I'll dispute this. And sorry to any ex-students reading but it's time to put the fess back in professor - all you Xaviers and Zechariahs probably got a boost.

I'll dispute this. And sorry to any ex-students reading but it's time to put the fess back in professor - all you Xaviers and Zechariahs probably got a boost. Obviously there's loads of different positional biases. Of course good marking should be done totally randomly shuffled and anonymous. But the reality is the most common order is just alphabetical. If you were last you got a great grade because us profs are just delighted to be finishing. Those at the start of the list tend to get a harsher treatment, and then, like all humans, there's more slack towards the end of the pile.