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Original poster

GCSE English Lit and Language review of marking

842 replies

SomersetBrie · 26/08/2025 16:11

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.

OP posts:
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6
TheyNotLikeUs · 02/09/2025 22:26

Hi @MrsHamlet , with regards to reviews not being submitted with a reason, we have now had sight of a STEM paper, requested as DD felt the grade awarded didn't feel correct.

DD has identified a few questions where she got awarded 0 marks but she, DH and AI software mark it as having full marks. If the AI was being generous, we'd still expect a few marks, not zero.

We're waiting to hear if her teacher agrees and recommends a review and if so, are you saying we don't have to pinpoint which questions we think have been marked harshly? They are all towards the end of the paper and all the zeros/low marks jump out compared to the full/higher marks earlier on.

celticprincess · 02/09/2025 22:38

We are still waiting for English lit. Told the school on results day we wanted a review but they’ve only sent request for payment today. £43 per paper. Only getting paper 1 reviewed. We are with that other weird exam board WJAC if I’ve got the letters correct. Paper 1 had about half the marks that paper 2 got which is why it’s the one currently getting reviewed. Teacher was the one who suggested it. Said if we don’t get an older from that then to submit paper 2. We are one of those with 1 mark off a level 4. Language they got a 6. So a big difference. Lit is harder as daughter is autistic but did feel paper had gone better than their score.

Examinetheexams · 02/09/2025 22:38

MrsHamlet · 02/09/2025 19:51

You can't go to the board. It has to be done through the centre.

Show quote history

That’s what I assumed, we are still waiting to hear from DCs school. Some schools are definitely more geared up for the review process than others it appears.

MrsHamlet · 02/09/2025 22:47

TheyNotLikeUs · 02/09/2025 22:26

Hi @MrsHamlet , with regards to reviews not being submitted with a reason, we have now had sight of a STEM paper, requested as DD felt the grade awarded didn't feel correct.

DD has identified a few questions where she got awarded 0 marks but she, DH and AI software mark it as having full marks. If the AI was being generous, we'd still expect a few marks, not zero.

We're waiting to hear if her teacher agrees and recommends a review and if so, are you saying we don't have to pinpoint which questions we think have been marked harshly? They are all towards the end of the paper and all the zeros/low marks jump out compared to the full/higher marks earlier on.

No. Reviews are just a second pair of eyes on the paper. It's only if it goes to appeal that anyone writes anything to the board.

You need to look at a mark scheme, though, not get AI to tell you what marks it should get. And that's why you need someone who knows the paper to look through it first.

agoodfriendofthethree · 02/09/2025 22:56

@MrsHamlet Thanks so much for confirming. Are you aware of any way we can get his script scanned correctly in the right order and therefore presented as it was actually written? Or is my son just stuck with the incorrectly scanned version?

Slimtoddy · 03/09/2025 04:23

Thanks to those with experience of marking helping us navigate this. You know who you are. I have a general question - how difficult does handwriting make things for examiners. My eldest could use a laptop/computer for exams and I think it helped enormously. I struggle to read my other two DC's writing although teachers never seem to and one of DC scores very highly in exams but I can't help wondering if the quality of penmanship can impact things. Just curious really.

MrsHamlet · 03/09/2025 05:55

@agoodfriendofthethree its in the system like that. But we are perfectly able to read it backwards - you'd just start at the beginning and scroll it in the right order.

@Slimtoddy most teachers can read most things! It's our superpower. That said, I'd suggest trying different pens - I've had a lot of success with giving students fountain pens to use as that seems to help their writing (unless left handed)

agoodfriendofthethree · 03/09/2025 07:16

@MrsHamlet Yes, I'm not saying you wouldn't be able to read it - just that it has undoubtedly made it harder for the examiner to read coherently than if it was scanned correctly, and therefore potentially put him at a disadvantage through no fault of his own. You have to go to the very bottom, read a page, then scroll up two pages, then read that page, then scroll up two pages etc. His essays for English lit were several pages long and for an examiner pushed for time when marking a huge amount of papers it will not have been ideal in a subject where the mark schemes carry an element of subjectivity. If it was eg maths then it wouldn't be an issue of course. He doesn't want special treatment - he just wants his work presented to an examiner correctly, which I don't think is unreasonable.

MrsHamlet · 03/09/2025 07:25

@agoodfriendofthethree I honestly don't know what you can do - reviews don't come with a reason. If you're unhappy with the outcome of a review you can go to appeal. That requires a reason.

You can call the centre and ask them to seek advice.

agoodfriendofthethree · 03/09/2025 07:29

@MrsHamlet Thanks. We're still waiting on his school to get back to us - I don't think they've come across this problem before.

MrsHamlet · 03/09/2025 07:35

@agoodfriendofthethree I've seen some - I suspect the centre put the sheets in the wrong order and then they just went through the scanner that way.

agoodfriendofthethree · 03/09/2025 08:03

@MrsHamlet Yes, I suspect you're right. They are a wonderful school and very supportive, but apparently he is the first pupil they've had use a laptop for exams (!) so it wouldn't surprise me if they'd packed it in the wrong order, especially as that exam was the first one. For another exam, when he was signing the printed pages at the end, he realised they'd printed an old auto saved version from about two thirds of the way through the exam! It took IT ages to sort it and find the finished version, which was a bit scary for him! Thank goodness he noticed!

TheyNotLikeUs · 03/09/2025 08:59

I wonder if handwriting is a factor for our 4-markers. I and AI could read them but DH had to ask about a couple of words.

Foxesandsquirrels · 03/09/2025 10:04

TheyNotLikeUs · 03/09/2025 08:59

I wonder if handwriting is a factor for our 4-markers. I and AI could read them but DH had to ask about a couple of words.

@TheyNotLikeUs AI isn't used in marking yet if that's what you mean.

TheyNotLikeUs · 03/09/2025 10:08

Oh @Foxesandsquirrels we used the AI at home. We used it for revision and found it reliable when asking it to mark in line with an uploaded mark scheme. I'm sure it's not perfect but it helped DD and from what I could see seemed fairly accurate.

Slimtoddy · 03/09/2025 12:43

TheyNotLikeUs · 03/09/2025 08:59

I wonder if handwriting is a factor for our 4-markers. I and AI could read them but DH had to ask about a couple of words.

I wondered that as I really struggled to read any of my DC's handwriting but @MrsHamlet confirmed that teachers are so used to it they have a kinda superpower. My DS has never been told to improve his handwriting but I really struggle to read it.

I agree with @MrsHamlet re fountain pens. I was taught calligraphy as a teen with a fountain pen and my handwriting improved immensely. None of my DC would use a fountain pen though. They thought it was prehistoric.

Foxesandsquirrels · 03/09/2025 13:44

@agoodfriendofthethree did you request the script as well? Our reviews came back with the remarked script and there's marks on it indicating which bit of the answers are what level. For eg for the lit papers that didn't go up, there's annotations everywhere saying. LL2 answer, basic level, basic vocab, correct level, some have level 1 or UL2 written. It may help you understand what's happened.

agoodfriendofthethree · 03/09/2025 14:23

@Foxesandsquirrels Thanks, all we've had so far is the initial script, which his teacher has looked through and feels the annotated levels are quite harsh, and certainly quite a lot harsher than his paper 2 which was in the correct order. School haven't put in for the review yet so we haven't had a remarked script back yet like you describe, but thank you - that is really helpful to know what to expect when we do.

Examinetheexams · 03/09/2025 14:24

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CocoPlum · 03/09/2025 15:05

So I've been following as DD filled out the form at school on the day requesting review - she was expecting 8/9 and got a 6 (AQA language).

We've literally just had an email from school saying "we have requested to view your exam papers and will decide if it needs review".

No I don't expect teachers to work through the holiday but we filled that in 2 weeks ago and the teachers are only just requesting papers!

Bufftailed · 03/09/2025 17:14

CocoPlum · 03/09/2025 15:05

So I've been following as DD filled out the form at school on the day requesting review - she was expecting 8/9 and got a 6 (AQA language).

We've literally just had an email from school saying "we have requested to view your exam papers and will decide if it needs review".

No I don't expect teachers to work through the holiday but we filled that in 2 weeks ago and the teachers are only just requesting papers!

School told me they would submit within a week but yesterday said they are submitting this week. I would rather a fast response, but it won’t change options or school for DC so it’s ok. I’d rather not be waiting 4 weeks 🤦🏻‍♀️

Eccle80 · 03/09/2025 17:28

CocoPlum · 03/09/2025 15:05

So I've been following as DD filled out the form at school on the day requesting review - she was expecting 8/9 and got a 6 (AQA language).

We've literally just had an email from school saying "we have requested to view your exam papers and will decide if it needs review".

No I don't expect teachers to work through the holiday but we filled that in 2 weeks ago and the teachers are only just requesting papers!

I’ve been following this thread out of general interest as it isn’t English that is meant to be being reviewed for DS, but he’s in a similar position. School suggested reviewing two of his when he got his results, and we also asked them to look at one of his other papers as there was such a difference between the two, and what he expected. After filling in the form whilst we were there we have heard nothing since. I obviously understand it was holidays and his wouldn’t have been priority either but it is getting a bit frustrating not to have had anything at all from them.

Hoppinggreen · 03/09/2025 17:32

That wait is so frustrating
DS's school out in for the remark the day the results came out and got his result first thing on the Friday after. It meant he could start College on Monday with his new (improved) grade

CocoPlum · 03/09/2025 17:35

Hoppinggreen · 03/09/2025 17:32

That wait is so frustrating
DS's school out in for the remark the day the results came out and got his result first thing on the Friday after. It meant he could start College on Monday with his new (improved) grade

DD's grade did not affect her place at 6th form or her subject, but her friend asked for a review to see if she could have achieved a 4 ... she hasn't heard anything and has had to start college on a lower level BTEC.

katgab · 03/09/2025 17:53

Dd has been upgraded by 10 marks on lit paper 1 so it has taken her up a grade. She was 1 mark short of the grade boundary. Obviously very pleased for her but really don’t understand how this works.

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