Markers for the Scottish Qualifications Authority will see their average hourly pay rates rise from £6 to £9 following the intervention of Scottish education minister Jack McConnell.
Mr McConnell announced a 50 per cent rise for the SQA's 7,000 markers, moderators and examining teams in a bid to avoid a repeat of last year's fiasco when thousands of candidates had inaccurate, missing or incomplete results. The move, which was recommended by the SQA, will cost £3 million.