The Experience of Introducing a Common Criteria Assessment Grid Across an Academic Department

Abstract In the UK, there is growing pressure both within and across institutions to establish common assessment standards. This is an account of the introduction of a common assessment grid in a School of Business. The intention was to develop a comprehensive marking criteria grid to establish common standards of marking and grading for Advanced Level undergraduate modules (those normally taken by second‐ and third‐year students) across the Business programmes. The aim was to provide better guidance to students (and better work as a result) as well as enabling consistency in marking, easier moderation, and easier provision of feedback. It was created using the attributes identified by the Graduate Standards Programme and South‐east England consortium (SEEC) generic level descriptors as starting points. While the grid failed to provide comprehensive marking criteria, evidence is presented to suggest that it succeeded in its other intentions. The project also raised questions about the efficacy of setting standards through programme specifications and generic level descriptors.