mark every year. I take breaks. But I keep coming back, and here's why: I firmly believe every secondary school teacher should try it at least once.

I know that for many people, the timing makes it genuinely impossible, and that's completely understandable. But if you can call in favours, shuffle your schedule, or find a way to make it work even just once, I'd encourage you to do it. The professional rewards are invaluable. I can now sit with my classes and tutees and say with real confidence, "Examiners respond well to answers structured like this" or "Here's what will actually move you up the mark scheme." I know this because I've marked so many. Genuinely, it has done more for my teaching than any CPD or training course I've ever attended.

An inside scoop

There's something worth knowing about how the marking process works: there are quality control measures built into the system. "Seeded" scripts are placed within your marking pile, papers that have already been assessed by senior examiners, and if your marks drift too far out of tolerance on these, the system will flag it and prevent you from continuing until the issue is addressed.  Usually, you will have a chat with your team leader to discuss why the mark you awarded wasn’t correct and the one in the system was more accurate.

Why might this happen? Exhaustion, loss of focus, the creeping fatigue of week four. It happens to all of us, we're human, not machines. When I feel myself losing concentration, I get up, walk around, reset. I also consume an inadvisable quantity of sugary sweets. (Shush again.)

And yes, despite everything I've just described, I'm doing it again this year. It's for the benefit of my current and future students, and the extra money will be put to very good use. In fact, if I'm being truthful, it's probably already been spent.