ABRSM Examiner Training (Part 3)

The diverse experiences of the probationary year

The Examiner

Having completed four training days successfully I have had a wonderfully diverse and rewarding year as a probationary examiner for ABRSM. It has been a year of travel, logistics and encounter, as much as a year of embedding key skills and processes. My brain has ached and my hand has had a writing bump for the first time in a few decades, but I have loved the challenge and experience. This blog is a reflection on the things I have learnt along the way.

Solo with support

Preparing for the first examining tour was stressful. A couple of weeks before I was due to begin I had frequent nightmares about the examining sessions running late, or happening with loads of people in the room, or forgetting key test materials. I was not alone in this — my colleagues who were starting with me confessed to the same nocturnal anxieties. It’s not that we didn’t know what we were going to examine — we received the lists well in advance and so knew which grades and instruments were coming up — it was just that sense of wanting to get it all right, and wanting to be in control on that first day. I felt as if I was the one preparing for the exam, not the one marking it! I found that all my other work commitments seemed to shrink to a definite second place as I rescheduled my time to practise the aural tests and read through the regulations and syllabi.

The probationary period for new examiners with ABRSM is one year. During this time the new examiner will examine at least six full days in each of the three main periods of exams in the spring, summer and autumn. With examiners having already completed the four main training days, these sessions are completed almost entirely solo, with two days of moderation at the start and finish. There is opportunity to liaise with the Head Office should particular difficulties arise, or if there are queries regarding syllabus requirements, and each probationary examiner is allocated a mentor who is there to provide support and encouragement as and when it is needed. The mark sheets from the whole first tour were scrutinised and returned to us with details of what could be improved with regards to comments matching marks given, or suggestions as to how phrases could be expressed more definitely and precisely (more about this later).

So there was really no need to feel nervous. Any questions I had could easily be solved by a phone call or email, and the moderation day in the first session was designed to be supportive and helpful rather than critical and demanding. There was clear guidance as to what we should write, and the clearly defined criteria was repeatedly referred to as the plumb line for assessment.

And so the big day finally arrived and I set off with my black examiner’s bag full, ready to run my first day as an examiner.

Nervous people everywhere!

I was very fortunate with my first session and had a shorter day so I could easily travel to the venue and take my time over getting ready. Being on time and travelling can often cause me a bit of stress so this was a real blessing for me. When I arrived the local representative could not have been more helpful and I enjoyed chatting and hearing her story of running the centre over the past few years. She unwittingly relaxed me and helped me to calm my nerves and remain focussed as I prepared for the first candidate.

I could not help noticing, however, that she too was nervous as she tried to ensure that everything was perfect for the candidates and make the day run as smoothly as possible.

And then when the candidates started arriving the anxiety levels increased further in the building as parents, teachers and accompanists tried to support them whilst feeling just as nervous themselves. If only all that nervous energy could have been harnessed somehow!

I gradually realised that they were all looking to me to lead the way in providing a calm and encouraging environment in which they could perform at their best. They expected me, the examiner, to be in control! In some ways this helped me. I think my mothering instinct kicked in somehow and I set about trying to provide that safe space the candidates needed. As the day went on I realised that I was enjoying meeting the different instrumentalists and my own nerves began to recede.

Different places

Part of the learning curve for me has been the logistical side of examining.

We are told when and where to go and whether it is an overnight tour or not. I have had to become adept at booking hotels and trains, looking up car parking facilities, and working out the best combinations for the different variables in a tour. I have grown to love Google maps and booking.com and the National Rail app on my phone gives a great sense of confidence as I can see which platforms to go to and when my train is due in etc. All very important for someone who had traditionally been a nervous traveller.

I am a mum with four kids and have hardly had a night away from them on my own since they were born. To spend a few nights in hotels between examining days has actually been a real treat for me. I suspect it may become more mundane, but for this year I have embraced a sense of adventure and thoroughly enjoyed seeing new cities and towns. I love hearing the different regional accents and having the opportunity to rediscover places I may have been to years ago. For someone whose working life has changed very little for over twenty years, the change of environment has been refreshing.

Re-writes

Refreshing, but also exhausting!

In a typical examining day there may be up to 28 candidates. The lower grades are given 12–14 minutes each and they are back-to-back throughout the day with a couple of breaks and lunch. An experienced examiner will be able to write perfect mark forms during each exam and will require no further processing other than putting them all in an envelope and sending them off to Head Office.

Not so for many new examiners, including me.

I spent the evenings after all of my first sessions re-writing mark forms because of errors I had made during the exam when under the pressure of having to assess, write and score performances in such a short space of time when so new to the pieces and criteria. A six hour day often became a nine or ten hour day as I slogged away at making the forms more presentable and articulate back at the hotel in the evening. This was hard work, especially on the first tour. I found myself wondering if it was something I could sustain and desperately hoped that I would find I had less to do the next time.

And even though I had rewritten a lot of forms initially, I discovered that there were still rewrites of the rewrites to do when they had been looked at by Head Office! It felt a bit like getting pieces of work back at school. I knew it was absolutely necessary for improvement but sometimes found it hard to swallow, especially for someone who is used to being at the top of her profession. But despite the discomfort of not getting it right first time, the feedback comments were always helpful and precise; incredibly valuable for improving how I wrote future mark sheets. This is an essential part of the training process and I tried to make the most of it.

Diversity

Maybe it is because of the effort required to get these things right that I have found examining to be tremendously fulfilling. There is a huge amount of diversity in the skills that are being used during the process. Having to describe the musical experience in words is a challenge in itself, and then to fit that performance into the mark scheme requires the use of logic, insight and perception. All this happens within the framework of a welcoming and encouraging interaction between examiner and candidate so the analytical is balanced by the personable and social skills of the examiner.

The speed of the examining day is exhausting but also exhilarating on occasion, and ensures that the day is diverse in the number of different characters that walk through the door. I have seen an incredible range of instruments and standards of performance, with surprising moments of sheer beauty of sound that I would never have heard otherwise. The effort that the candidates have put in before coming to the exam is clear, and it has been a privilege to share the exam experience with so many.

A thorough training

This year has proved challenging and has required hard work and determination. There is very careful assessment of the examiner to ensure that high standards are maintained. This is as it should be. As a teacher, I want to know that when my pupils take their exam there is as much consistency as possible in the marks given and in the experience they will have. I don’t want to be left thinking that the examiner was particularly mean or generous — I want the results to be reasonably predictable and based on objective criteria, not subjective preference.

From a teacher’s perspective it has been reassuring to see the other side of examining and to see that every effort is made to keep this transparency and consistency. I am also far more aware of the effort that the examiner is making to give my pupils a good exam experience and I am grateful for that.

This year has developed my professional music teaching and making in obvious and expected ways. Finding new friendships and developing a sense of confidence in other aspects such as travelling has been more of a surprise. I have felt well supported throughout, and will look at this as a year of experience and growth.

Post Script

The year was followed with a further moderation. This was supportive and encouraging, providing written feedback on various aspects of the examining day with helpful advice on how to improve comments and delivery. It confirmed that all was as expected. I received my official letter in December and am now looking forward to the many new experiences that lie ahead.