Severity differences among self-assessors, peer-assessors, and teacher assessors rating EFL essays

We compared three assessor types (self-assessors, peer-assessors, and teacher assessors) to determine whether they differed in the levels of severity they exercised when rating essays. We analyzed the ratings of 194 assessors who evaluated 188 essays that students enrolled in two state-run universities in Iran wrote. The assessors employed a 6-point analytic scale to provide ratings on 15 assessment criteria. The results of our analysis showed that of the three assessor types, teacher assessors were the most severe while self-assessors were the most lenient, although there was a great deal of variability in the levels of severity that assessors within each type exercised. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.