AIBU to feel uneasy that GCSE remarks depend on ability to pay

You only pay if the grade doesn’t change. Generally speaking predicted grades work well and most people only go for remarks if it looks totally off. Eg DD2 had a friend last year who got a 6 in English language but was a straight 9 student otherwise and particularly strong in English. It was remarked and came back as a 9, it was completely off. I think the school formally complained and the exam board had to investigate properly.

I think it’s worse that a remark is an option at all. The initial marking process should be robust enough that it’s not required. Marginal cases should be remarked as a matter of course, and then the grade issued on the day is the remarked grade and it stands.

All the students I’m reading about who are waiting for an A Level remark and stuck in limbo is awful and a sign of a broken system.

only 30?

@LizandDerekGoalsok thanks

They were definitely a thing 25 years ago.
I think with the lack of the internet there was less awareness so people only did it if it was suggested by the school.

Who do you think should pay for it OP?

No. Thats the risk.

The working class has been shafted over the last 30 years.

I am gen x. My dad worked in a factory, mum was a SAHM. I got a grant to go to University and it was free. I own a house and have a professional job thanks to my degree.

NO WAY would I/my family have been able to afford to go to University away from home under the system now.

Yes. We have had some pupils put in for reviews of marking against our advice and lose marks. I know of one who went from a 4 to a 3 in maths (and then had to resit).

Is it true you can’t go down a mark/grade?

My ds's school offered to pay for his remark after his teacher had had a look at his paper. We are not PP and hadn't said we couldn't afford it. We declined in the end as ds was worried about the mark going down.

Do the marks ever go down?

Have remarks always been a thing?

I don't know anybody who got anything remarked when I did GCSEs and A Levels but unsure if that's because it wasn't an option, or just wasn't particularly advertised by our school?

Dont worry. Wait till uni when you have to tell them they have the choice between staying at home and going to the properly shite "university" or not going at all. Because we can't afford the top up on the student loans to cover the rest of the rent and living expenses and they can't guarantee getting a job in the place they want to go as its so difficult to get one now.

This isn’t true. There are different services you can request, the first one being a “review” where they do an admin check and just make sure everything has been added up properly. However, you can still request a review of marking too where the paper is effectively remarked or moderated by a different examiner.

When I was in school you got the money back if your grade changed? I had an AS level remarked and it went up 3 grades and the amount was refunded.
It seems reasonable that there’s something in place to stop everybody just willy nilly putting in for a remark otherwise it would be unsustainable.

I felt very uncomfortable about being able to afford the gamble of £43 per paper knowing that was a very privileged position.

I am a teacher and for our PP students (low income families) we cover the cost of the remark. It’s also worth noting that if the mark does change, the exam board reimburses the fee.

Last year DD had 4 GCSEs remarked. All 4 marks went up, and three of the grades went up.

My DS had marks checked on a few GCSEs, we had to give a cheque for the cost but only cashed if grade unchanged. He had a 3 move to 4, and a 4 to a 5

The school i worked in paid for remarks in certain circumstances. They always had to agree the remark was needed (they could look at the scripts) and it was a pupil premium family, but they also might if they were aware of other disadvantages and it was a core subject, or something the pupil specifically needed for the next step and the script looked worth a re mark.

But on the whole its people who can afford to who do it.

And yes if the mark changes the exam board refunds

I thought this too when my dd was getting a remark for her A level paper. However, I just don’t see how it would work if it wasn’t a financial burden because everyone would want a remark if they were close to the boundary. It needs to be something that rarely happens and that is done after some thought.

Also, my DD’s friend got her UCAS fee paid by school so I would have thought there were situations where schools are paying for remarks.

Exams are not remarked any longer, they are simply reviewed to check the original marking was correct and the marks reflect the mark scheme. Very few change grade as a result so generally speaking unless tgere's a good reason to go ahead it's probably not worth it. To some extent I see your point, but there just is no budget for reviews in state education unless a school or college has real concerns about the marking (I.e. obvious and glaring anomalies).