Period of office

External examiner nominees who meet the stated criteria are appointed for a period of four years, after which they cannot be re-appointed until a period of at least five years has elapsed. Re-appointment of a previous external examiner after this period should only be considered in exceptional circumstances – i.e. where it can be shown that it is not possible to secure the services of any other suitable examiner - and an external examiner should never be re-appointed more than once.

Similarly, an extension to an examiner’s period of office will only be granted in exceptional circumstances: for example, if the programme is due to terminate within the next year, or if an extension is required to enable them to assess four successive cohorts of students. Such extensions should never be granted for longer than one year. Applications for extension either to the period of office or to an external examiner’s duties must be completed on the relevant forms available from the APQO, and advice should be sought from the Faculty link QAO on the eligibility of an examiner for an extension.

External examiners may resign from their post before the end of their period of office for a number of reasons, and should notify the University in writing (by email to externals@brookes.ac.uk ) if they choose to do so. They are asked, where possible, to give notice at least in the semester prior to the one in which their report falls due. The University reserves the right to terminate an examiner’s contract where the examiner is unable or unwilling to fulfil their duties to a satisfactory level, including the non-submission of an annual report within the specified timescale, or repeated failure to attend examination committees without good reason.