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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

GCSE remarking

42 replies

SparkingVino · 12/09/2018 12:05

My sons year head has said that he was just 4points off a A mark for business studies and that we should consider getting the exam remarked. We’ve discussed this with my son and he seems keen to go ahead as am I. But my husband has said maybe we shouldn’t because he’s not taking business studies at A level and it’s going to cost us £40 to get the remark. So am I being unreasonable thinking that we should just go head and do it anyway because it would help to get him into university if his b turns into an a?

OP posts:

GriseldaChop · 12/09/2018 18:19

Usually you get your money back if the grade is altered. Check with the schools exam officer.

Leeds2 · 12/09/2018 18:23

Is school going to pay for the remark? In which case, I would go ahead!

I would probably go ahead anyway, but just bear in mind that the grade is unlikely to change, and may even go down.

LokiBear · 12/09/2018 18:28

As a school we will not pay if the pupil is more than 2 marks away, and only then if it will improve our figures. We do notify parents though, if a pupil is close to a boundary. I had one pupil who was 1 mark away from a 9 and one who was 2 marks away from a 7. Both kids had already beaten their expected target by a grade. There was no reason for me to put in for a remark as the results were very good, the moderators comments on the NEA element was fair. There was no reason for me to put in for a remark. However, because they were so close, we give them the option, just in case they do go up.

LokiBear · 12/09/2018 18:29

Oh, and as a school we have had some success with remarks, but usually when there has been am issue. Like pupils grades being unexpectedly lower than they should be.

garethsouthgatesmrs · 12/09/2018 18:30

more likely to go down than up

I don't think that's true. Certainly in my subject (Maths) you wouldn't be able to go down a whole grade in this situation unless they had made an error of about 15 marks so it would never happen!

He could go down in marks but not in grade.

That said I think 4 is a lot. However as a parent I would still pay the £40 if its affordable because you never know and I am sure you want to feel you have done everything you could

sarahC40 · 12/09/2018 18:31

Unfortunately we’ve had loads of experience of some inaccurate marking in the past and it’s continuing this year, from my conversations with colleagues. Some of them have been startling (14 marks uplift); whereas others have been marginal, but anecdotally, I’ve heard this from colleagues that some reviews have led to as much as a 2 level uplift.

MaisyPops · 12/09/2018 18:32

IsThatYouPaul
In yes/no subjects it's probably a bit easier.

In mine it's sometimes 6-8 marks to a band and the mark only changes if the review says that the mark scheme has been applied incorrectly.

We put then in for a review if the grade really matters and the student isn't risking too much e.g. we wouldn't pay for a 6 to be reviewed but would for a 3.

MaisyPops · 12/09/2018 18:35

garethsouthgatesmrs
On an 8 in our subject (Literature) it would be more likely to go down than up.
A grade 8 is often a high band answer.
The 9 is often set in the same band as an 8.
Review of marking only causes changes if the mark scheme was applied incorrectly. There's around 6-8 marks per band for some questions.

If I had a student on an 8 then I would be wanting someone senior to sign off on that review of marking.

Aragog · 12/09/2018 18:46

How close is he to the lower grade boundary. In some subjects the boundaries are close together.

He could be 4 marks off an A but also 4 marks of a C.
Marks can go up or down.
Would be be willing to risk a C too?

As others have said, the remarks have changed somewhat and are not being reviewed instead. They have done this partly to avoid vanity remarks., and more for pupils who received a grade very much different to what was expected.

MatildaTheCat · 12/09/2018 18:50

4 marks is quite a lot. DS was half a mark off As in all three science papers so we had them all remarked but the marks stayed the same.

He used that as a lesson to put in that extra bit of work. ( was several years ago)

tinytemper66 · 12/09/2018 18:53

Be careful as you will have to sign in case marks go down as well as up and that grade will stand.

oldsockeater · 12/09/2018 18:57

I wouldn't bother. It won't make any difference to his future. Once you have A levels, no one cares about GCSEs any more apart from making sure you have a C equivalent minimum in Maths, English and Science. The only time it would be worth it would be to get someone up from a D to a C (in old grades) as it is be required for entry to further education.

Remotecaboat · 12/09/2018 18:58

My son has just got his maths remarked. He went from a 3 to a 4. I was surprised to be honest. Maths is a black and white subject surely?

IsThatYouPaul · 12/09/2018 22:04

MaisyPops it wasn’t yes/no as such, it was a “give reasons” type question. The remark comments stated where marks should have been given according to the mark scheme, but were not.

DS teacher said his answers were not ambiguous, just missed. Fortunately we could afford the remark, and were advised to go for it by the school. He went from an 8 to a 9, in a subject which is his ‘thing’ - so just put him where he felt like he should be really amongst his peers.

EmUntitled · 12/09/2018 22:22

Is he studying business at A level? If so I wouldn't bother with a remark as once he has a higher qualification in the subject, the GCSE will be irrelevant.

Original poster

SparkingVino · 27/09/2018 18:43

Just a quick update; we asked for the remark and we got the results today.... it was worthwhile he had his B changed to an A.

OP posts:

mum11970 · 27/09/2018 18:52

Sparkling I’m glad your son got the grade he wanted. A few people have mentioned that the grading for GCSE has changed to 1-9; this year, this is totally dependent on where you live. We still use the A-E grading in Wales.

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