Dear all, 

As you no doubt know the UK Linguistics Olympiad is starting the preparations for its 3rd year after a remarkably successful first year with 1200 competitors and a Bronze medal at the 2011 International Linguistics Olympiad in Pittsburgh. (See www.uklo.org for background information and a report on 2011.) 

This year has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of schools registered for the UK Linguistics Olympiad Competition which is excellent news (currently over 250, compared to about 50 last year - see http://www.uklo.org/?page_id=596) and we anticipate that to deal with the logistics of the marking we will need additional members to our volunteer markers panel to mark the first-round entries at an advanced level (the level that qualifies for Round 2). 

Each member of the panel of volunteer markers would typically handle a batch of marking that we reckon should take about two hours. The marking is very straightforward, and largely mechanical, but - largely because some questions can be open-ended - not quite mechanical enough to handle via automatic marking systems.  We provide a detailed and (almost) algorithmic marking scheme which (almost) removes the need for personal judgement. On the other hand, it's quite interesting work because of the insight it gives into the thought-processes of adolescents; and of course the test problems are pure linguistics, so they're pure fun for anyone on this list. (This year's problems are at http://www.uklo.org/?page_id=17 ). 

If you are interested in joining our panel, please fill in the online registration form for volunteer markers, available at http://www.uklo.org/?page_id=903.

Here is how we anticipate the logistics to work this year:

• Jan 27 - Feb 3: you will hear from us regarding which schools and teachers you have been paired with. We will ask for confirmation to pass on your contact details to the school.
• Feb 3: schools entering Advanced candidates are given the email and postal address of their marker, and vice versa. Markers will negotiate directly with the teachers a convenient way for both how and when papers will be transmitted.
• by Mon Feb 13: schools copy and despatch Advanced papers to markers
• by Mon Feb 20: Advanced marks all submitted by markers. Markers hold all scripts and transmit scanned copies of top-scoring scripts to Kakia Chatsiou (achats at essex.ac.uk).
• by Mon Feb 27: Results announced, all papers returned to schools

Please note that the crucial week for marking is February 13-17 2012.

We would be grateful if you would leave that week as free as possible from other commitments. If you're willing to mark in principle, but happen not to be free to mark in that week in 2012, please register but also send us an email telling us you can't help in 2012.

Any queries, concerns or problems, feel free to contact me at achats - at - essex.ac.uk.  Many thanks and looking forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,
Kakia Chatsiou
 
On behalf of the UKLO Committee
w: http://www.uklo.org
 
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