External examiners: information for staff
This page provides information and guidance to staff about the external examiner System at Queen Mary. External examiners and external members have their own page from which to view and download guidance, regulations and templates, which can be accessed here.
External examiners form an integral part of the quality assurance and enhancement processes at Queen Mary. The purpose of the external examiner system is:
- to ensure that Queen Mary’s degrees are comparable in standard to those awarded by other UK universities
- to ensure fairness and consistency in assessment procedures and student classification
- to scrutinise the effectiveness and appropriateness of the assessment system
- to assure the wider community of the standard of Queen Mary awards
Overview of the external examiner system at Queen Mary
The Appointment, Briefing and Role of External Examiners and Members [PDF 458KB]
Procedures for the appointment of external examiners and external members
SEB Chairs should consult with colleagues on potential nominees for the role of external examiner. Nominees must meet the following criteria:
External Examiner Criteria for Appointment [PDF 294KB] (taken from the former UK Quality Code for HE, Chapter B7 )
The deadline for nominations is 30 June for appointments to start the following September, and completed forms should be sent to Alice de Havillan with a CV, of no more than two pages.
External examiners appointments run from 1st September to 31st December 4 years later.
External Examiner Nomination form [DOC 50KB]
External examiners are normally appointed for four years. In exceptional circumstances a further fifth year extension may be possible. The extension request form below, requires SEBs to provide justification for these exceptional cases. The form must be completed by the SEB and returned to Alice de Havillan
External examiner extension request form [DOC 39KB] (Word document)
External examiner fee payment forms for Schools/Institutes
Please email the completed fee form to Alice de Havillan, Academic Quality and Standards Officer. The Directorate of Governance and Legal Services (DGLS) will then liaise with the external to provide the relevant paperwork for Payroll to process the request.
- One-Off Payments for External Examiners (Taught Programmes) Claim Form [DOC 113KB]
- One-Off Payments for External Examiners (Taught Programmes) Guidance [DOC 77KB]
Fee calculation charts:
Right to work Checks - Please note that SEBs are required to carry out cursory right to work checks for all new external examiners at the start of the academic year. This ensures the external has the relevant documents require by HR before they carry out any work for the SEB. Confirmation of documents is usually carried out when externals first visit Queen Mary (for any reason) and the verified documentation sent to DGLS with the payment instruction.
This check only needs to be carried out once, in the first year of appointment. SEBs are reminded that this is an HR requirement for fee payment. Full guidance can be found on the HR webpages: http://hr.qmul.ac.uk/workqm/righttowork/.
Should you require any further information or advice with regards to any matter relating to External Examiners, please contact Alice de Havillan, Academic Quality and Standards Officer.