A Chara,

The State Examinations Commission continues to recruit examiners to mark the work of students sitting the Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied, and Junior Cycle examinations this summer.

We would appreciate your support in bringing some important information to the attention of your teachers.

Teachers are the lifeblood of the national examinations system and we rely on their involvement in the marking of the examinations so that we can deliver the annual state examinations service for the benefit of individual students, the education system, and society in general.

We also believe that through engaging in the national examinations system, individual teachers can benefit both professionally and financially.  Professional benefits include;

• Enhancing their own teaching of the subject by gaining an insight into the marking process
• Gaining a deeper understanding of the assessment process
• Exercising their professional judgment
• Networking with other professionals
• Increasing their professional development
• Enhancing their career opportunities by being able to include examinations experience on a CV
• More experienced examiners will have the opportunity to gain valuable management experience if promoted to a more senior role.

It is also notable that Junior Cycle examinations were last held in schools in the Summer of 2019. This means that in most Junior Cycle subjects the 2022 examinations are essentially the first year of examination of the new Junior Cycle specification.  There are also new and recently introduced subject specifications Leaving Certificate. This presents a fantastic opportunity for teachers to get involved and to gain this insight into how their subject will be marked in order to enhance and develop the quality of their teaching.

Full training will be provided and a support network is available throughout the marking process. We require examiners to mark examinations that are answered through the medium of English and Irish.

Financial Benefits
Written examiners are paid a number of fees and allowances and there have been a number of increases to the fees to bring to attention.

• Attendance at a training conference
• An administration fee of €223.93
• A per script rate
• New ***A per script satisfactory completion of marking fee (for 2022 related to Covid)
• New ***A revised arrangements fee of €223.93 if attending a digital conference
• Traveling expenses and subsistence allowances are also payable.
• All fees have also been increased by 1% in line with public sector pay arrangements

The script rate for marking Leaving Certificate scripts varies depending on the complexity of the material to be marked and the time taken to mark it. However, it is important to note that this year all examiners will also receive a Covid-related satisfactory completion of marking fee which recognises the cooperation, flexibility, and support needed in the delivery of the examinations.  The Leaving Certificate satisfactory completion of marking fee for all subjects is an additional €6 per script on top of the normal script rate.  This means that the Leaving Certificate marking fees for 2022 have increased by a minimum of 17% and up to 50% per script depending on the subject-specific rate.

In the case of the Junior Cycle, the script rate also varies depending on the complexity of the material to be marked and the time taken to mark it.  The Junior Cycle satisfactory completion of marking fee for all subjects is an additional €3 per script on top of the normal script rate.  This means that the Junior Cycle marking fees for 2022 have increased by a minimum of  48% and up to 57% depending on the subject-specific rate.

For further details, including terms and conditions, the SEC’s policy on appointments, and how to apply; Access the Recruitment Section of www.examinations.ie .

The application form is also available here

The SEC greatly appreciates your assistance in promoting this work with your teachers.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Dolan
Director of Operations
State Examinations Commission