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Remarking

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 7:26 pm
by puzzledparent
My son goes to QE, Barnet. In one of his GCSE subjects, he narrowly missed the A* grade and therefore we applied for a remark (there were some unofficial suggestions from QE teachers as well to try that option).

After the remarking, my son was informed that he had now lost marks. However, QE by this time had applied for a remarking of that paper for all the students with an agreement with the exam board (AQA) that no marks will be lost for the students and the marks can only go up and not down. The parents weren't aware that this was happening.

Since my son's paper was remarked already, AQA did not consider his paper when QE had submitted all the papers. The remarking of those papers which went through QE had a generous boost of marks with quite a number of students who scored lower than my son jumping over to the A* grade. We have been made to look like complete idiots having applied for a remark, but we weren't aware that QE was going to do that for all the students.

Is this normal and is this how these exam boards operate? We feel that this is not right but helpless and cannot do anything about it. Needless to say, my son is very much aggrieved.

Re: Remarking

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 10:09 pm
by ToadMum
puzzledparent wrote:My son goes to QE, Barnet. In one of his GCSE subjects, he narrowly missed the A* grade and therefore we applied for a remark (there were some unofficial suggestions from QE teachers as well to try that option).

After the remarking, my son was informed that he had now lost marks. However, QE by this time had applied for a remarking of that paper for all the students with an agreement with the exam board (AQA) that no marks will be lost for the students and the marks can only go up and not down. The parents weren't aware that this was happening.

Since my son's paper was remarked already, AQA did not consider his paper when QE had submitted all the papers. The remarking of those papers which went through QE had a generous boost of marks with quite a number of students who scored lower than my son jumping over to the A* grade. We have been made to look like complete idiots having applied for a remark, but we weren't aware that QE was going to do that for all the students.

Is this normal and is this how these exam boards operate? We feel that this is not right but helpless and cannot do anything about it. Needless to say, my son is very much aggrieved.
I sincerely hope that the member(s ) of staff who advised you to apply for the remark did so in ignorance of a departmental decision to apply for all papers to be remarked. For the exam board to decline to remark your DS's paper a second time may be reasonable, but it does seem odd that so many scores were subsequently increased; however, one assumes that the school undertook the mass resubmission because it considered that a significant number of scores were much lower than expected?

DS1's school submitted a whole batch of papers for remarking. It was more than two years ago and I can't remember whether or not we were informed beforehand (he had moved to another school for sixth form); I do remember him getting a letter to say that in his case, the remarking had changed his grade from an A to an A, though.

Re: Remarking

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 10:57 pm
by Daogroupie
What an odd situation! Do you not have an exams officer at QE that co-ordinates applications for remarks?

I had no idea that it was possible to apply privately and not through the school. I would have thought a signature from school was required on it.

We have to apply through school and have to sign that we understand that marks can go down as well as up.

Habs had an entire year remark on the AQA English as well.

We had students with individual remarks and there were some huge hikes. One girl went up 30 marks!

I would want to understand why you had not been advised of the year remark by the English department?

I also cannot believe that any exam board will enter into a private deal with a school that a remark will only send marks up and not down? DG

Re: Remarking

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 11:05 pm
by Guest55
It does sound odd - you have to go through the school for the remark and in most schools the Head of Depertment has to approve the request.

The mark would have gone down anyway so the issue is that you've paid for something the school would have paid for.

Re: Remarking

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 11:16 pm
by puzzledparent
To clarify, the remarking was applied through QE and we paid for it. The point is that different yardsticks were used. Not sure if this is fair as QE remarked all papers without the parents knowing. The letter which came with the results for those students mentioned that if the marks went down, it will be maintained as the same one as before (so that the students do not lose any).

Re: Remarking

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 11:17 pm
by Catseye
puzzledparent wrote:QE by this time had applied for a remarking of that paper for all the students with an agreement with the exam board (AQA) that no marks will be lost for the students and the marks can only go up and not down. ......
That cannot be right ,everyone knows ums marks can go up as well as down.

DG -was the English board CIE , they are the only board I know that outsources their marking to overseas markers, my son's Eng Lang was so out of whack with predictions we knew there was a serious error , it went up 13ums after a remark :shock:

English should not be outsourced to foreign markers whose fist language may not English imo.

Re: Remarking

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 11:46 pm
by Ladymuck
The CIE English Language situation was mentioned in the Sunday Times education column today. Our local comp sitting the same exam got their highest ever Englsh A*-C result of 90% (usually 65-70%). So I suspect that many other comps who changed to CIE may have seen a similar benefit.

Are your school continuing with CIE catseye?

Re: Remarking

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 8:55 am
by kenyancowgirl
puzzledparent wrote:To clarify, the remarking was applied through QE and we paid for it. The point is that different yardsticks were used. Not sure if this is fair as QE remarked all papers without the parents knowing. The letter which came with the results for those students mentioned that if the marks went down, it will be maintained as the same one as before (so that the students do not lose any).
I agree with Catseye...this is simply false. NO school can get that kind of commitment for the exam board (not even QE!!) as, otherwise, ALL schools would just apply to have ALL papers remarked EVERY time...well, you would, wouldn't you, if you had the chance of it going up but not going down!

Re: Remarking

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 9:32 am
by scary mum
Catseye wrote:
puzzledparent wrote:QE by this time had applied for a remarking of that paper for all the students with an agreement with the exam board (AQA) that no marks will be lost for the students and the marks can only go up and not down. ......
That cannot be right ,everyone knows ums marks can go up as well as down.

DG -was the English board CIE , they are the only board I know that outsources their marking to overseas markers, my son's Eng Lang was so out of whack with predictions we knew there was a serious error , it went up 13ums after a remark :shock:

English should not be outsourced to foreign markers whose fist language may not English imo.
Yes you always have to agree that they may go down as well as up, but I know for a fact that at our GS all the RS GCSEs were remarked lat year with the commitment that none would go down, so it must happen if you ask for the whole years' to be remarked. I suppose the individual asnt requesting/agreeing to it.

Re: Remarking

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 9:45 am
by hermanmunster
Actually the AQA do say that they will not lower marks :
Extended reviews

For a review of the whole class, you need to submit EaR requests for 10% of the class (min of 8 and max of 20) by using service 2.

If more than half the sample's marks change by more than 5% of the maximum raw mark, please email aqaextendeds-m@aqa.org.uk to request an extended review.

Grades and marks will not go down for the students in the extended review. We will only change grades and marks that go up. You will not be charged for re-marking of these scripts, nor the 10% sample.
http://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administrat ... ut-results" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;