External Examiner Information for University Staff

Guidance on External Examiner Procedures

Guidance on External Examiner Procedures (updated April 2021)

Guidance on Examination Boards

Guidance on Examination Boards

Nomination form for new External Examiners

PLEASE NOTE: Schools are advised to refer to the External Examiner considerations and checklists for Schools and Faculties document listed below and the 'Criteria for the nomination of External Examiners' (section 4 of the Guidance on External Examiner Procedures, above) to assist them before they complete a new nomination form. Particular note should be taken of the fact that new External Examiners should not have had a previous relationship with the University within the past five years.

INFORMATION ON OVERSEAS APPOINTMENTS: Ordinarily we are not permitted to appoint External Examiners who are based overseas. However, in certain circumstances this may be allowed. In the first instance, you should contact the External Examiner team (external.examiners@manchester.ac.uk) to discuss this further. The team are happy to provide guidance on the process, but you should be aware that appointing an External Examiner from overseas can take considerably longer than appointing an External Examiner who is based in the UK and you are advised to start the process well before your current Examiner finishes their appointment.

Additional appointment/amended duties form

External Examiners additional appointment / amended duties form - to make any amendments to the duties of existing External Examiners

Extension request form

External Examiners extension request form - to make a request to extend the appointment of existing External Examiners

Fee models

School and Faculty guidance, checklists and information

External Examiner considerations and checklists for Schools and Faculties
- This document contains items that Schools/Faculties should take under consideration prior to and after the External Examiner nomination process, as well as checklists for before and after Examination Board meetings. This guidance has been developed to assist Schools and Faculties in their planning and liaison with External Examiners
Sharing External Examiner reports with students - This document contextualises the QAA’s requirement for universities to share External Examiners' reports with students.
Templates and suggested wording for inclusion in Programme Handbooks

External Examiner IT sign up and Blackboard access

External Examiner access to Blackboard - PS process - This guidance is a general overview with suggested approaches. Schools may wish to adapt the wording of sections 3 to 5 to suit local methods.
External Examiner access to course content and assessments
External Examiner Directions to Finding Assessed Work on Blackboard or Online
(The last two documents are for the use of and adaptation by colleagues in Schools and eLearning Teams and may not therefore apply to all External Examiners).

External information

Advance HE External Examining Handbook. The handbook is a reference source for external examiners and brings together the outcomes from research and development in the field. The guidance is supported by evidence derived from the collective experience of practising examiners – staff who support the process research studies and publications. Case studies are used to illustrate issues that can arise in external examiner practice.

Contact details

For any queries relating to the administration of External Examiners, please contact External.Examiners@manchester.ac.uk