Examiner giving some passes so reluctantly (8)
I believe the answer is:
assessor
'examiner' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'some passes so reluctantly' is the wordplay.
'some' says the answer is hidden in the clue (some of the parts of the word are used).
'ASSESSOR' can be found hidden inside 'passes so reluctantly'.
'giving' is the link.
(Other definitions for assessor that I've seen before include "One who judges" , "Person providing marks" , "One evaluates property" , "Evaluator, estimator" , "One making evaluation" .)