TENS of thousands of pupils in England awaiting their A-level and GCSE results will get them tomorrow (August 10).
After suffering major disruptions to the academic year caused by the coronavirus pandemic, here's how to appeal your results.
How to appeal A-Level results
A-Level results will roll out from 8am BST on August 10.
No exams could take place this year due to the coronavirus lockdown causing school closures.
So students will instead receive their predicted grade.
Grades have been determined by teachers, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic.
Ofqual interim chief regulator Simon Lebus said there have been three stages of checks to ensure students can feel they have been "fairly treated".
This included Ofqual checking the policies that schools have for awarding grades and exam boards looking over them.
But, for students unhappy with the outcome, Ofqual advises you first speak to your school or college to understand on what basis you can and can’t appeal your results.
Only your school or college can submit an appeal on your behalf.
Appeals for students waiting on grades for their uni applications will be prioritised, advises The Uni Guide.
Every student has the right to appeal their grades.
But, you can’t appeal your grade just because you don’t agree with the centre assessment grade or rank order position.
Step One:
Ask your school or college to check whether it made an error when submitting your centre assessment grade or your position in the rank order.
This is called a 'centre review'.
If your school or college does think it made a mistake, it can submit an appeal to the exam board, but it must be supported by clear evidence that an error had been made.
All requests for a centre review by the school/college must be submitted by:
- August 16, 2021 for priority appeals, for example student applying for uni who didn't get their firm choice
- September 3, 2021 for all other cases
Step two:
Ask your school or college to submit an awarding organisation appeal for you.
But, you should only progress to this stage if you're still concerned with your grade after getting the results of the centre review.
In stage two, students can ask the exam board to check whether the school/college's review decision about your grade was unreasonable – or whether the selection of work they used to decide your grade was unreasonable.
You can also ask the exam board to check whether the school/college made a procedural error, or whether the exam board itself made a glitch.
- Your grade could go down, go up, or stay the same, following the outcome of appeals at both stages.
Important dates
Schools and colleges must submit priority appeals by August 23, 2021, and non-priority appeals by September 17, 2021.
But, double-check with your school/college first, as they set their own deadlines for receiving your centre review and appeal
Exams
If you’d like an opportunity to improve your grade, you can choose to sit exams in the autumn series instead.
Ofqual has said that the deadline for entry to AS and A-level autumn exams is September 8, 2021.
AS and A-level exams will run from Monday October 4 until Friday 22 October 22, 2021.
If you choose to take exams in the autumn or next summer and achieve a
different grade from the grade you received this summer, you will be able to use the higher of the two grades to show to universities, colleges and employers in future.
You can also contact the Exam Results Helpline for independent advice on alternative options on 0800 100 900.
This can provide information on appeals, complaints, or what your next steps may be once you’ve received your results.
You can also request a review of marking or moderation by the exam boards – see GOV.UK's guide for regulating A-levels.
Post-results services are offered by exam boards such as AQA, which accounts for around half of all A-levels awarded in the UK each year, from A-level results day onwards.
How long does an A-Level re-mark take?
It can take:
- Up to 20 calendar days for a review of marking
- Up to 15 calendar days for a priority review of marking
How do I defer a year?
Deferred simply means delaying, says UCAS.
This is what happens when you decide to take a year out before you start your university course.
You can ask your university to defer your place for a year if you don't already hold a deferred offer, explains the Complete University Guide.
This can technically be done up until the start date.
While many universities will agree to this, if they don't, you could choose to withdraw your application for this year and then reapply when the process begins for the next student intake.
It's recommended you keep the university informed of your plans, as there's a better chance they'll reserve the place for you.
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