Review of physics a level

[babyboo1and2]

My DS physics a level grade has come back lower than expected. The school have requested the papers from the examination board and emailed us them. The school have also emailed DS physics teacher requesting they look at the paper so we can decide if we should proceed with a remark but teacher has replied they are away and can't access it. Head of physics department also been emailed but no response from them. Is there anything we can do to get the papers looked at by a professional? Many thanks.

Are there other physics teachers in the department?

Is a priority review needed or can it wait until the term starts again?

If it’s impacting a university place, I would just pay for the review of marks. If the grade goes up, your money will be refunded.

Are there any glaringly obvious marking errors, such as total marks not adding up from page to page?

They have lost their first choice university but not keen on insurance choice. I was hoping if marked up they could have first choice place for next year. I will contact school again on Monday to ask about alternative teachers but am starting to panic as the days go by. Everything is by email so no ability to speak to any member of staff in person. The school is in special measures and is closing its sixth form due to a number of factors so we are losing confidence in the whole process.

I would contact your school's exams officer.

Priority reviews need to be applied for by next Thursday I think.

It's also possible if the grade changes that your DS could still get into their first choice University. Just looking at Imperial College ,for example, they will accept changes in grades up to August 31st
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/undergraduate/process/results/#not-met

Contact the exams officer at the school. You can ask them to apply for a review of marking - the teacher doesn't need to be involved.
Do you know the exam board and mark your Ds got in Physics ? With these, you'll be able to google the grade boundaries and see how close your DS was to getting the next grade up.

It was physics EDEXL

Paper 1 - 45
Paper 2 - 28
Paper 3 - 63

I've been reading so much about scores can also go down so everyone recommends teachers to look at the papers first

I absolutely always say to get the teachers to look first, but if you're running out of time, you might just have to do it.

Here's the link to the Edexcel grade boundaries for this year:-
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/Support/Grade-boundaries/A-level/grade-boundaries-june-2024-gce.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwje46Gsy_uHAxUuVEEAHRAOBWYQFnoECBQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3lw9Ezkn07AYKfqvqJpgEC

If your Ds's overall mark was 136 ( 45 + 28 + 63) he's probably too far off the grade boundary to get a B - 166 marks and he's at risk of being remarked below the grade boundary for a C - 133 marks.
Still worth talking to the exams officer though

Thank you for all your advice. I'll contact exams officer again on Monday

Sorry the link doesn't work . Just google 'Edexcel grade boundaries 2024' . Edexcel exams are run by Pearson and they're on the Pearson website.

Worked 8 yrs in a secondary school exams office. Your DC is only 3 marks in to the C grade. He has 136 and to get a C they needed 133.

You already have the papers back. Have a look your self, is there anything glaringly obvious, particularly on paper 2. Like they haven't marked 3 pages or have missed marking a question ? He used extra paper and that hasn't been marked?

If not, I would not go for a review of marking. You'd need to gain 30 marks to get up to a B grade. Unless something has totally not been marked, you're not going to gain 30 marks in a review. If you lost 4 marks, (which would be uncommon, but more likely than gaining 30 marks), the grade would go down to a D. Not worth the risk IMO.

Thank you for your replies. I'll go through paper myself and try to see if any errors on the examiners part.

Yes apart from admin errors I wouldn’t get that remarked

They got a high C on paper 1 and paper 3, and high E on paper 2.

It seems incredibly unlikely that they'd go up a grade, but just check paper 2 to see what went wrong there.

Thank you. I'll get DS to go through with me

@noblegiraffe I have private messaged you

@babyboo1and2 definitely worth your DS checking his own paper, to see if there is something obvious such as a whole question not marked. That happened to my son last year with GCSE Eng Lit and he went up from a 5 to an 8 after a remark.

Unless there's been a massive marking error, I genuinely cannot see a review awarding 30 more marks.

My child also had a whole question unmarked on a GCSE paper last year. It was obvious there was something wrong as there was one paper with much percentage than the other two. It is so awful that this happens - it makes you doubt the whole thing.

As your child has a big discrepancy on one paper, it is definitely worth looking at that one. Having said that, 30 marks is a lot.

There were also problems with AQA Physics this year, but they've apparently taken account of them: link.aqa.org.uk/m/1/93755737/02-b24228-2c67488425bf47c9989671fae6bf1407/2/256/3251a887-8b36-4cab-928a-c9edf0df5ab4?fbclid=IwY2xjawErVB9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZ2XdimZbAMAKbU6Cuj0q_tO5HIUjcl3iOxklKIaBxMficuTKQ6OcS0VRQ_aem_vF117MNg6SrNugabAfdI9g&sfnsn=scwspwa