Message to candidates, parents and centres ahead of results
Tuesday, 09 August 2011 10:54
Actions taken ahead of the release of results
On 18 August A level (AS and A2) results will be released and on 25 August the GCSE results will be released. As you wait for your results you may be aware that there were a number of errors on exam papers this summer, affecting both GCSEs and A levels. In total, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there were 12 instances of mistakes being found on papers as candidates sat their exams.
The regulators – Ofqual in England, CCEA in Northern Ireland and the DfES in Wales – have overseen the actions that each awarding organisation has taken in relation to the errors. Awarding organisations have now completed the marking and grading of papers ahead of the overall subject results being issued. On 5 August we issued a statement confirming that we are satisfied that everything that could be done has been done to make sure that, as far as possible, candidates have not been unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged and that there was a level playing field.
Full information about the errors and the measures taken are available on our website. The awarding organisations have also put information on their own websites.
We have liaised with UCAS and higher education representatives to keep them fully informed, as some affected candidates will be applying for university places when the A level results come out. We talked with UCAS about which information would be useful to admissions tutors in making informed decisions. We then supplied them with detailed information about which AS and A2 papers were affected and the specific actions taken in each case.
Once you have received your results
If, when you open your results, you feel that have the wrong grade, there are tried and tested procedures in place which enables your school or college to raise this with the awarding organisation. These procedures are known as Enquiries About Results (EAR), and they include a priority service for cases where a university place depends on the outcome. In these circumstances, your school or college must submit a request for a Priority Service 2 EAR by 26 August. The deadline for any other EAR requests is 20 September. Given the pressure on university places we would strongly urge you to submit your request as soon as possible and not wait until the deadline date.
What are Enquiries about Results?
There are three levels of EAR. A Service 1 EAR is a clerical check to ensure that each question has been marked and all of the marks have been totalled correctly.
A Service 2 EAR is a review of the original marking by a senior examiner and includes a clerical check. If a place at university depends on the outcome of an A level review, this will be dealt with to strict deadlines as a Priority Service 2.
A Service 3 EAR is a review of the original moderation of internal assessment to make sure that any adjustments made by the moderator were fair and appropriate.
If the candidate or centre is not satisfied with the outcome of the EAR, there is also a process to appeal to the awarding organisation. Following that, if still not satisfied, there is the possibility of an appeal to the independent Examinations Appeals Board.
More information about EARs is available:
