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

[CassandraWebb]

My DC is only doing one GCSE this year, a year early, but as I was looking through the information to check timings etc I noticed an email about the "remark" service and the costs

We could afford to pay if needed, but I do a lot of work with people who are in financially difficult situations.

I do fully understand there's a cost to remarking. But it just makes me feel really uncomfortable that clearly the costs might mean some people just don't have that option.

Is there help for people who can't afford to pay? There's no mention of it in the email.

@LizandDerekGoalsok thanks

only 30?

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.

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.

My dd was 2 marks of next grade and school got it remarked. We couldn’t have afforded to

Yes but they were still reviewed not remarked.

Yes,some are reviewed and go up. My understanding as a teacher though is they are not second marked, as they used to be, and haven't been for about five years or so. The process is a different one and, I believe, is less likely to result in changes. That said, I have had students with some significant changes but many, many with none. Worth approaching the school to ask for the papers back first and request someone has a read to see if they seem unusually marked.

I think that there are some more well-off parents who are inclined to put in for a re-mark if their child is only a mark or two off the borderline, regardless of whether any definite error has been identified, because for them, £43 is not a lot of money and it might get their child a better grade.

What we need is more reliable marking. Back in the 90s, I did some exam marking, and was told that every paper that was within a mark or two of the borderline was checked (and that was maths, where errors are relatively unlikely). I don't know whether there are any borderline checks now, or whether they leave it all to schools to do the checking, and parents to push if the schools don't.

There's quite a big lottery. As well as whether or not the school and parents want to fund the re-mark, there's also a disadvantage for those who have pulled out all the stops and improved their performance at the last minute. If they were predicted 5/6, and get a 5, nobody is likely to check that paper.

Yes it is a „review of marking“‘ but if it is totally off with a complete dud marker on a paper, it does then get remarked. From what I understand the creative writing piece my DD‘s friend had done last year was assigned a very low level by the marker completely inaccurately. Lots of the levels assigned were totally off so it came back with 24 marks extra over 2 papers and 3 grade differences.

@CassandraWebb I hope your DD gets the result she wants, but am I right in thinking that if she is taking one subject early it is because she is bright enough to do well in it?

Yes, this is what I meant. However the terminology is that a review of marking to decide whether marks being applied fairly not an independent remark as such. In other words if the original paper falls within the parameters of the mark scheme criteria in theory the mark should not change. It may still be helpful to have the papers reviewed but my professional understanding is that they are not technically remarked as such (ie a blind remark). It probably doesn't matter in the context of this discussion though so i'll get my coat!

I think what is missing in the system is maybe checking overall borderline cases across various papers? My understanding is the papers and even questions are marked separately but at the end someone should go in and check the borderline cases more. So you might be 4 marks off in one paper and 4 marks above in another and it does not look marginal. But once the grade boundaries are established you are only cumulatively 1 mark off the next grade. But because the grade boundaries are established the way they are it’s chicken and egg situation. You have up accept that there will be some errors and most schools are on it. That is why the kids go in to get their results, teachers are around to support and advise and exam officers are super busy.

Yes, if you have queries, schools should be able to offer advice. I certainly do after a careful read of the returned papers. Getting the papers back is completely free so worth this in the first instance.

Its disgusting.

I'm not the OP, but that's not the only reason for taking a GCSE early.

My child's school made RE a compulsory subject a year ago. They sit it in Y10. The rationale given was that it's a subject that teaches how to reason and make arguments, and sitting an actual exam in Y10 prepares them for the real thing.

Strongly suspect the department would be at risk because of low take-up otherwise, and I'm annoyed that the school can accommodate an extra GCSE and insists on the children doing it, but my DC hasn't got their first choice of other subjects for GCSE. There are other additional subjects DC would have chosen over RE.

DC is in the first year group to do it. School announced the change at the start of Y9 and DC is about to enter Y10.

Yes, I am not envisaging needing a remark... It was just that when was checking the information about timings at school etc I opened the email about remarks and it got me thinking!

You only get a refund if the grade changes (rather than just the mark).

It was definitely a thing even when I was at school.

My entire English class ended up having one paper remarked after multiple people got surprisingly poor marks. I went from a C to an A.

there was a huge hoo-ha about it and rumour was ever paper marked by that marker had to be redone as they’d completely cocked it up.

I do believe the system is robust. But where there isn't a definite right or wrong - anything with a few marks and a paragraph or essay - there is always going to be a difference of opinion. The exam boards have a thing called tolerance - usually 2 or 3 marks. So if I put 18 on an essay out of 20 and a senior examiner deems it's worth 20, my mark would stand as it's within tolerance. This is why remarks are risky because if I'm overgenerous with my 18 and the senior examiner deems it's only worth 12, you're losing a lot of marks and potentially looking at a grade change.

The system cannot remark as a matter of course every final mark close to a grade boundary. It would cost thousands of work hours. People need to be paid for that work.

But the alternative is thousands of students potentially missing out on grades they rightly deserve. I agree there’s a cost to it, but surely exam boards should be able to stand by the grades they award, not give a grade with the caveat this is what one person thinks but it could actually be a totally different grade if someone else marks it, and you can only get the “right” grade if you have a tolerance of risk and the funds to put behind the gamble.

If you think the system is robust, then a remark doesn’t need to be an option available to anyone as you’re confident the right grade has already been awarded.

I imagine that, whether we like it or not, computerised / AI marking will take over for GCSEs and A-levels within the not-too-distant future.

It won't be perfect, but nor is the present system.

We had to pay up front for the papers to be reviewed and it cost us a small fortune although it was refunded as the grades went up.
I said at the time that this method would penalise people who might not be able to afford the upfront charge.

I completely agree, and I understand a higher proportion of papers are sent for review from private schools than state which surely is unfair.

We had one of DD's A-levels reviewed last year as she was only 1 mark off the next grade. It was quite expensive but asher grade went up we did get the money back. I'm sure most schools would pay for the review if they felt it was in the best interests of the student.

I did feel at the time it was a little unfair as we could afford it. But schools will help where possible less well off students.

My experience is that some marking is poor. We asked for a review of 10 GCSEs last year as they were near the next grade up and five went up a grade. I know I am lucky to afford that. English lit went up 12 marks to a new grade because two whole pages were missed and not marked at all.