We are now a few days post GCSE results and the adrenaline has subsided somewhat. In its place has been left a sense of calm, pride and now some unanswered questions including whether it is worth getting a GCSE remark.
Results day has also left me feeling emotional as it is a rollercoaster for parents as well as teenagers!
As an ex teacher, I understand the exam systems more than most and I don’t always have the greatest faith in the marking systems in place. I have experienced GCSE marking from all sides, as a teacher an exam marker and now from the perspective of a parent. Chloe’s results were amazing but analysing her marks threw up some issues and I immediately asked myself the question Is it worth getting a GCSE remark?
Therefore we have been debating GCSE Exam Success, Value Added and Getting Papers Remarked.
As a teacher, it was commonplace for me to analyse the marks in detail and I have successfully had GCSEs remarked for past students. Therefore we are asking for two of Chloe’s GCSE exams to be remarked.
How to get your GCSE paper remarked?
Chloe worked hard in the six months leading up to her exams. She revised steadily and used many different strategies to help her. I wrote extensively about GCSE Tips – five tips on how to revise, more exam tips and 5 tips on how parents can help their teens during exam season. Using past papers is always advised and Chloe was well-prepared for her GCSEs.
However, after the Maths exam, she had a crisis of confidence and she was also worried about another subject.
GCSE Results Day
Yet as results morning dawned we clock-watched until it was time to go and collect the brown envelope. We were early, one of the first but we could wait no more. I hadn’t planned to go in to collect the results with Chloe but at the last minute, she wanted me to. We went in and with a fast heart she prised open the stapled sheets, she saw she had passed Maths which was her first success. Then she spotted an A* and whooped with joy. No A*’s were expected – especially in Religious Studies!
Then one by one she looked at the paper with her eyes and smile getting wider. She outperformed her expected grades time and time again. Her hard work paid off. As a teacher, I have written before about how much value added she would give the school. She will be one of the young people they analysed the day before as the results came in, she will be one of their GCSE success stories.
For us as parents, we are so proud, she deserved those grades and she has revelled in the celebrations. It does leave her with new decisions to make, originally she was going to do two A Levels and the sports BTec. A few months ago she decided that three A Levels would be better and now because of the results, she has more choices and more decisions.
Chloe is unsure of what subjects to take after getting an A* in the English Literature exams too. Again that was an unexpected result from a set 3 girl who had had booster groups throughout primary and the first couple of years at secondary. The fact she scored higher than her set 1 friend was not lost on me (or them as they teased her and triumphed in her unexpected success).
Appealing against a GCSE result
However, after I analysed her scores and checked the grade boundaries using the Internet I noticed that in two subjects she was only a mark or two away from the next grade.
After talking with Chloe I rang up the exams officer at her school. She too looked at the grades and agreed that she was on the cusp of the next grade. Previously you could have a paper remarked and see if the grade changed. Now there is a system of tolerance and so the remark has to be outside the tolerance zone. This makes it harder for the grade to be changed unless the remark spots a few errors or extra marks.
There is also a cost attached to a remark. It is about £30 per paper and it is common practice for the parent/carer to pay this. If the grade does change the money is refunded but if it stays the same then this covers the admin fee. It is a way to stop lots of people from asking for a GCSE remark – but does worry me that again this deters some from applying for a remark. You need to ask if it is worth getting a remark. I would say it does matter especially in English and Maths or if your child is continuing in further education.
After discussing it with the school we agreed on two exams being remarked as she was one mark off the next grade up. As an examiner, I know how subjective marking can be in written papers and both of the papers in question are essay-based so we are paying for the GCSE remark and seeing what happens. It may stay the same but we will play Russian Roulette and test the system. The system has changed slightly and now the marking needs to be out of tolerance before the mark is changed.
We will try it and let people know. It is a shame that as parents we need to test the systems and play the Education system but we can afford it and we know how to check the grade boundaries. It is worth looking at the grade boundaries for each exam board and speaking to teachers if you think you are close. The deadline for getting papers remarked is mid-September and costs approx. £30 per paper.
We put no pressure on Chloe except to provide her with all the resources and support she asked for. We marked papers for her, and got through so much ink and printer paper from printing out past papers but her success came from self-motivation, great teaching and having ambition. Her future looks great!
Result of a GCSE remark
After getting the GCSE remark her English Lang result went up by six whole UMS marks which is staggering. This resulted in being awarded a B grade rather than a C grade. Chloe’s PE GCSE remark stayed the same leaving her one mark from that A grade! Frustrating but that can be the reality and it is why every single mark counts!
Is it worth getting a remark?
In our experience, it was worth getting a remark as her grade changed for the better. You do need to accept that the grade could go down but that is unlikely if the child is that close to the higher grade. Chloe’s GCSE remark was a big jump up and her teachers were also very surprised it went up that much. It makes me wonder if a whole question had been missed in the marking process because the marks reflect that.
However, I won’t ever know that but we are pleased that we opted to get the paper remarked. Getting the remark took about 10 days and because it was such an important subject I am glad I was aware to challenge the original result. Chloe had done the work and deserved to be awarded the right grade.
If you notice that a grade is on the cusp, speak to the school in the first instance as they are the ones who will instruct the GCSE remark to the exam board. It is your right to have a GCSE remark and can be well worth the effort.
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