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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

A level re-marks

29 replies

Nettleskeins · 17/08/2018 21:58

Teacher has looked at paper and says ds could probably get some more marks as it is quite harshly marked but there is no point as he won't go up a grade (too many marks at stake)

Nothing has been missed out by the examiner, and it is added up correctly, it is just he only got a very few marks for a 30 mark essay question.

I feel that it is ridiculously severe (Music Edexcel Appraising) and I feel like getting it remarked just for ds's benefit/honour.

10 UMS marks off the lower grade boundary, and he has very few points to lose, as they hardly gave him any in the first place!!

Ds has a confirmed place at his first choice uni. The grade he gets is now unimportant, except to him.

Should he go for remark? Are Edexcel variable in their marking or quite reliable? feel sad that out of 100 marks ds only received 31. He worked quite hard for that paper, and was regularily getting far more marks in practice papers. New spec. The other papers were fine.

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Couchpotato3 · 17/08/2018 22:01

What does DS want to do? That's really all that matters here.

Original poster
Nettleskeins · 17/08/2018 22:05

That paper was 100 marks so he basically received a U on one paper, which seems extraordinary. But it is all to do with one essay for which he only gained 3 marks!!! how is that even possible?? I've read the essay and it seems perfectly coherent and detailed if not that wide ranging..which may be the reason Hmm

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Original poster
Nettleskeins · 17/08/2018 22:07

He's is relieved to have a good grade (for him) but he wanted the higher grade, so if he cannot get that, it is a bit unnecessary to him to remark. Not very pushy though. which is why I ask for other people's advice.

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Fifthtimelucky · 17/08/2018 22:07

If there is no likelihood of him going up a grade, I really cannot see the point. The grade is what matters, not the individual components.

Original poster
Nettleskeins · 17/08/2018 22:09

He has been quite an unreliable student in some ways so I think the teacher has just breathed a sigh of relief that he has got a middling grade - it is just this particular bit of marking (which is nothing like the teacher's marking) which rankles.

Sigh, I suppose I better just let it go.

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Clairetree1 · 17/08/2018 22:14

what experience do you have with exam marking?

You say the essay is "perfectly coherent and detailed" but it could be a brilliant essay and still get zero marks if it doesn't address the criteria.

How would he feel if his mark went down?

What would happen if his actual grade went down?

leave well alone if he's got what he needs

marmiteloversunite · 18/08/2018 07:26

Hi Nettles we are in the same position with Music but OCR board. DD got an overall C and had her place at uni. She got 80% or an A in her essay papers and performance but 38% in composition which dragged her down. So disappointing for her as she worked so hard. School are supporting her if we want a remark but say composition is unlikely to change. So now I am wondering if it is the new exam they haven't understood , or she Is really, really crap at composition. She got A* in GCSE music. Don't know whether to put ourselves through the stress or let it go.

Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 07:53

Ds had 36/60 in composition and associated notation work and his composition was really not so great - I know your dd was really interested in composing too Sad I wonder whether at Music A level composition is a technical exercise rather than something that was meant to sound beautiful (ds's was really very boring, but technically ticked various boxes)

I think you should ask for a remark. It is not surprising the Conservatoires often ask for an E isn't it - it seems quite difficult to get everything right in music even if you love it and know an awful lot.

Her Uni, which I know is a very good one, presumably are used to this sort of problem with the A level and once she is there she can shine.

Sad though, I think it puts schools off from offering Music A level and pupils from taking it, when the bar is so opaque.

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Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 07:55

Ds's composition was in the style of a fugue and it sounded like the Magic Roundabout.

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marmiteloversunite · 18/08/2018 08:13

DD had to do two. One was a string quartet and one was for a Choral version of a Rosetti poem. I wouldn't know where to start. My DD tends to think out of the box so I am hoping that will be a good thing for uni rather than the restraints of A level.

Knittinganewme · 18/08/2018 08:52

Conservatoires ask for EE because their offer is based on the audition rather than A levels. They've already done their selection process in November unlike the unis that are using A level results to select applicants. It's not that they don't trust A level music, they use their own aptitude test and do it earlier in the year.

If you get it remarked (I wouldn't) and it doesn't change how would you feel then?

I am not getting the breakdown for any of DS's exams, he's taking the approach that he got what he needed to move on and he's done with it. He went through the remark process with an old style AS last year where he gained a couple of marks and had a couple of marks taken off.

Xenia · 18/08/2018 08:56

If there is no much change of going down a grade I would go for the remark, although I entirely left it to my twins last year and they and the school decided and I don't even know what if anything they had remarked.

Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 09:59

Marmite I would love to hear her Rossetti setting Smile How imaginative of her. Did she do English too? I hope that went well at least. Ds was really pleased with his C in that.His coursework in English was never very good and he gained very few marks there, but he did surprisingly well in the exam essays, which is why he is chuffed (only predicted a C anyway) and why I am surprised the music essays went less well (when he was so much better understanding the topics)

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Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 10:01

knitting you are right, if he lost more marks in the essay paper it would be very upsetting. He seemed to get quite a lot of marks for the Richard Strauss unseen though, that surprised me too - and he might lose those Confused

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noblegiraffe · 18/08/2018 10:06

Remarks are really expensive, it seems odd to do it without being near a grade boundary.

Also, it won’t be a proper remark, the examiner will just check that it was marked according to the mark scheme. That another examiner might have been more generous won’t result in more marks if the original examiner was harsh but technically appropriate.

Definitely don’t do it if you’re closer to the lower grade boundary.

jewel1968 · 18/08/2018 10:49

A friend told me yesterday of her daughter's gcse remark where she got an extra 15 marks. Not music though

Greentent · 18/08/2018 11:26

My DS's paper (not music) is going for a remark as 2 marks off a D. He's going to uni so not really an issue but I think a D will look better than an E on future job applications. I won't be losing any sleep over it though - his English Lit GCSE went for a remark and came back unchanged and his brother's SATs went for a remark as 1 mark off a pass but that also came back unchanged. School said it's unlikely to go down to an F so nothing to lose.

applegate79 · 18/08/2018 12:58

We’re also considering a remark, dd is 3 marks off an A for her history paper. She got into her first choice for Uni with ABB instead of AAA which they originally wanted so in a lot of ways it doesn’t matter, but I can’t shake off the thought that if it was remarked and went up that may look better on paper in the future. Although I realise that having got into her first choice it’s not affecting her university choices so I suppose it may not be worth it......

Fifthtimelucky · 18/08/2018 14:05

The composition element of music A level has always been tricky to mark. There was a study on this in 2015 by Birmingham City University (sorry, I don't know how to do links).

Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 15:26

noble it is a lot of money for a school to shell out for multiple pupils, I I understand why schools are wary of underwriting re-marks, but for a qualification that you've worked two years for, (and have probably provided expensive time and resources for, possibly tutors even) no I don't think parents grudge the money, they just fear that the grade might go down. Or they even feel guilty in some cases for "complaining" and not being grateful.

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Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 15:27

sorry, the student has worked two years for, not me Blush

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SureIusedtobetaller · 18/08/2018 15:29

They don’t actually remark, just check it has been marked in accordance with the mark scheme and added up correctly.
Having said that we have gone for a re mark on one paper as was sooooo close to the next grade up. We had to pay though.

noblegiraffe · 18/08/2018 15:56

Presumably you’d be paying for it and not the school?

Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 16:02

Yes, but because it is a state school they are wary of suggesting anything that involves the parents paying unnecessary sums, because it disadvantages those who cannot pay. Which is why they never suggest any summer schools unless they are subsidised ones like Sutton Trust [minor gripe]
I think in "worthy" cases the school would probably stump up anyway. (ie grade change affecting uni place) if that was an issue for the parent.

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Original poster
Nettleskeins · 18/08/2018 16:08

"marked in accordance with the mark scheme" IS the issue here. I don't see how it can have been marked in accordance with the mark scheme unless the mark scheme is very odd and restrictive indeed.

But not being a music teacher I just don't know. Ds's school are very keen to keep their A-C average, and as long as he has a C, they are not that bothered; I'm not blaming his individual music teacher, just that it is not really in the interest of the school to chase elusive marks. They have plenty of other students to worry about.

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