Client
National Assessment Agency

Design Consultancy
The Team
Peter Mills
020 7089 5821
petermills@theteam.co.uk
www.theteam.co.uk

The Challenge
Every year, 68,000 examiners are needed to mark and moderate GCSE and A-level exams. However, the additional responsibilities and time commitment can be overwhelming for teachers and two years ago examiner applications were not sufficient to meet demand. There was a common perception that examining was poorly paid and unrewarding, yet research for the National Assessment Agency (NAA), which works with the three main examining bodies and supervises the delivery of GCSE and A-level exams, found that 90% of examiners enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to colleagues.

The Brief
The NAA asked The Team to lead a communications campaign to recruit and retain examiners, markers and moderators, particularly in subjects where there was a shortfall.

Examine Their Future

Man IP220 International

The campaign also needed to gain recognition for the professional standards of examiners, who were seen by many as working in something of a cottage industry. The look and feel of a campaign that involved advertisements, posters, postcards, booklets, leaflets, packs and pop-up stands, had to be created on a budget of £120,000 (Euro 78,000).

The Design
Research with focus groups of existing and potential examiners has led to a campaign that uses images of young people in their school clothes, photographed in the locations where their career ambitions might take them. The core campaign message, ‘Examine their future’ resonates with teachers and reaffirms existing examiners’ reasons for taking on the work.

Where images were not appropriate, a small ‘paper turnover’ device reinforces the supporting message, ‘behind every paper there’s a student’ as well as emphasising that the system is focused on high standards and consistency. Two-colour print has been used where possible to keep costs down.

The Results
The campaign was launched in November 2004 and ran until March 2006. The number of applications to become examiners totalled 28,500 at June 2005, which was more than double the target of 15,000 applications – a real achievement, given that doubling the previous year’s figures had been seen as ambitious. The number of successful applications rose from 50% to more than 70%, partly due to the improved online application system. Many subject panels have been filled for the first time in years.

Judges’ Comments
The judges praised the NAA and The Team’s ‘impressive achievement’. Andrew Woodward, Marketing Director, John Lewis, cited the use of a core principle of good design, namely ‘building a design solution on a genuine and compelling customer insight – in this case the emotional engagement teachers have in fulfilling the potential of our children’. Gabrielle Teague, Joint Director, National Patient Safety Agency, agreed they had ‘grasped the challenge to understand the consumer base’ and added that a ‘canny’ use of trusted channels had helped to create this ‘very good integrated campaign that delivered against all targets’.


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