Some of England’s high achieving students got lower than expected grades that emerged after being remarked.
Issues about the reliability of the marking of GCSE English have been raised following complaints that normally high-achieving students in English schools were awarded lower-than-expected results, which went up after remarking.
In some instances, marks for individual questions double after the review. A student’s grade changed from 6 to 9; on the GSCE grading scale of 1 to 9, 9 is the highest grade.
The AQA exam board set the exams for candidates who sat for the GSCE English language and literature. Most candidates stated that the request to review the English marks aligned with their expectations.
However, the examiner’s level of experience raised concerns among many in the sector.
The English and Media Centre director, Andrew McCallum, stated, “This year we’ve heard from more teachers than ever before about the unreliability of GCSE marking for English, both language and literature. In particular we’ve heard from teachers whose high-attaining students have been given unexpectedly low marks.”
A head of English posted about his mixed reactions after a re-mark that “Had another AQA Lit review back today. Across both papers, it moved up 41 marks from a grade 6 to a 9. Buzzing and fuming.”
A department head who demanded a remark for two English literature papers said the marks on the papers changed from 17 to 30 and the order doubled from 14 to 30, resulting in a significant increase in the grades.
There are also concerns that not all students can afford £42 for each paper remarking if the results are not changed.
The results for drama have also come under scrutiny. An AQA GCSE drama teacher’s forum contained a stream of outraged comments. Someone posted, “I just had a paper re-marked, and the pupil went from having a 6 overall to an 8. The 32-marker was originally marked at 12, then re-marked at 21.”
Another person commented, “I’ve got all my papers back and I’m horrified by the harshness of the written paper marking.” “My students will not get a re-mark as it’s too expensive. So frustrating and unfair.”
A drama teacher from a rural comprehensive in the south of England told the media, “It appeared the person who’s marked these papers does not know a thing about the course. It’s unbelievable. These are children’s lives which are being absolutely messed with.”
A spokesperson for AQA said: “We’re proud to be the most popular exam board for GCSE English language and English literature. Every year, schools, colleges and exam centres request marking reviews. Requests for GCSE English language and English literature were in line with expectations.
“Our associates are qualified for the job and we hugely value their expertise. We put a lot of emphasis on examiner training, standardisation and quality checks. We are proud of this team which delivered marking as planned this summer, and we have enough associates to complete reviews of marking.”
England’s exam regulator’s spokesperson stated, “Ofqual expects examination boards to recruit, train and monitor appropriately qualified markers to ensure students’ work is marked reliably. A student can request, via their school or college, an electronic copy of their exam script to help inform decisions about when to seek a review of marking.”
Official reports about the number of reviews of the marking will be released later this year. 413,525 reviews were requested for GCSEs last year, representing a 23% increase from June 2022 and a 9% decrease from June 2019.
Tom Middlehurst, the Association of Schools and Colleges Leaders’ curriculum, assessment and inspection specialist, stated, “It’s concerning when a high number of grades are changed following re-marks. Even though they represent a tiny minority of overall scripts, the changes can be significant and therefore raise questions as to whether the quality of marking is sufficient.”
