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Original poster

Gcse 1 mark from Grade above should we get it checked

28 replies

lotti37 · 29/08/2023 00:39

Hello my son did really well in his gcses this year and 2 of his subjects he was 1 mark off the grade above . English language he got an 8 (1 mark off a 9) and computer science he got a 7 ( 1 mark off a 8) . Chemistry he was 3 marks off a 9 . Is it worth getting these checked ? Anyone done this ? Don’t want the marks to go down . Thank you

OP posts:
MyMagicStars · 29/08/2023 00:42

For DD3/4, the last two to do GCSE exams, we had the following checked:
dd4- English- 1 mark from A to A*- moved up
dd4 Spanish- 1 mark from A to A*- didn’t movr
dd3 maths- 4 marks from a to A*- didn’t move
dd3 geography- 2 marks from B to A- didn’t move

Astromelia · 29/08/2023 00:43

I would, worst that can happen is he gets the grade he already has.

Will it matter, when it comes to his uni application or career?

BungleandGeorge · 29/08/2023 00:44

I wouldn’t bother, they’re not remarked anymore. It’s also expensive and doesn’t really make much difference. 3 marks away I definitely wouldn’t. The teacher will usually have a look at the paper and give you an opinion about whether it’s been fairly marked. Someone has to be one mark under, it doesn’t necessarily mean the marking is incorrect!

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sjpkgp1 · 29/08/2023 01:05

Great results, and congratulations. Unless it is seriously going to restrict his future, I would just move on. I realise there may be a bit of pride at stake here, but otherwise, you may spend money only to be told the same story which is probably worse than never doing anything in the first place. If he has got onto the next stage then he is good to go.

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 29/08/2023 01:08

They don't get marked down. Someone I know who marks GCSE papers says she always finds an extra mark or two

voxnihili · 29/08/2023 07:36

As @BungleandGeorge says, they’re not remarked now they just check that the mark scheme was applied appropriately.

I sent several papers off last year that were all one mark off and none of them moved. I’d be more inclined to get something checked if it was wildly off expectations in case there had been some error with the marking.

DueyCheatemAndHow · 29/08/2023 08:05

It won't be remarked. They will check its been applied properly - usually has - and that will be it.

If you do went to chance it do it paper by paper in each subject, don't put them all in at once

00100001 · 29/08/2023 08:08

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 29/08/2023 01:08

They don't get marked down. Someone I know who marks GCSE papers says she always finds an extra mark or two

Really? When they don't get re-marked?

Unless if affecting the kids A Level choices...I really wouldn't bother tbh.

00100001 · 29/08/2023 08:08

lotti37 · 29/08/2023 00:39

Hello my son did really well in his gcses this year and 2 of his subjects he was 1 mark off the grade above . English language he got an 8 (1 mark off a 9) and computer science he got a 7 ( 1 mark off a 8) . Chemistry he was 3 marks off a 9 . Is it worth getting these checked ? Anyone done this ? Don’t want the marks to go down . Thank you

Do these ridiculously high grades stop him moving on to the next phase on the way he wants?

He has excellent grades, I don't see what scraping a 9 would achieve?

enchantedsquirrelwood · 29/08/2023 08:11

When my ds did his GCSES he got 8s and 7s and then a 5 for English, which was a bit of an outlier. We contacted the school and decided to go for a remark - and it came back as a 6 so well worth it.

On the other hand he got 77 for science and the school thought he might have a chance of a 87, but as he was doing humanities/languages A levels we didn't think it really mattered - and it would have been very expensive if they'd come back and said the grade stood.

So I guess my question is - is it worth having a 9 instead of a 8?

English is important and a 6 is required for some A levels and uni courses, but he's already got the 8. I wouldn't be bothered about the other two. And yes, grades can also go down. A bird in the hand and all that!

Unexpecteddrivinginstructor · 29/08/2023 08:15

Have you/ the school looked at the grades by paper? Dc has a much lower mark on one paper than the others for one subject so we are getting that paper to check there hasn't been a marking error.

mumonthehill · 29/08/2023 08:22

We have very similar however ds not concerned about getting a re mark as he has got in to do a levels and in the school he wanted. It is really annoying but in our case we do not feel it is worth it.

Outwiththenorm · 29/08/2023 08:25

If DS wants it I’d do it, it’s worth a try.

Takoneko · 29/08/2023 08:39

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 29/08/2023 01:08

They don't get marked down. Someone I know who marks GCSE papers says she always finds an extra mark or two

That’s just not correct. They can and do go down (although it’s unusual) and they don’t go through and “find” an extra one or two marks. They aren’t marking the papers at all, it’s a review. For a change to occur (up or down) they have to show that the original mark was not a reasonable application of the mark scheme. It isn’t about whether the original marker was harsher/more generous by a mark or two than the reviewer would have been, it’s whether the original mark can be justified within the mark scheme. As a result, marks going up by one or two marks is becoming more unusual, especially where the papers are long answer questions where more than one mark could be reasonable. They generally either stay the same or go up/down by a handful of marks.
There was only one paper in our GCSE cohort last year that I thought was worth a review and it went up by three marks, as we expected from looking at the paper because there was a clear error in marking. All the others who put in for a review “just in case” because they were one mark off stayed the same, even though there were often places where you could have “found” a mark or two if you were looking to do so.

StElwicks · 29/08/2023 08:42

My daughter was 2 marks off a 9 last year for Eng Lang. She wants to do Eng at uni, and the school suggested a re-mark. We got the scripts, the teacher looked at them and thought she had a chance - they found 5 extra marks and she got her 9.

OneSugar1 · 29/08/2023 08:43

My sons school have advised getting hold of the papers (which are free) which they will then look over to see if it’s worth getting a review (which is not free).

TeenDivided · 29/08/2023 08:46

Astromelia · 29/08/2023 00:43

I would, worst that can happen is he gets the grade he already has.

Will it matter, when it comes to his uni application or career?

No. The worst that can happen is the grade goes downwards.

Best things is to get the scripts back and checked by a teacher who can then decide which papers are worth a review. Only review 1 paper per subject at a time in case multiple marks are lost across the papers.

mummymummymummummum · 29/08/2023 08:50

You need to request the papers back (which is free these days, but the candidate needs to put the request in) and look for errors. Have they added the marks awarded up correctly? The teacher may want to / be willing to have a look and see if there’s been an error applying the mark scheme.

MrsHamlet · 29/08/2023 08:53

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 29/08/2023 01:08

They don't get marked down. Someone I know who marks GCSE papers says she always finds an extra mark or two

They DO get marked down!

Reviews are not looking for marks; we're looking to see if the marks are reasonable. And if they're unreasonably generous, they can go down.

OP: ask for priority access to the scripts first and get someone who knows the mark scheme to look them over before you decide to pay for a review.

QuillBill · 29/08/2023 08:54

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 29/08/2023 01:08

They don't get marked down. Someone I know who marks GCSE papers says she always finds an extra mark or two

How would they know? They don't get the already marked paper.

MrsHamlet · 29/08/2023 08:55

QuillBill · 29/08/2023 08:54

How would they know? They don't get the already marked paper.

Show quote history

Reviewers do get the already marked paper.

historygeek · 29/08/2023 08:59

I had an A Level student's work re-marked and it went up by 4 marks.

Given the mess exam boards have made of exams this year, I'd challenge it.

Whilst there is a chance the mark might go down as well as up, it is extremely unlikely the mark would go down by enough marks to go into the grade boundary below.

It sounds like he has done extremely well in a year where there were much fewer top grades awarded.

Original poster
lotti37 · 29/08/2023 09:07

Thank you everyone . The school recommended checking it and they told my son it was free ? So is it free just for to get the paper back but then charged if you want it relooked at snd marking scheme not adhered to ? He has very small handwriting so that is what I was worried about with his exams . He has got on to his A Levels . He got 6 x 9s , 2 x 8 and 2x 7s so really proud he worked hard . Thank you

OP posts:
MrsHamlet · 29/08/2023 09:16

Free to get it back and for school to check it.
reviews cost about £50 per paper

Justwingingit2005 · 29/08/2023 09:23

My son was 1 mark short of a 4. School said it wouldn't be remarked so he resat and did get the 4 he needed along side his a levels but his original school was insistent they no remarking occurs.