Co-assessment at the boundary: judges and advocates grading students’ performances in oral exams

In this article, we present a study of how teachers in secondary education discuss, negotiate and legitimise what grade to award students when they co-assess oral exams. The study draws on video recordings of authentic non-standardised oral exams in Norwegian language and literature. The oral exams involved pairs of examiners: the students’ teacher (the internal examiner), and a teacher from another school (the external examiner). The analysis reveals that oral exams are flexible enough to enable cooperation without complete agreement and thereby function as boundary objects, allowing internal examiners to advocate for their students while also complying with regulations. External examiners take the role of judge by having the last word about the grade. The findings of the study indicate that the practice of oral exams is guided by both formal regulations and established practices. We discuss the need for regulations that build on newer understandings of how examiner roles affect practice as this has implications for validity.