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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Remark or not - Biology GCSE

22 replies

StrawberryMelonpan · 13/09/2023 10:31

DS got 8 in biology. His total mark is 162. 138+ is 7, 153+ is 8 and 168+ is 9. So he is 6 marks off to 9 and 9 marks off to 7.

He is thinking of requesting a remark. His school said it would be a good try. My worry is that there is also a risk that he may go down and get 7 instead. It may be unlikely but who knows? His mark is slightly nearer to 9 but not hugely.

How risky is it? Is it worth going ahead? Or should he be happy with what he got so leave it? He really wanted 9 because it affected his choice of A-level subjects. It turned out okay (not perfect but okay) so he could leave it but he feels he would keep thinking about it if he doesn't do it.

OP posts:

Wolvesart · 13/09/2023 10:36

Hmm, how much does he need a 9? An 8 is still a very high mark. Might be tempted not to go for remark

TeenDivided · 13/09/2023 10:43

I'm interested. How on earth could the difference between an 8 or a 9 impact A level choices?
I feel as if 6 marks is a long way off in a science subject as they are less subjective.

Ashara · 13/09/2023 10:53

My son was 2 marks off an 8 in Biology. He doesn't need a higher mark for A levels. School have contacted me to say they would like to request a re-mark, at their expense, and needed our permission. Since they're paying we've agreed, but otherwise we wouldn't have bothered.

Testina · 13/09/2023 10:55

He’s quite far off it - it looks more like wishful thinking.
I don’t understand how it would affect his A level choices?
Even in super selective private I’ve never come across a 9 as a requirement.

clary · 13/09/2023 13:25

TeenDivided · 13/09/2023 10:43

I'm interested. How on earth could the difference between an 8 or a 9 impact A level choices?
I feel as if 6 marks is a long way off in a science subject as they are less subjective.

Yes this! What sixth form setting asks for a 9 at GCSE? If many did, they would have very few students!

Honestly op, I wouldn’t bother. What difference will it make?

As an example, ds was one mark off a 7 in CS - but had expected a 5 so he was really happy with his 6. Hasn’t affected him at all going forward.

Even if your ds is taking biology A level, a regrade from 8 to 9 on the same paper doesn’t make him any better at biology. And once he has the A level, no one will ask his GCSE grade.

Foxesandsquirrels · 13/09/2023 14:46

That's a lot of marks in a subject that's really not up to interpretation.

tennissquare · 13/09/2023 15:08

@StrawberryMelonpan , my ds was 3 marks off a 9 and the school advised not to go for a marking review as both papers would need to be submitted so it was unlikely to be found.
Does 1 paper have a very different score to the other?

lanthanum · 13/09/2023 15:56

Is the school recommending it because they have looked at the paper and think there are marking errors?

HereSheComesInTheFall · 13/09/2023 17:42

What exam board is it? The school can still download some papers with his permission & you may find a sympathetic teacher willing to look over them for errors in marking (teachers don't get paid for this though!)
6 marks is a lot to find & grade is very unlikely to change.

GuardiansPlayList · 13/09/2023 17:46

If it was 1 mark off I would say yes but not with that gap.

Vebrithien · 13/09/2023 17:49

Out of the three sciences, remarking a Bio paper is probably the best bet, as some of the longer answers are more subjective.

However, as a current science teacher, I would say that you are extremely unlikely to gain enough marks to go over the 9 boundary.

My department is currently looking at students who are within 2 marks of a boundary up, for remark. The most we've ever gained for a student was 3 marks (in 15 years).

nevynevster · 13/09/2023 17:50

My son's school advise not to bother with a re mark unless you are only 1 or 2 off the boundary.

MrsHamlet · 13/09/2023 18:30

The boundary issue is a red herring.

Has someone who knows the paper and the mark scheme looked at it? Have they identified clear errors in the marking?

That's what needs to be considered, rather than how close to the boundary they are.

Reviewers are not looking for extra marks. They're looking to see if the original mark is reasonable.

Original poster

StrawberryMelonpan · 13/09/2023 18:39

Thanks all.

It might sound ridiculous but he needed 9 to do 4 subjects for A-level. His plan was to start with 4 then drop to 3. But he can't pick 4 because he got 8 not 9, which is not the end of the world but it would have been nice if he had the choice.

I asked the school to check his papers because I thought we wouldn't do it if there was no chance. They came back to say it would be worth trying. But by looking at his mark, it's nearly the middle of 8. So I wondered if it was REALLY worth doing it (hence this thread). It sounds like it's not worth the stress (and money).

OP posts:

Lampzade · 13/09/2023 18:48

Why would he need a nine to do four A levels? It really is ridiculous
I don’t see the point of starting with four levels if he intends to drop one
I advised both my dds not to do four levels and focus on three. There really is little point in doing four A levels.

Hollyhead · 13/09/2023 18:51

I think you’d be better off using the energy to battle the school over allowing him to do 4 a levels, what a stupid policy.

MidnightOnceMore · 13/09/2023 18:52

What?! The school won't let him start four A-levels because he got an 8?

That's abnormal, surely?

tennissquare · 13/09/2023 19:25

I agree a ridiculous policy, the school must not want anyone to study English language A level this year as the exam boards have handed out a much reduced number of 9's for a reason that is unclear.

MrsHamlet · 13/09/2023 19:52

tennissquare · 13/09/2023 19:25

I agree a ridiculous policy, the school must not want anyone to study English language A level this year as the exam boards have handed out a much reduced number of 9's for a reason that is unclear.

Because OFQUAL told them to

Wolvesart · 13/09/2023 20:18

Gosh what extraordinary school policies. We happen to have one of the top sixth forms in country here. They have an admissions score to determine who gets in. It’s higher for science and there are some rules around further maths but I don’t think 8 or 9 would make any difference as regards starting with 4 A levels unless overall score was brought down by other subjects.

I would add that I feel the student experience is really quite over pressured at times, so I don’t mention it’s ranking as a brag or a recommendation 😂

Original poster

StrawberryMelonpan · 13/09/2023 20:47

I am not the one who made and can change the policy... I am just writing the fact... Unfortunately, they insist on 9, not 8.

I don't think starting with 4 A-levels is ridiculous. It gives him choices. I said he would drop one because you only need 3 for university. But obviously, if he wants to continue studying 4 and is capable of doing so I wouldn't say it's ridiculous but will support him whatever he decides.

OP posts:

clary · 13/09/2023 22:42

Trouble is with starting with four A levels is that either he keeps all four going for a significant amount of time, so surely reducing the effort he can put in to the three he keeps up; or he drops one very quickly, in which case I'm not sure what the point was.

Did he have to get 9s in all his choices to take four @StrawberryMelonpan ? That's certainly unusual. But ultimately (assuming he was allowed to take his fave three with his mere grade of 8) all it's done is accelerate his choice. That's no bad thing IMHO. What was the extra one he would have done? Is he happy he made the right choice to choose another instead of that? If he is unsure, could you ask the school if he could sit in on a couple of weeks of lessons on that subject?

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