Verification ensures that the form and content of assessment tasks and briefs are appropriate, fair, and valid in terms of standards, are fit for purpose, will effectively assess the achievement of learning outcomes, and present an appropriate level of challenge to students.

Standardisation and moderation are employed to ensure that academic standards are appropriate, that marking is consistent across a marking team and is regulated within agreed norms or against predetermined marking criteria across a module/course. It also ensures that the assessment outcomes for students are fair and reliable. It is undertaken internally and externally. Moderation can be undertaken by reviewing a sample of student work, or by second marking.

When reviewing a sample of student work, the role of the moderator is to check that first marking has been carried out correctly, that mark schemes have been properly applied, and that the total mark is arithmetically correct for a sample of student work.

Second marking is where a second mark is allocated to a piece of work by a second internal marker. This is a thorough second marking of student work and may be carried out blind (where the second marker does not have access to the marks and comments of the first marker) or sighted (where the second marker can view the marks and comments of the first marker).Second marking results in a single, agreed mark.

External moderation is a check / audit of a sample of marked work by an appointed external examiner.