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Original poster

Has anyone ever had a successful GCSE re-mark?

81 replies

Sparklegeek · 22/08/2013 11:30

DS1 (Year 10) got his GCSE Science result this morning. His one A grade combined with 3 A grades on the component subjects to give him an overall A Sad He is absolutely devastated as he needed 360 UMS for an A & got 359. (NB - he goes to a very high-achieving grammar so despite us insisting he has done fantastically he is gutted).

So the question is - is it worth going for a re-mark in the hope a different examiner would award that extra point he needs to hit the A* boundary? Obviously I realise he could lose points as well, but I'm assuming as he's at the very very top of the A grade boundary it wouldn't actually reduce his overall grade in that event.

But is it even worth doing? Should he just accept what he's got & leave it? And does anyone know if schools pay the fees or do the parents? (Not an issue - was just wondering).

I feel so bad that he feels like this when he should by rights be celebrating his A.

OP posts:
clam · 23/08/2013 11:36

We did this for ds last year for English lit. He was 2 marks off an A and had been getting As all the way through his course. We were willing to pay and said as much to the school. They, however, had their own doubts about a fair few of his set and sent them all back and paid.

He went up 4 marks, getting him the A that his teacher said reflected his ability.

Worth a shot I would say. As you point out, even if your dc goes down a mark or two, it's unlikely to be close enough to the lower grade boundary to warrant a demotion.

Fauve · 23/08/2013 11:41

Ds felt vindicated when he went up to the grade he believed he deserved on a re-mark. His handwriting meant his answers were hard to read; a re-marking examiner clearly took the time to decipher.

TheWave · 23/08/2013 11:48

anda very helpful, will discuss some of the Q with her Thanks

Uninformed · 23/08/2013 12:39

I'm going to ask for a remark for two WJEC English Language papers.

I also want copies of the answer papers (including an AQA Science answer paper) Happy to pay for them myself.

I've just phoned both WJEC and AQA to ask about obtaining copies and they both tell me that I have to apply for copies of his exam answer papers from the school itself Hmm. WJEC said they don't even hold the papers, they send them back to the school.

I can't get hold of anyone at the school, they don't answer the phone, or email, we've only got until 20th September to apply for a remark.Confused

Does any one know approximately how much schools charge to supply copies? I expect it varies from school to school. I know the approximate prices for the remarks and am happy to pay for those as well.

I'm worried that the school might be obstructive and won't let me have copies of the answer papers. Can they do that? In other words do I have the right to them or can the school just refuse?

Original poster
Sparklegeek · 23/08/2013 12:49

That sounds like v odd advice Uninformed. I used to be an Exams Officer & we never got the scripts back, they were all archived at the Exam Boards. Mind you, I never had any dealings with WJEC.

I know you have to apply for re-marks &/or papers back through your school though & they then submit the appropriate forms to the Exam Board - you can't do it independently.

I too am having to wait until start of term to do anything so due to the 20th September deadline this has removed the option of having one paper re-marked & then if DS hasn't gained his one extra mark needed, submitting another Angry

OP posts:
IamFluffy · 23/08/2013 13:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fauve · 23/08/2013 13:26

Yes, likewise, IamFluffy. OP if your ds is right at the top of a grade boundary I don't think there's anything to lose.

mysteryfairy · 23/08/2013 13:59

My DS school has sent home a price list - WJEC are the most expensive board for a remark.

WJEC remark £46, remark with script back afterwards £58.

original script back £10.

I think if you initially get the original script back once you've got that no option for a remark. I know the school has used this option (with our permission) to get back 100% of UMS scored exam papers to copy and hand out as models and I suppose you could also do it if you thought the marks were fair enough but wanted to identify weaknesses in exam technique etc from the actual script. If you are just going to find an extra mark its probably not an option to use.

Uninformed · 23/08/2013 16:25

Many thanks,

We thought we'd probably have to apply for the remark blind.
Although Glaurung at 12:37:20 thought it might be possible to see the answer paper beforehand?
We really just wanted the answer paper, to see where he might have gone wrong, and to see how it was marked (nosey) I can see why they wouldn't like that!
When we phoned AQA to find out how to go about getting remarks/paper back, they were somewhat unhelpful once they knew we were parents, they said "Apply through the school", giving the impression that the school had them.
WJEC are much more customer friendly, they also said "We send the papers back to the school". I think we've totally misunderstood what was meant, which was probably "once you've asked for a remark through the school you can also ask/pay to see the answer paper, which we then send back to the school". Not that the school already has them. Total stupidity on our part, Sorry Blush

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 23/08/2013 16:31

Most of my dealings have been AQA/Edexcel.

In the past, if you got the script back then you could not apply for a remark - in fact, scripts were only sent out AFTER the remark deadline.

These days, all Edexcel scripts are electronic - scanned in before marking - so access can be instant. In January, for the first time ever, there was access to English scripts before a remark. Not sure if this has reverted to old rules.

If you are paying, then there is no reason for the school to be obstructive. Remember, though, while a lot of teachers are in school, most admin staff are term time only, hence the lack of phones being answered - ours are switched over to 'night mode' where you can leave a message for most of the holidays, and checked when admin staff are in.

Original poster
Sparklegeek · 23/08/2013 16:55

Does anybody know if the senior examiner that a paper is sent to for a re-mark sees the original mark awarded for that paper or do they mark it 'blind'? And if they do get to see the original mark, do they also have access to the other papers that make up that subject's grade?

OP posts:
Loshad · 23/08/2013 18:56

Certainly for AQA you can request a photocopy of the original script, and then have the original script remarked later on, that would usually be my suggestion to GCSE candidates, get them to request a p/copy, then to bring it in, i have a quick scan of it and advise them if it may be worth paying the extra for a remark (i mark for AQA). Photocopied scripts are quite cheap as well

Original poster
Sparklegeek · 23/08/2013 20:37

Thankyou for that info Loshad. I'm just a bit wary of running out of time with that option, as the school won't do anything before the start of term, if we then apply for a copy of the script would there be enough time to receive it, get the teacher's opinion then submit a re-mark request all by 20th September? It all just seems a bit tight, my cynical side guesses they do it that way to deter everyone from going down that route as they make more money from us just applying straight off for the re-mark Hmm

As you mark for AQA, do you know if the re-markers do it blind or do they have the original marked script & that pupil's UMS available to them?

OP posts:
lotsofdirections · 23/08/2013 21:07

We mark them blind.

Loshad · 23/08/2013 21:29

SPARKLE, AQA are pretty rapid with turnaround, and especially if getting near 20th then i will look at a script the same day or or take it home that night and email the student that evening. Are school really shut from now until term starts? My school advertises we are closed but there would be someone in to sort out this sort of request. Yes remarkers do it blind.

Original poster
Sparklegeek · 23/08/2013 21:54

Thankyou for that info. Yes it seems the school really will make me wait until the start of term- I emailed yesterday (no reply, I understood they were probably run off their feet). So I rang today & only got as far as the Office Manager who told me there were no science staff in to talk to & in any event the school wouldn't do anything until the start of term "so you may as well leave it & get DS to speak to his teacher about it then." Also told me in no uncertain terms it would be me paying.

I'm of the mind that nothing ventured, nothing gained so we will pursue it. If it wasn't just one UMS we were talking about, & if it left DS vulnerable to moving down a grade, I would maybe leave it but I feel like I have to give him the chance even if the odds are stacked against him.

OP posts:
Uninformed · 23/08/2013 23:38

Quick question to exam markers.
How do you record the marks? Do you mark them on a separate piece of paper, or do you write in the margin of the exam paper itself?
Never having seen a returned paper are the marks visible on the returned paper?
If remarks are marked blind, do you get a photocopy of the original unmarked paper and start from scratch?
Are all exam papers scanned before marking?

MirandaWest · 23/08/2013 23:42

I mark exams although not school ones, but my mum and dad mark maths AS and A2 papers and theirs are scanned in before marking, and then they use a computer programme to do the mark giving. Nothing is written down at all, it is all done by clicking on the screen. I presume that the original pre marked version is accessible if there is a blind remarking but can't know for certain.

nkf · 24/08/2013 07:07

It will all be sorted out in the first week of term. You don't have to worry about that. It will be one of the jobs the Head of Science will be doing in the first week. They know the deadline and they want the students to get the correct marks. It is safe to leave it till the first week of term.

Uninformed · 24/08/2013 11:42

Sparkle I would definitely go for a remark.
Our ds is 3 marks short of an A (He was still 14 years old when he sat the exam Sad and desperately wanted an A) No reassurances from us that a solid B is good, would work.
We were considering having one paper remarked and one a clerical check (Service 1 EAR). Then I had a horrible realisation Shock. If the paper was marked on a computer and not by hand (according to OFQUAL it could be either method, and how can we know which one was used?) then wouldn't the marking software have been capable of adding up the marks at the end? Computers don't make mistakes on addition! So why are huge swathes of people paying £10 or so for them to be added up again? Help!Confused

Uninformed · 24/08/2013 19:31

I may have almost answered my own question.
This is a brilliant document.
Review of Quality of Marking in Exams in A levels, GCSEs and Other Academic Qualifications- Interim
it tells you everything you ever wanted to know about Exam Marking, but still doesn't explain why we would pay to have the marks on a paper recounted if those marks have already been added up by a computer.Confused

ofqual.gov.uk/standards/research/quality-of-marking/

Loshad · 24/08/2013 20:55

all the AQa science exams are marked on screen, (so no marks on the original script, they are scanned in - why you must use a black pen!) so yes a computer adds it up, i wouldn't personally pay to have the marks added up again, it is a remark that most pay for, ie the entire paper marked from scratch again.

creamteas · 24/08/2013 21:47

Also I know there have been cases where the scanning of the exam paper has not been correct, and so one part has not been marked. If the exam has item rather than script marking, it might not be noticed.

What I'm not clear about is if checking this is part of the 'clerical recheck' or not......

Tigerstripes · 25/08/2013 16:42

I mark English for AQA and I mark on paper scripts, add up the marks myself and then enter them on the computer. I don't know if the papers get checked when I send them back to AQA. You would hope so!

SDhopeful · 25/08/2013 17:09

This is all very worrying - it seems very common that when re-marked, the marks change Sad