Principal Examiner and Content Author for T Levels Science (Core Paper Biology) - Fully Remote in London

The Principal Examiner and Content Author role ensures that standards for the externally assessed unit(s)/module(s)/component(s) are maintained and consistent with the unit specification and assessment criteria. The Examiner oversees standardisation of Examiners.

Core Services and Expectations

• Act at all times in a way which will not bring Pearson, its employees, and its representatives into disrepute.
• Read all Pearson policies and guidance prior to undertaking contracted activities.
• Respect the confidentiality of centres and learners.
• Attend any and all meetings or training sessions provided, relevant to your role, where requested by Pearson.
• Adhere to deadlines given by Pearson and ensure that all work is carried out to the best of an individual's ability.
• Remain respectful and advocate for others to ensure and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in a professional manner when carrying out services on behalf of Pearson.
• Have personal IT equipment capable of running Pearson software, relevant malware, appropriate virus protection software, a suitable internet connection, and a personal, secure email account.
• Communicate with Pearson and its centres in a timely manner when carrying out all designated responsibilities.
• Raise any concerns if you suspect or are made aware of any malpractice, maladministration, and/or safeguarding issues.

Role Specific Services and Expectations

• Ensuring the timely delivery of your contracted unit(s)/module(s)/component(s).
• Updating the mark scheme/guidance before the pre‑standardisation meeting, taking into account actual candidates' responses and feedback from supervisors/Examiners.
• Leading meetings such as pre‑standardisation and standardisation and participating in others such as appeals against results and post‑series reviews.
• Selecting and marking items for validity as agreed at the pre‑standardisation meeting.
• Marking an allocation of live candidates' responses, to quality‑assure as part of a supervisory role, where required.
• Preparing and collating materials for standardisation.
• Supporting supervisors and Examiners.
• Sampling supervisors/Examiners' initial marking and back‑reading responses, as directed, using the appropriate Pearson marking system to target back‑reading and correct specific problems.
• Monitoring the progress of supervisors/Examiners.
• Reviewing responses for clarification.
• Acting as a senior point of escalation across the quality assurance process.
• Providing support across several versions of the paper, including all those introduced previously, and any versions introduced during the contractual period.
• Monitoring and reporting to the Assessment team after standardisation and completion of marking, submitting a completed feedback form for each supervisor/Examiner as directed.
• Supporting in awarding activities by writing reports to the Awarding Committee, recommending grade boundaries, participating in the awarding activities, and other areas where required.
• Completing the Senior Assessment Associate review process reflecting on your own challenges and successes and attending a follow‑up meeting with the assessment team where required.
• Submitting reports on the series/candidate performance.
• Providing support and written responses to complaints where required.

Content Author Purpose

The Content Author is responsible for producing error‑free, factually accurate assessments that align with the subject specification.

Core Services and Expectations

• Ensuring assessment materials comply with the Global Content Policy, fully support accessibility, diversity, equality, and inclusion, and sensitivity guidelines.
• Ensuring all applicable assessment materials produced are of high quality and show sufficient coverage of the assessment criteria as set out in the applicable assessment guidelines.
• Ensuring all materials are appropriate to the specific range of ability and will result in good discrimination and differentiation at all levels that it is designed to test.
• Advising on subject specialist matters throughout the production process and providing feedback where necessary.
• Adhering to the production schedules and turnaround requests, keeping Pearson informed of your availability which could affect deadlines.
• Ensuring that, where candidates may choose between questions, it can be demonstrated that any permitted combination of questions provides for the coverage of a similar balance of content and assessment criteria, where required.
• Producing assessment materials to ensure they meet the level of demand, and the questions are clear, fit for purpose, and error‑free.
• Providing accurate sources used and, where applicable, so that Pearson can request copyright permission to use the material.
• Ensuring that appropriate graphics, photographs, diagrams, or images (where required) are from reputable sources and free from error.
• Ensuring that the nature and range of responses required by the mark scheme are appropriate and correct.
• Complying with the demands of the current specification as far as duration of the paper, reading/preparation time, number of questions/items, and all other aspects are concerned, and that the rubric is clear and reflects these requirements.
• Ensuring that materials do not contain unnecessary repetition of questions and that distractors do not inform the answer to other questions.
• Reviewing, reporting, and clearly marking up comments and producing revised assessment materials, as and when required, throughout the production process.
• Providing feedback on drafts at each stage and attending sign‑off meetings where required.
• Ensuring all associated materials are updated throughout the production process.
• Signing off the final assessment materials.
• Supporting, reviewing, and agreeing on modified paper amendments, where requested by Pearson.

Skills and Competencies Required

• Experience and knowledge of quality assurance and assessment practice.
• History of moderation and/or marking a regulated qualification.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proven ability to provide and co‑ordinate training such as standardisation and other standards‑related activities.
• A comprehensive knowledge of the specification for your specialist sector, including internal and external requirements.
• Provide examples of when you were asked to lead/support essential quality assurance activities.

Desirable

• Leadership experience in delivering qualifications.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance and requirements.
• Report writing within a regulated industry.

Experience

• Excellent communication skills.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the specific content area (e.g., assessments and curriculum development).
• Proven ability to provide and co‑ordinate training.
• Proven track record of leading quality assurance activities.

Qualifications

Qualifications required to apply for your chosen role at Pearson will depend on the qualification you are delivering. Please contact Pearson ahead of your application if the requirements are not clear.

• A minimum of one full academic year of teaching experience in the relevant subject area/sector within the last 8 years and/or extensive knowledge and experience in Pearson assessment, quality and processes and national standards within the last 5 years.
• Relevant CPD evidence in the subject area/sector within the last 12 months.
• A UK recognised teaching qualification.