AbstractOver the last decade inter‐board grade comparability investigation has relied exclusively on the cross‐moderation method, but the results have continued to prove disappointing. Pronouncements about differences in the grading standards of the participating boards have usually been heavily qualified and of uncertain validity. It has not been clear, however, to what extent the cross‐moderation method can be held accountable for this general failure to produce interpretable results, since many of the studies suffered design flaws which have undoubtedly been contributory factors.In response to this situation the Schools Council agreed to fund and to administer a series of pilot studies designed to evaluate the cross‐moderation technique itself. This paper summarises and discusses the results of these preliminary investi