Physics AQA GCSE remark?

[CreamBeforeJamOnScones]

Is there anyone I can DM re the marking of a few questions on the AQA GCSE Physics papers 2025?

NC but I'm a regular from way back.

I think for a 1:1 private service, perhaps use a tutorials website like eg www.firsttutors.com/uk/ to find an experienced physics tutor and pay them for their expertise.

I'm a physicist and would be willing to answer questions on a public forum but personally I wouldn't do it by DM any more than I'd take any other mumsnet discussion imto private messages. The quid-pro-quo for mumsnet being a free and amazing source of collective wisdom is the fact that those who have knowledge and experience are sharing it not just with an OP but with the community of other mumsnetters who may benefit too as a side-effect even if their situation is different from the OP's. That public but anonymous sharing is intrinsic for me. It also benefits you, because you then get the reenforcement of consensus - you lay out the issue, I (or some other physicist) may give you an answer, but another mumsnetter might read that and have something extra to contribute, clarify or correct - private advice is intrinsically less reliable if there is neither the scrutiny of the advice being publicly viewable nor the vetting of a paid professional relationship. There are loads of education-related threads where the first person who answers is later corrected on a factual point by a later answer - especially homework threads for science - and if anyone does answer you by DM you will never know whether their answer is reliable enough to withstand that public scrutiny uncorrected. Why do you want it to be by DM? No one is going to identify you or your daughter from the details of the question you post.

Many thanks for the link. I suggested DM because it's a niche query (actually thoughts on just 1x 4-mark question would suffice) and as it's on behalf of my child I don't want to take any risk outing her in any way.

On another thread a kind poster suggested DM on a similar query so long as they had capacity and they did very kindly respond to me.

I know it's a long shot and a big ask but just trying to advocate for my child who has consistently achieved 9s but missed out by a few points here. AI agrees with her but interested to know what a real expert thinks.

Why is her Physics teacher not reviewing her paper before advising you on this?

@CreamBeforeJamOnScones it's not necessary to tell people that you've name changed and, if anything, undermines the anonymity.

I agree with others that you should ask the teacher. However, if it is only one question then just post a photo here. Nobody will recognise her from that unless she has also shared it elsewhere.

How many marks is she below the boundary? If very close, you could just put it in for a remark. The most you will lose is the fee.

Teacher hasn't responded unfortunately. Also, we don't want to risk the mark going down.

You cannot just post a photo of a 2025 exam paper here and should not be passing these out to people, when you received a copy of your child's paper you should have received information on what you can do with the paper. These are controlled exam papers.

So is it close to the lower boundary?

@WhateverImcalled I've had several papers remarked, from 2 schools, and never had any info on what I can and can't do with the scripts. The marking scheme is locked, so only teachers can see that, but copies of the written scripts belong to the candidates.

There is something to be said with accepting and moving on. At some point most people have to accept some less than perfectness.

And as you say, the teacher really needs the full paper as you don't want to gain 2 marks on one question but lose 6 others elsewhere (though unlikely on Physics).

I am in the same situation. DDs school hasn’t commented. We are 1 mark off a 9/9. In this case nothing about disappointment but pride and success (she was predicted 7/7!).
I’ve reviewed the chemistry papers (I have a degree) and think one question was marked wrong and another few are potentially marked harshly. However she got a few high markers so need to make sure they look right (don’t have the mark scheme). I would just like the school to comment either way.

Look at the grade boundaries. How much would they have to drop to go down. On one paper that is pretty much a right or wrong subject. It’s not like someone might have a different opinion on an essay.

I have now written to the exam officer saying I haven’t heard back from science and am slightly frustrated as an acknowledgement at least would be nice!

If I were a science teacher at the start of term, I'd be prioritising looking at 43 borders not 98s, if I had time at all.

I am happy to have a look at a question if you mail me on here (taught physics for many years). Please just e mail relevant questions and not the whole paper, though.

I think the PP upthread who said you cannot share the paper is right, but it isn’t a major deal. The issue is copy-write, as the 2025 paper will only be released to paid subscribers of ExamWizard or Exampro.

But I think it would be very hard to bring a case unless it was used commercially (e.g to set a school exam without paying).

@TeenToTwentiesI’m fine with that but a quick email would at least be polite. EO has just emailed me to say it’s the parents choice and we should just proceed as we see fit. Totally different experience to my sons school in the same trust who couldn’t have been more helpful.

Her grade is an 8, and is 3 marks away from the 9 she usually gets. She would have to lose 10 marks to be downgraded to a 7, which although we suppose is unlikely, is something she doesn't want to risk.

It doesn't matter at all what AI says. It matters what was in the mark scheme and how examiners were told to apply it.

If you believe it to be wrong, then send it for review. But you take the risk of marks being moved down too.

Thanks @MrsHamlet . I assume the mark scheme won't be published for another year so for the moment AI is all we've got to go on.

I've just had my son's AQA Physics papesr remarked and he gained 9 points - 5 on the the first and 4 on the other. I didn't bother looking at the script but went with my gut instinct as he'd always got 8s and 9s for over two years and had got a 6. That said he was quite close to the 7 so knew it wasn't much of a risk of falling to a 5. So, maybe if there isn't a risk of falling a grade go for it if you can afford it?

Thank you for sharing @anonymous56789, well done to your son.

We had no change in grade following the review.

DD (and DH) still don't understand why a few questions didn't get even partial marks so does anyone have a resource they would recommend to support OCR A Level Physics?

I've heard Uplearn is good, anything else?