OCR Appeals Committee Members

We are OCR, part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation, and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

We are looking for Appeals Committee Members to sit on the OCR Appeals Committee. The Committee helps us make sure that students, teachers and other education staff involved in assessment, mainly in the UK, have a voice in the decisions we make about them. The Committee help us ensure we treat them fairly, at the same time as upholding the standards and integrity of our qualifications.

Appeals Committee Members carry out an independent review of individual cases about:

• the accuracy and procedures in determining grades
• malpractice sanctions
• how students with special circumstances, such as disabilities, illness and injury, are supported through assessments to minimise any disadvantage

These cases can involve complex, sensitive issues that have a serious effect on people's lives and futures.

Appeal hearings are held in Cambridge, Coventry and online, made up of a panel of three committee members, including a panel chair and at least one independent member. They are supported by a secretary drawn from OCR staff. Further details of the appeals process can be found in the JCQ guide to the awarding bodies' appeal processes.

Our mission is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. This is why every year, Cambridge University Press & Assessment gives vital support to millions of people in more than 170 countries around the world. From teachers and learners to researchers and academics, we help to build confidence, unlock potential, and enable success. We give people the opportunity to show what they've learnt, we spread knowledge, spark enquiry, and aid understanding.

We achieve this by embracing change, and continuously focusing on our customers' needs. And by collaborating, and carefully listening to our customers and to each other, we keep moving forward, keep innovating, and keep finding newer and better ways of doing things.

The Role

You will be a member of OCR's Appeals Committee and form part of the panel for appeal hearings, reading case papers in advance. You will attend appeal hearings, listen to the cases made by OCR and the people appealing, question them and decide whether to uphold or not uphold appeals in full, or in part, based on JCQ regulations and the available evidence. When upholding appeals you may recommend or direct that OCR:

• carries out further work, such as:
• reviewing the marking of an examination, or moderation of non-examined assessment
• re-investigating a malpractice allegation
• re-considering a special consideration or access arrangement decision
• changing a malpractice sanction
• removing a malpractice sanction or finding of malpractice

Training is supplied and needed to carry out the role. It usually occurs annually, but this can be more frequent if needed.

We ask for your availability for hearing dates in advance and pay a fee for each meeting to cover preparation and attendance. Most hearings are conducted remotely via MS Teams, however we do offer appellants the option of in person meetings at our Cambridge Office, and may extend this to our Coventry Office as well. You can expect to be involved in approximately five to eleven hearings a year, with the busiest period between November and January. Hearings usually last for around three hours including a panel pre-meeting and post hearing deliberation. They are typically scheduled Tuesday to Thursday.

We will also pay travel and subsistence allowances at the current rate for in person meetings. The current fee is £86.43 per session, with a preparation fee ranging from £57.62 to £144.05 depending on complexity of the case.

About you

We're looking for people with the highest personal and professional standards, who can reach fair and proper outcomes to difficult situations. You should have:

• Excellent communication skills, including active listening
• Ability to interpret, analyse and question complex evidence
• Objectivity for making unbiased decisions
• A strong sense of integrity and fairness
• Confidence in handling challenging conversations
• Experience of leadership
• Experience of teaching and / or administration in an education setting

Committee members cannot be current employees of CUPA or assessors for OCR. Ideally, we are looking for people who have not been employed by CUPA, or have assessed/ marked for OCR within the last five years in any capacity, so they can act as independent members of the committee.

Closing Date 13 January 2025

We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe that diversity of thought, background, and approach create better outcomes. More importantly, fostering an inclusive culture is the right thing to do, and it's part of how we achieve our purpose: to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Ensuring that anyone, no matter who they are, feels they belong here is an essential part of who we are and the contribution we make to society, and to our planet.