Meaning & use
mark scheme
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Meaning
nouncountable
An official guide listing the correct answers and the points awarded for each part of an exam or assignment, used by examiners to grade work consistently.
Grammar: Usually takes an or the: follow the mark scheme.
Patterns
- the mark scheme for something
- according to the mark scheme
- follow the mark scheme
The examiner checked each answer against the mark scheme before giving a score.
Our teacher showed us the mark scheme so we could see how the essay points were awarded.
According to the mark scheme, two marks are given for naming the process and one for describing it.
Word forms
| plural | mark schemes |
|---|
Common combinations
- follow the mark scheme
- Markers must follow the mark scheme closely, even when an answer seems clever.
- past paper mark scheme
- I checked my practice answers against the past paper mark scheme.
- detailed mark scheme
- The detailed mark scheme listed every acceptable answer for question four.
- according to the mark scheme
- According to the mark scheme, spelling errors lose no points here.
- publish a mark scheme
- The exam board publishes the mark scheme after the results come out.
Synonyms and how they differ
- marking scheme
- It means exactly the same and is simply a slightly longer variant, but mark scheme is the more common phrase in school settings.
- rubric
- A rubric is a grid of quality levels, often used for essays and projects, whereas a mark scheme tends to list specific answers and point values.
- answer key
- An answer key just lists the right answers, usually in American usage, and does not explain how partial credit is given.
Word family
Commonly confused: mark scheme or grade boundary?
mark scheme vs grade boundary
A grade boundary is the lowest total score needed for a certain grade, while a mark scheme explains how individual points are earned.
Practice
After the exam, Priya compared her answers with the ___ to see where she had lost points.
Choose one answer.
A mark scheme shows what earns points for each question. A grade boundary only gives total scores for grades, so it cannot show where individual points were lost.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mark scheme”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.