S.L. 327.66 Art. 7Procedures of Subject Panels.

(1) Syllabus Panels:

(a) The Chairperson of the Syllabus Panel is to call meetings of the panel and to inform the Principal Subject Area Officer concerned, who will normally attend panel meetings.

(b) One of the members of the panel is to be appointed to keep the Minutes. These should record decisions only and should be forwarded to the Principal Subject Area Officer within fifteen days of the meeting. Copies of the Minutes will be kept at the MATSEC.

(c) The Minutes should record attendance. The Chairperson should inform the MATSEC Board about members who are habitually absent so that replacements could be sought as soon as possible. With the permission of the MATSEC Board, it may be possible to co-opt an advisor for specific meetings or for a series of meetings. Co-opted members will not have voting rights and they do not qualify for an honorarium.

(2) Paper Setters’ and Markers’ Panels:

(a) The Paper Setters’ and Markers’ Panels shall determine the procedures to be adopted by them within the guidelines and parameters established by the MATSEC Board.

(b) Members of the Paper Setters’ and Markers’ Panels shall treat as confidential everything connected with the proceedings of their work. They shall take all necessary precautions to prevent leakage of information on the question papers, mark schemes and examination scripts to third parties.

(c) Members of a Markers’ Panel marking the same part of the examination shall be required to attend a Standardising Meeting to ensure harmonisation and consistency in marking. The chairperson shall call such a meeting soon after the examination and before marking begins.

(d) Members of Markers’ Panels must finish their work by the date specified by the member chairing the Panel within the time frame established by the MATSEC. In the event of illness or other emergencies, the MATSEC must be informed so that alternative arrangements can be made.

(e) The members of a Markers’ Panel shall prepare a brief report on the performance of the candidates whose scripts they have marked, immediately after they have completed their marking. These reports shall be submitted to the member chairing the Panel who will take them into account when compiling a report on the examinations held during a year for submission to the MATSEC Board for publication. The report shall seek to present a balanced picture and shall include such comments as will be of value and interest to teachers in the subject.