Allocation is the final step of setting up a marking workflow. After choosing the workflow Settings and building the pool of Assessors, use the Allocation tab to decide who marks which candidates or items.
Open the Allocation tab
- Open Marking > Coordinator.
- Select a schedule with status Assessor needed.
- Open the Allocation tab.
If the tab is missing, your role does not include allocation permissions. Ask a System Administrator.
Allocate manually
For each candidate (or item, when the workflow allocates by item), pick the assessor or moderator from the drop-down in the relevant column.
Use this when assessors have specialisms and you want to direct specific candidates to specific markers.
Allocate in bulk
For larger cohorts, use Automatic allocation to assign every candidate (or every item) in one action.
You can choose how Cirrus distributes the work:
- Evenly: the same number of candidates per assessor, as close as possible.
- Randomly: each candidate gets a random assessor from the pool, with the overall distribution staying roughly even.
Use this when assessors are interchangeable for the cohort.
Re-allocating
You can re-allocate at any time, but be aware of the side effects:
- If an assessor has already submitted scores and you remove them, their scores are removed too. Cirrus warns before applying.
- After results are published, the assigned assessors are locked for those candidates. See Assessors for the rules.