Page 13 | GCSE English Lit and Language review of marking

SomersetBrie · 2025-08-26T15:11:06+00:00

There is lots of chat about review of marking on the GCSEs threads but I am interested specifically in anyone who is reviewing English (Lang or Lit) and whether the review provides an increase in grade. DS, predicted a 7, got a 6 in both. He is not very close to the grade boundary (4 marks away) but the difference in marks between Paper 1 and Paper 2 have encouraged me to request access to the papers and see if it's worth a review. Is anyone else asking for a review? I am curious to know how many marks people go up/down and if it results in a change of grade for many people. (DS does not need a 7 but he was expecting a 7 out of 1 or other at least.) This is AQA.

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/08/2025 19:00

@OhCrumbsWhereNow Also, its not like you're paying for the grade to go up. You're paying to potentially get the grade you were supposed to get! You don't get an uplift if the examiner doesn't think you should get it.
This anger should be based at exam boards not parents.
@Bufftailed A lot of schools have a blank policy of sending any paper that's 1 or 2 marks off for review if the child is PP.

Original poster

SomersetBrie · 28/08/2025 19:06

FleurMont · 28/08/2025 18:22

I understand a remark if a yp is 1 mark from '4' that they really need going forward. However this idea of 'my child worked so hard' and just missed 7 - my yp is so disappointed..The 'sharp elbowed' and those who can afford to pay insisting on reviews. You really are doing these young people a disservice.

I started this thread because I had heard a lot about anomalous marks specifically in English, this year and last year, and am curious about whether people are successful in reviews.
I think it's perfectly fair to question a shaky system. I am still waiting to access the scripts, so we may take it no further than that.
I think everyone deserves to get the mark earned in the exam, be that a 3 or a 9. It is not sharp elbowed to want that.

I have found most people's comments on this thread really interesting, so thanks to all who are contributing.

OP posts:

Michele09 · 28/08/2025 19:11

FleurMont · 28/08/2025 18:22

I understand a remark if a yp is 1 mark from '4' that they really need going forward. However this idea of 'my child worked so hard' and just missed 7 - my yp is so disappointed..The 'sharp elbowed' and those who can afford to pay insisting on reviews. You really are doing these young people a disservice.

If your child is 1 mark off in English lit and they want to do it as a degree it isn't a disservice to care. Dc has consistently got 8s in class and mocks and teacher thinks of them as well capable of doing A level. Her only 6 in her best subject (with a 9 in eng lang) and she thought it went well. So yes we will try for a review. She may just have had a bad day and if so that's fine but this may stop her dream of becoming an English teacher so we're going to at least try. Last year her cousin had all 9s bar English and had one go up from 5 to 7 and the other go from 8 to 9.

MrsHamlet · 28/08/2025 19:41

Michele09 · 28/08/2025 19:11

If your child is 1 mark off in English lit and they want to do it as a degree it isn't a disservice to care. Dc has consistently got 8s in class and mocks and teacher thinks of them as well capable of doing A level. Her only 6 in her best subject (with a 9 in eng lang) and she thought it went well. So yes we will try for a review. She may just have had a bad day and if so that's fine but this may stop her dream of becoming an English teacher so we're going to at least try. Last year her cousin had all 9s bar English and had one go up from 5 to 7 and the other go from 8 to 9.

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One of my many hats is teacher training...

A 6 is not going to stop her becoming an English teacher. They're looking for passion for the subject and an ability to communicate with young people first and foremost.

My best A level student this year (who dropped one mark across the board!) "only" got a 7 at GCSE. GCSE and A level Lit are poles apart so as long as she meets the criteria to get on the course, she really shouldn't worry. I know that's easier said than done though.

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/08/2025 19:51

@MrsHamlet I also wouldn't advise someone to go down English teacher route if they don't have the resilience to handle a 6! But I suspect that poster is more anxious than the kid.

Michele09 · 28/08/2025 19:58

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/08/2025 19:51

@MrsHamlet I also wouldn't advise someone to go down English teacher route if they don't have the resilience to handle a 6! But I suspect that poster is more anxious than the kid.

Actually it was her decision, not ours as parents, on the advice of her teacher who looked over her paper. It had nothing to do with resilience.

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/08/2025 20:02

Michele09 · 28/08/2025 19:58

Actually it was her decision, not ours as parents, on the advice of her teacher who looked over her paper. It had nothing to do with resilience.

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I know, I replied to you earlier and defended you. However, you've quoted your daughter's health and SEN so much on this thread and maybe you are being dramatic for effect, I'm not sure but whilst I appreciate things aren't easy (my DD sat nearly all her exams in hospital and has an EHCP so I do get it), if a 6 in English is going to be the reason she no longer wants to be ab English teacher, her resilience may not be there to hack English teaching. It's a brutal profession. You're teaching a subject everyone has to do but most don't want to and it's a lot of marking. She's very young and a 6 is not going to be the reason she can't be an English teacher. She can do an English PGCE after almost any degree. A 4 or 5 I would understand, not a 6. Please stop getting your hopes up that a review will change your daughter's grades. She has done incredibly well and I hope they do change post review, but best to be realistic.

MrsHamlet · 28/08/2025 20:17

Foxesandsquirrels · 28/08/2025 19:51

@MrsHamlet I also wouldn't advise someone to go down English teacher route if they don't have the resilience to handle a 6! But I suspect that poster is more anxious than the kid.

It's a crazy profession and probably the worst of all the subjects to teach .... but I bloody love it :)

Mt2025123 · 28/08/2025 21:33

Hi, my daughter was expecting grade 9 for English language ( AQA) but got a low grade 7, very close to grade 6. Would you be happy to go over the scripts?

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 09:16

I posted upthread to say how we had requested a remark (at the schools suggestion) for DS's English Lang as he was 1 mark off a 5
It came back today and his mark has gone up by 9!!!!!
Ironically if he had been 8 or 9 marks off the 5 we might not have done the remark.
I am a bit annoyed as there was extreme stress this time last week as we weren't sure if his preferred college would accept him so we were there in a long line while all his friends celebrated at school, they did accept him anyway but still
So best of luck to anyone in a similar position and I hope your DC get the results they want or at least get into a college/6th form they are happy with.
Anothe rone of his teachers emailed me yesterday to say he reviewed his subject paper (RS) and he feels it has been marked too low and we should request a remark there too - predicted 9 and got a 6, so we have said go ahead

MrsHamlet · 29/08/2025 09:17

Excellent news, @Hoppinggreen

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 29/08/2025 09:23

Brilliant news @Hoppinggreen
Well done to your son and I hope his RS comes back with a similar increase.

You have made me feel a bit better about asking for a review when we are 6 marks from the boundary.

Can I ask which board the English was with?

TheyNotLikeUs · 29/08/2025 09:24

Well done @Hoppinggreen was it AQA P1 or 2 or both?

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 09:27

It was AQA paper 2

Bufftailed · 29/08/2025 09:55

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 09:16

I posted upthread to say how we had requested a remark (at the schools suggestion) for DS's English Lang as he was 1 mark off a 5
It came back today and his mark has gone up by 9!!!!!
Ironically if he had been 8 or 9 marks off the 5 we might not have done the remark.
I am a bit annoyed as there was extreme stress this time last week as we weren't sure if his preferred college would accept him so we were there in a long line while all his friends celebrated at school, they did accept him anyway but still
So best of luck to anyone in a similar position and I hope your DC get the results they want or at least get into a college/6th form they are happy with.
Anothe rone of his teachers emailed me yesterday to say he reviewed his subject paper (RS) and he feels it has been marked too low and we should request a remark there too - predicted 9 and got a 6, so we have said go ahead

Great news 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Foxesandsquirrels · 29/08/2025 10:00

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 09:27

It was AQA paper 2

9 marks on one paper?! Was there a big discrepancy in the 2 papers? Congrats to you!

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 10:08

Originally we were going to ask for a remark on paper 1 as thats the one he did worst in but his teacher said he had only just scraped a 4 in that one (major screw up on DS part) and Paper 2 was very close to a 5 so it was a safer option to go for a remark there as we only needed 1 mark and if the remark dropped him a mark or 2 we would still be safe with the 4.
The school Exams officer said most had gone up 1 or 2 or stayed the same and one had gone down 1 mark but DS's was surprisingly high

Foxesandsquirrels · 29/08/2025 10:31

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 10:08

Originally we were going to ask for a remark on paper 1 as thats the one he did worst in but his teacher said he had only just scraped a 4 in that one (major screw up on DS part) and Paper 2 was very close to a 5 so it was a safer option to go for a remark there as we only needed 1 mark and if the remark dropped him a mark or 2 we would still be safe with the 4.
The school Exams officer said most had gone up 1 or 2 or stayed the same and one had gone down 1 mark but DS's was surprisingly high

Are you going to do the other paper now too?

MrsHamlet · 29/08/2025 10:33

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 10:08

Originally we were going to ask for a remark on paper 1 as thats the one he did worst in but his teacher said he had only just scraped a 4 in that one (major screw up on DS part) and Paper 2 was very close to a 5 so it was a safer option to go for a remark there as we only needed 1 mark and if the remark dropped him a mark or 2 we would still be safe with the 4.
The school Exams officer said most had gone up 1 or 2 or stayed the same and one had gone down 1 mark but DS's was surprisingly high

You'll be able to see where and why the marks changed - it'll be on the cover sheet for the script, I think.

Original poster

SomersetBrie · 29/08/2025 10:40

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 10:08

Originally we were going to ask for a remark on paper 1 as thats the one he did worst in but his teacher said he had only just scraped a 4 in that one (major screw up on DS part) and Paper 2 was very close to a 5 so it was a safer option to go for a remark there as we only needed 1 mark and if the remark dropped him a mark or 2 we would still be safe with the 4.
The school Exams officer said most had gone up 1 or 2 or stayed the same and one had gone down 1 mark but DS's was surprisingly high

It's the overall mark that counts though, isn't it? If Paper 1 dropped a mark and went to a 3, the overall grade would still be a 4?
I've not got that wrong, have I?

Sounds like you made the correct choice anyway, I am pleased for you!

OP posts:

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 10:58

Foxesandsquirrels · 29/08/2025 10:31

Are you going to do the other paper now too?

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No, he has what he needs

Hoppinggreen · 29/08/2025 10:58

SomersetBrie · 29/08/2025 10:40

It's the overall mark that counts though, isn't it? If Paper 1 dropped a mark and went to a 3, the overall grade would still be a 4?
I've not got that wrong, have I?

Sounds like you made the correct choice anyway, I am pleased for you!

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Thank you
I have no idea, we just acted on the advice given by school

Foxesandsquirrels · 29/08/2025 11:07

@SomersetBrie that's correct. In one subject my DD scored a 3 in 1st exam, 5 in 2nd and 6 in 3rd and her overall grade is a 5.

RatherBeOnVacation · 29/08/2025 11:11

@Ichangedmynameonce Our AQA English Lit review came back today (submitted last Friday). Was a 7, stayed a 7 - no change in raw score. We did it because it was one mark off an 8.

Now have to decide whether to do English Language. Predicted 8/9 in both language and literature, working consistently at this level and felt the papers went really well. DD literally just scraped a 6.

Teacher has reviewed the papers and whilst we’re in agreement it’s not her finest work, they do think it has been marked rather harshly. Whether there’s 8 marks there across two papers is the question. She got 9s in the STEM subjects she’s doing at A-level so it really doesn’t matter and I’m a bit of the mindset we should just leave it.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 29/08/2025 11:11

SomersetBrie · 29/08/2025 10:40

It's the overall mark that counts though, isn't it? If Paper 1 dropped a mark and went to a 3, the overall grade would still be a 4?
I've not got that wrong, have I?

Sounds like you made the correct choice anyway, I am pleased for you!

Show quote history

It's the overall mark that makes the grade.

DD has a 6 in one paper and a 3 in the other giving an overall grade 4... we're having the 3 looked at as that is the one that is off. If she was to lose another 4 marks at review then she will still have a 6 and a 3 in the two papers, but will get a grade 3 overall. The mark feels right for paper 2 (the 6), so we will leave that one alone.

(I am gambling on the mark already being so low it shouldn't go any lower, and that something has gone wrong and she'll be one of those ones where it goes up a hefty chunk and moves up a grade).