The nationwide Gaokao, also known as the College Entrance Exam, went smoothly with over 10 million students sitting in for it, surrounded in an environment of health precautions that included people entering exam centers being required to start monitoring their temperatures 14 days ahead. But how are the exam papers evaluated during the pandemic? Who are these assessment teams? And how to ensure a fair assessment?

Closed-off management and daily health reports

Education authorities have required assessment sites to implement closed-off management and report the physical condition of all personnel on a daily basis. 

According to the Beijing Daily, there are six assessment sites in the city. Assessment personnel are not allowed to leave the sites and are required to take temperature checks when entering buildings. All rooms need to be ventilated for at least 30 minutes before the grading starts.

During the assessment, all staff has to wear masks and sit spaced out. All windows have to be open. An isolation area has been set up in each site in case some personnel reports cases of fever, coughing, diarrhea, or fatigue. They will be escorted to the area for a preliminary diagnosis by medics or to the nearby hospitals. Standby staff will continue their work.

Who is on assessment duty?

Teachers chosen to grade Gaokao exam papers are usually experienced teachers from key senior high schools and universities in a city. In Hainan Province, universities, research institutions, and senior high schools recommended teachers, professors, or researchers to local education authorities. A total of 710 teachers were selected to take part in the assessment work this year based on their credentials and occupational titles, according to the China News Service.

In east China's Jiangsu Province, the selected personnel needed to join a trial assessment and be reviewed by local education authorities before they received their pass. In Beijing's Tsinghua University Assessment Site, 130 teachers from the university worked together with 110 others from the city's middle schools on grading the mathematics exam paper.

How to ensure a fair assessment?

Personnel involved in grading have to present their identity documents, leave electronic devices in a small basket in a separate area, and undergo security checks before work starts.

Grading computers are connected to an intranet to prevent hacking and intrusion of viruses and are placed in rooms with secured windows and doors. The rooms are also equipped with surveillance cameras, and police officers are on duty 24/7.

In Jiangsu Province, to ensure a fair judgment, the examination and assessment authorities decided to encrypt candidates' personal information,and analyze exam papers before scanning and transmitting the questions to the grading terminals, through an isolated optical fiber system. In Beijing, the databases have back up servers and separate storage.

This year, many cities across the country have opened the assessment sites inviting candidates, parents and the media to see how everything is done. 

How to avoid mistaken assessment?

In the middle of grading exam papers, random checks are carried out and, for example, if a question is marked too high or too low, the professionals will intervene in and discuss the situation. 

Tsinghua University admissions director, Yu Xiaoxiao, said identical standard is applied to assessment teachers, assessment team leaders, and quality supervisors.

Gaokao results will be announced as early as July 23 and candidates can apply for universities according to their marks.