Review of marking

[Edinaandpatsyrule]

Good morning lovely Mumsnetters. I have been pondering something about reviewing/ remarking papers. I completely understand it is not a remark and is simply a review of whether the original examiner applied the mark scheme correctly with an understandable flexibility of application (especially in the more subjective world of humanities). What I don’t understand is that people come back and say “it went up one/two marks” . Surely this one or two marks would be within a natural margin of flexibility in marking and does indeed suggest a remark rather than a review . I can understand it more if a paper went up 8 marks which suggests the original examiner did not apply the scheme correctly? It just strikes me that understandably people who are 1-2 marks away from a boundary (again I know examiners don’t know the grade boundaries) want it reviewed to “find extra marks”. Yet this isn’t how it works?

So if a question on a paper was assessed as being within the 10-12 mark boundary and awarded a mark of 12; but the reviewer assessed it as being within the 13-15 mark boundary and would award it a mark of 13, there would be one mark improvement. That’s quite likely actually – more than if the second reviewer awarded it a mark of 15.

The issue comes when the first marker gave it boundary 10-12, mark 10; and the reviewer agrees with boundary 10-12 but would give it 12 – in that case the boundary is correct so the mark does not change.

Happy for anyone to come and correct me on this if I have got it wrong!

Ah. That makes sense! I knew I was probably being dozy! Thank you!

Also it can be errors in marking.

Dd's twice gone up 2-3 marks (in maths/maths related) because part of a question wasn't marked or that marks were wrongly calculated (parts of question scored 4,1, 3, 2,1,1 total given was 10 not 12)

Thanks: makes sense! I’ve never actually tried for a review but it’s definitely the thing to do where I live where the majority of people within about 5 marks of a boundary send off for one. No idea of the success rate?!

You also now can view the papers, so people will view the paper and see that something is wrong often. Our dc's school advises that you look at the papers before sending off for a remark - if nothing else you could find 2 marks more on paper 1 and 4 less on paper 2!
It also saves money if you know one won't go up.

That means that percentage success rates of remarks are going to be greater, without it meaning the marking is worse.

An error in marking maths is less likely, but any error will be 'unreasonanle' as there isn't really much discretion if any. So in maths I would say a review is the same as a remark.

Success rate is just over 22% off papers submitted for review.

This is an interesting read:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reviews-of-marking-and-moderation-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2024-exam-series/reviews-of-marking-and-moderation-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2024-exam-series

Thanks that’s interesting. Reviewing marks was never a thing in my day and neither were knowledge about grade boundaries !

Apologies for the appalling grammar!

Agree. In my day you got what you were given and were grateful! .
...wanders off muttering 'born in a paper bag....'
The system is improved now there is more visibility, but all the differentials in grades at gcse means there are more people at boundaries too.

When was that? I remember a friend having a paper remarked in the 90s as her grade was so different to what was expected. I presumed there was always a procedure for this.

I did Os and As first half of the 80s. I have no recollection of knowing marks or grade boundaries.
At school the English department didn't even give marked papers back for internal exams. I think they just plucked numbers out of thin air.

Ha ha I am ancient and did O levels in 1985 and A levels in 1987

I remember the odd remark being requested in the late 80s if the grades came back really off, or if university places were missed (I had an A level remarked). But we didn't have the scores, or boundaries as a matter of course. I know the teachers did for A levels as they told me the scores on each paper in two subjects.

I think moving to all the different levels makes a big difference today.

I got a C for maths, DD just got a very solid 4, but no way of knowing if my C was 1 mark off a B or 1 mark off a D. It was just 'hooray, passed maths, never need to think about quadratic equations again'.

I actually really dislike this micro-slicing. DD is incredibly happy with her 8 in Music, but part of her also feels she's a bit of a failure because she didn't get those extra 3 marks that would have given her the 9. In my day she'd have just had the A and never wondered if it was a top A or a bottom A.

I feel it encourages us all to agonise and obsess over the marks.

I feel it encourages us all to agonise and obsess over the marks.
Agree.

@OhCrumbsWhereNowi agree too.

We’ve just had A-level results. DD is 3 marks off A* in one subject. Her teacher suggested she get it reviewed. Hasn’t affected uni place. She simply can’t decide whether to send it for review and if she does which papers. She was v happy on results day. Her other grades were great and she got what she needed. This option to review is obviously great for some. Really important to be able to query/review marking etc. But for DD it’s resulted in creeping dissatisfaction with the grade and indecision about what to do (the process isn’t cheap). We never got the breakdown of marks at my schools and reviews were never mentioned so you didn’t have a clue if you were close to grade boundaries.

That’s what I hate - seeing them so happy having done really well… and then the feeling that it wasn’t quite good enough. And yet it’s often minuscule marks between the 8 and the 9.

DD also stressing about her 4s.

I said in the future she could always just put X GCSE (Grades A*-C) which looks nicer than X GCSE (Grades 8-4).

A “C” was a good grade in 1988… two of my A levels were subjects I got a C for at GCSE and got As at A levels (no A-stars then), now a 4 or 5 isn’t regarded as A level choice range.

Yes I remember the majority of people got B and Cs at O level and an A was rare. I had absolutely no clue that grade boundaries were even a thing!

I agree with others about the obsession over marks and GBs. Of course if you are a mark or so from the next grade then you will look at it – and if that's the difference between a 3 and a 4, or a 4 and a 5, or even a 5 and a 6 (6 in Eng/maths required by a few unis even if studying neither) then I see it, I do.

But I do wonder whether it’s healthy. I have seen posts where people say they hope their DC's grade will move from a 7 to an 8 as it's an A level subject – OK but the extra mark to a low 8 won't mean they are any better at that subject than they were with their high 7! And I have seen far too many posts where people are bemoaning their DCs’ “OK but not great” or similar phrase grades when they turn out to have got 999887777 or similar.

And of course no one queries their “just got it” grade 4 that is one mark over the boundary – so any reviews that do result in a change will skew the stats somewhat as they will all be to higher grades (tho I guess we are talking a tiny % tbf).

DS2 (a few years ago) got a grade 6 in CS, one mark off the GB for a 7 (but the GBs were very very narrow – like 10 marks IIRC – can that be right?) – I said did he want it reviewed? Nah, he said, I thought I might barely scrape a grade 5 so I am more than happy. :)

I agree @clary. 9s are seen as the must haves for anyone vaguely high achieving but this isn’t what they were designed to be. Soon we will have to invent a 10 for those really really clever children. And you are absolutely right: for children at the top of the academic ranks whether they get an 8 or 9 is definitely irrelevant as they are likely to be going on to higher level study and the differences at the top end are marginal. But I can understand the 3/4 borderline children (I had one) as getting a 4 was important for future employment and college. It’s the 6/7s I feel for. In old money that was As and Bs and I can tell you now my parents would have been popping the champagne if I’d come out with As and Bs at O level.

My English GCSEs were “remarked” as was then in the mid-90s.

I had been happy with a pair of As, but my lovely teacher was not and they ended up as A*s. So it’s not new.

But we certainly never saw so much as a past paper, never mind had a working knowledge of the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

I do review now. Every subject and board has its own idiosyncrasies, but they have to follow OFQAL guidance.

Yes I have seen my DD obsess over AO1s 2s and 3s (I am clueless) and exam technique and past papers are definitely the way they revise. I never did any of that. Did English Lit / German and French A level and all I remember is reading a lot of fabulous books (oh and snogging my boyfriend in the common room)