Are remarks/review of marking just for the wealthy?

It would have helped if you hadn't started with 'no one takes 13 GSCEs' which felt like an attempt to discredit the OP, when in fact it's not no one. And the stats you're quoting are children taking all those GCSEs in 2024 rather than children who may have got their grades across years. Yes, it's rare to have 13 GCSEs, but not that rare. I did two in a year after my lower sixth - one in my spare time through a club (nothing to do with my school) and one as a complement to one of my A levels taught in a school club. Lots of schools, including state schools, offer these sorts of opportunities, and as I said one of our local state schools does enter some of its kids for this many subjects in year 11 having started the majority off on the courses in year 10 (which I think is a dreadful approach).

Firstly we need a post-qualification admissions system. For so very many reasons, the teacher-astrology of predicted grades and the subsequent stress of not knowing where you're going for definite until a few weeks beforehand, the clearing scrabbling, the priority reviews of scripts etc, etc. God it's madness it really it is.

Secondly, of course it's unfair that the financially comfortable can get a review of marks without worrying about the money. Didn't stop us doing one recently - school encouraged it because she's was one mark off an A star. Turns out she'd been under-marked by 10% on just one paper. Which bearing in mind there weren't many spare marks to be had is something else. Why wouldn't we want to remedy this since there's a system to do so?

We have refused the refund and have asked if it be put in a pot that the school has to help FSM students.

Ofsted don't like the practice of sitting GCSEs early either. They will challenge and inspect the reasons behind the practice. The concern is that a school's primary motivation for early entry might be to boost its league table performance rather than for the pupil's benefit. So, whilst early entry is permitted for many students, Ofsted will question whether it truly serves the pupil's interests and learning

That's taken from Ofsted themselves so ask them

Yet data shows only 0.1% ie 390 pupils do this. So they must all be on this thread

@twistyizzy
obe of my DD’s did 13 GCSE’s the other 12, both did 4 levels plus epq, quote school dependent. State schools I should add, not grammar and poor educational achievement area

Investigate what?

People can take as many GCSEs as they like and feel capable of. It's only going to boost the school's position in the league tables if the child gets good grades, in which case it was the right decision for them to take the exam and why shouldn't the school get some credit?

Bridget Phillipson should be addressing this as Education secretary as there is not just a financial aspect to this but also a school aspect, whereby only some schools have staff available and proactive to review papers and suggest marking reviews, and fund these reviews. We have had teachers on these threads saying they do this and others arguing that they won’t use their holiday time for this. This system is wrong and unfair.

But even more than that, there needs to be better accountability at the exam boards and OFQUAL. It is simply not right that papers are being graded with many marks missing which costs students their university places or 6th form places or costs them a lot of money upfront to investigate.

Those responsible for the style, timetable and quality-control of these public exams are at fault and the govt should be holding them to account. I have seen no discussion of this in the press - if there are any journalists out there, this is a big story and the govt needs to be made to focus on it. This is the source of the problem and sorting this out will be better than any fixes to the review system.

Secondly, there should be a statutory national system for schools in how they support pupils with unexpected results so that ALL pupils have access to reviews and it’s not reliant on teacher goodwill.

Thirdly, within certain parameters eg within 5 marks of grade boundary, reviews should be available for no fees. This should be funded collectively by the exam boards.

These are just my suggested solutions, there may be better ideas, but at the moment the govt/exam boards are ignoring the problem and students suffer.

Actually no within the national curriculum they are KS 4 assessments. KS4 is Yrs 10 + 11. A 2 year course for KS4

Usually the head of dept will decide if a remark is necessary. 3 marks off is usually the maximum. Also for a subject like English teachers tend to go for remarks as they can pick them up when asked again due to the nature of the subject. With Science and particularly Maths it’s not as straightforward due to the types of questions - it’s either right or wrong usually. We put some remarks in last week and none came back - we had some students that were only 1 or 2 marks away. It is nothing to do with the wealth of a parent. At my school we pay for the remarks. But obviously this is dependent on the school and their budgets.

Again, read my follow up. Ofsted will investigate because schools use that tactics to boost data tables.

The unfairness is that the moderation isn’t adequate in the first place. Maybe the exam boards should try and fix that. Every year there are lots of posts from markers complaining how little they get paid and how they have to rush the marking. It’s scandalous.

GCSEs can be taken any time you like. There's no reason why a GCSE course has to take two years or why that two year period has to start at the beginning of year 10.

Parent B very much made the wrong choice. You said they weren’t on the breadline so they just didn’t prioritise her. My dd would have worked herself to pay the £80.

The majority don't! Will people start reading my follow up posts because this is getting boring.
0.1% of pupils sit 12+ GCSEs. That's 390 a year out of 667,000.

it started because of unfairness. That it isn’t fair that some children have advantages over others in terms of getting remarked and other can’t. Then it went into unfairness of how GCSE’s work because some can take them early and have the advantage of that over others who can’t. The whole system is unfair. Some can get the exams remarked, others can’t. That is the way it works. You can’t remove that unfairness- it’s impossible.

Same. It suggests they don't place the same value on education. Very sad for their child.

I'm saying Ofsted etc say it's unfair for the reasons I stated ie it is seen as giving an unfair advantage because they were designed to all be sat together in a tight time frame.

Personally I couldn't give a shiny shit but to sit in Yr 10 is, in most cases, an attempt by schools to boost their league tables pr to allow re-sits in Yr 11.

Whatever rhe reason it's still only a tiny % who have 13 GCSEs. The majority of pupils sit 8-9 with some 10s/11s and very very few 12+

Of course they do. I did 12 and I am not one of those overachievers you read about in the paper.

What has this got to do with revising marks already sat to increase the grades? Or am I missing something?

But I’m not talking about hose who do 13. I’m talking about in general. Some children do them early and you are saying it’s unfair. I don’t think it is. If someone can do 2 early and then only have 8 to do at 16, good for them!

I have explained so many times now that 0.1% do 12+ GCSEs. A tiny %.

Where have I said that? You're twisting my words. I clearly explained my rationale and you've just ignored it.

The fact remains that only a tiny % of pupils sit 12+ GCSEs. Just because your cousin's neighbour's dog sat 13+ doesn't mean that it's the norm, it isn't.

The government don't gather data on individually sat GCSEs for the reasons I've explained.

We don’t have Ofsted in Wales, we have Estyn.

In year 10 DS sat all of Welsh lit and English lit, and they completed all of the science practicals and 1 paper for each of the 3 sciences. He did half of the maths numeracy and maths procedural papers too. He completed the 2 maths qualifications in November of year 11.

Then they started the additional maths course which he sat the exam for in the summer of year 11, alongside his Welsh language, English Language, the rest of the 3 science papers, history, PE and music.

it works well in my opinion

In year 12 they sit AS level exams that count 40% towards their overall A level grades in year 13. Is that not fair either?!

so you want it to be that only children who study between the ages of 14-16 can ever do a GCSe? No one else can ever have a go?
ofsted might not like it but these are publicly available qualifications. Anyone can sit them - unless ofsted change the rules to that people have one chance to take them at the age of 16, it’s a free country for people to sit them at any time they like whether they are 5 or 100.

I’ve been challenged by my children to take one next year and so I’m thinking about giving it a go!

Weird because I have 13 GCSEs and 5 A Levels.

Admittedly I did one GCSE in year 10 and another in year 12, and one of my A Levels is General Studies. I have an AS Level too.

I‘m studying for another GCSE now in my 30s too, but I accept that doesn’t really count for the point being made here.