How frequently do remarks result in a change of grade?

[potentialqualms]

DS1 took 2 GCSEs in yr10 (no I don't know why either!). In one of them he scored lower than expected and I'd like to see the paper, so he can see where he went wrong. I suspect it might be failure to read the question properly and I'd like to be able to show him how that affected his marks in the hope that he doesn't do it again in the main events this year.

Anyway, I understand once you've seen the paper you can't ask for a remark, so I paid for the remark as I didn't want to be in a position where I felt a remark was required once I'd seen the paper but I was unable to arrange it IYSWIM.

He gained 5 extra marks and went up a grade. The reason is "Not marked in accordance with the mark scheme: A Failure to apply the mark scheme or any procedures where there has been no exercise of academic judgement". Not sure I completely understand what that means but it's a subject where answers are mostly right or wrong, not much essay writing etc.

I know of 3 other families who requested remarks and they've all gained a grade. One child gained 17 marks in English which makes a real difference to what he'll be doing next year.

It seems outrageous to me that the first attempt at marking was so poor. In the worst cases, like the English here, it can really affect the child's future, i.e. the whole point of taking the exams in the first place. What if he didn't have parents prepared to fight his corner, or who couldn't pay to do so?

Does this happen a lot? I realise parents who are "unsuccessful" in their appeal probably talk about it less.

[Longlost10]

cricketballs, that is not our experience. The paper was sent back to the school FIRST, then we asked for a remark AFTER that, as the teacher thinks the mark is wrong. Not wrong enough to change the grade, but we still had go

[Witchend]

Dd1 needed one more mark to go up and got it on a remark. However only one other child who went for a remark also went up, the rest stayed exactly the same.

[AppleSnow]

My DD missed one of her A level grades for Cambridge by 3 marks so accepted an offer from her insurance university. She then decided to go for a remark and went up 7 points to get her grade. She's very happy with her choice of uni but if the original marker had marked her properly then she would be going down a very different path.

[VanillaSugarandChristmasSpice]

Gosh, Apple - was your DD tempted to reapply to Cambridge next year? Difficult choice....

[FozzieMK]

I've just spoken to my DD's old school and apparently all the English and English Lit papers that were sent for a re-mark came back remaining on the same grade. Also I requested a maths paper be returned so that my DD could see where she went wrong before the re-take at the beginning of November and the timescale returned for this from AQA is between End of September until the end of November! Very useful AQA if you have a re-sit

[Witchend]

Apple have you tried phoning the admissions officer for her college?They're generally pretty reasonable and often (unless it's medicine) can find a space in such a circumstance.

[Badbadbunny]

Our neighbours's daughter had her GCSE English paper remarked and gained two grades, then she paid to have the paper returned and was completely aghast that the original marker had only marked her first essay and then extrapolated that mark to the other essays. She had done her "worst" essay first to get it out of the way so her entire exam was based on her worst. Can't believe how the makers and exam boards can get away with that!

[AppleSnow]

She's very happy with her insurance university and feels she'll have a better work/life balance and will have more time for extra curricular activities than if she'd gone to Cambridge. She might also have a year abroad. And the way Cambridge made her wait for two days while they considered whether to have her after receiving her UMS scores on results day was tough and made her realise their interest in students is purely in their academic attainment.

[BizzyFizzy]

The statistics say that remarks boost grades. Obviously, most of this is due to those students having remarks who justifiably feel they were hard done by.

But examiners also feel they are in the headlights, so are more lenient with remarks.

I've only sent off for a remark for one of my DCs, and she went from A to A* in Physics. She was two marks short and gained three. The gamble was worth it, because she wasn't going to drop 20 marks, or whatever.

Remarks have to be strategic. Reformed qualifications may mean that remarks take precedence over original marks.

[CrowyMcCrowFace]

OP - yes, most exam boards have an online analysis of marks which the teacher responsible for gcse/HOD/exam officer can access.

It's useful for tracking which components went wrong (eg at my school last year one component of IB Lit was marked pretty savagely) but should also inform the department as to whether any individual student has a fighting chance of being re-graded based on paper breakdown by question.

If a long, high mark question has a low mark it's often worth a punt.

Also worth considering is that increasingly with online marking, one examiner won't be marking the whole paper.

It's best to talk to the school - they really should have this info.

[potentialqualms]

Thanks everyone, I've been away for a few days.

DS's controlled assessments were marked down a grade from what the school had said in both subects. Is that a problem with the school, should I be concerned for the other subjects he will take this year?

[Longlost10]

Its nothing to worry bout t ll. It is impossible for every teacher in the country to be marking with identical judgments. The job of the school is to ensure that every teacher in one school is completely standardised ( internal moderation), then the exam board takes a sample from each school and judges them against each other, and adjusts them to standardise across the country. (external moderation)

Completely normal, that is how the system works. The school would be in trouble with the exam board if their marking was not internally consistant, but as long as it is internally consistant, the exam board will then decide where to place it on the national scale.

One mark up or down completely to be expected, in many cases.

[potentialqualms]

Thanks, I did understand that but this wasn't one mark, it was a grade. One went from B to C and the other from A to B.

[Longlost10]

I meant one grade

[potentialqualms]

But it does matter/is something to worry about if they're going to lose a grade. They were effectively coached to meet a certain standard and that standard turned out not to be as high as they'd been told.

[Longlost10]

they haven't lost a grade, they didn't have the grade, you don't have a grade in the bank until it after it has been externally moderated

[potentialqualms]

No of course not but the school had them "aiming" for a certain grade and they considered they'd finished when they go to that point. I suspect that's not the way it's supposed to be done (how much input are the school supposed to have for a start?) but that's definitely what happened here. Keep working on it until you get x that will give you a B.

[Longlost10]

the school hasn't done anything wrong at all, other than if they gave the children the impression that the grades were cut and dried before moderation, which of course they never can be. However, in my experience it is very difficult to make that clear to some pupils, no matter how many times you emphasise it is only a preliminary grade, it is subject to moderation, etc. I would guess that your DS was told that, both by subject teachers, and through pastoral routes, in assemblies, etc, but it doesn't sound like he took it on board.

[Longlost10]

As to school input, technically they shouldn't need to, as all mark schemes / assessment criteria are available on line, and students should be able to assess themselves with reasonable accuracy by this stage, and work out how to move on. However, in practice, schools may give nudges and pointers to boost students who are functioning less independently

[Longlost10]

personally, I prefer not to give any grade at all before moderation. My DC have had tentative grades for CAs in some subjects, but not others.

[titchy]

Was the mark itself downgraded? Or did the mark you were led to believe the CA was worth yield a lower grade than expected? The latter is reasonable. The former isn't - a wholesale downgrade of several marks means there is an issue with marking and you should ask what the head of dept intends to do.

[Longlost10]

is an issue with marking depends on the subject, and the school policy. Some schools push the marks as high as they dare, and cross their fingers.... sometimes that pays off