11 Plus Exams Forum

Horrible. Isn't it? How many more could have got better results if they had appealed?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29704020" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yes; very disappointing but do note that:

The overall proportion of exam grades being changed remains low, but has increased for both A-levels and GCSEs. This year, 0.52% of GCSE grades and 0.65% of A-level grades have been changed.

This compares to 3% of papers which were submitted for review - so a small proportion changed.

I agree that any error is too many but A level reviews are conducted before uni places are at risk which is a great improvement on the past. It used to take months to get a review and I can remember several Oxbridge places being lost because of this delay.

It mentions 6th form places and I do wonder if the huge increase in remark requests has something to do with the stiff entry requirements that are being demanded for many. Plus very high grades are needed for many of the top uni's and with people having to fork out far too many thousands regardless of which they attend then a remark seems worth a punt.

Also isn't modules/continual assessment being phased out so going back to the one off exam situation is likely to produce a higher proportion of surprising results leading to request for remark.

Just my thoughts that it is not necessarily down to a loss of confidence in the marking system but more about pluses of an increase outweighing the minus of a downgrade.

tiffinboys wrote:Horrible. Isn't it? How many more could have got better results if they had appealed?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29704020" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I agree tiffinboys, the majority of parents rely on the school to instigate a remark, which may only happen if there's an obvious problem or it's a borderline d/c.

Whilst yes the reported numbers which result in a grade change are small ( I'm surprised how small), the upward trends quoted in the report particularly the increases in the numbers of enquiries from last year aren't and this is concerning. I have one ds with an appeal instigated from school which is actually still ongoing.

Tolstoy has a good point about why appeals have increased.

This was the first year of linear GCSEs so more students say more exams this year e.g. triple science sat 9 rather than 3 in Year 10, 3 in Jan of Year 11 and 3 at the end.

It was also the first year of no Jan modules for Year 12 so again more exams taken. I'm not making excuses for markers but clearly the increase in reviews is not so amazing when you consider that.

Seems there may have been some substance to my theory regarding C/D borderline re - mark requests after all.



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