If an individual examiner is tasked with the responsibility of setting a question paper for a certain subject on a particular grade, then a small reference group comprising teachers and subject advisors may be appointed to advise the examiner on:

It is advisable that the examiner be in contact with the actual teaching and learning context. It is also important that learners and educators are informed about the format of the question paper. This should be done through a guideline document, which is circulated to all schools.

It is advantageous to appoint two or three examiners to set a particular question paper. This allows for the perspectives of two or three experts in the particular learning area to be utilised in the setting of the question paper, which is after all the most important aspect of the entire examination. Another advantage of the panel system is that it allows for capacity building by including examiners who lack prior experience in the setting of question papers. If a panel of examiners is used it is important that a convener be appointed. The convener takes final responsibility for the quality and standard of the question paper.