A-Level Results Day: Grade Boundaries

Last year it was 57, and many students agreed the paper was far more challenging with many missing out questions altogether. Just look at the petition which gained over 9000 signatures, so it wouldn't be surprising if 55 is an A or 53 at the lowest.

last year it was midnight the day before results day so that means it should be up in less than 12 hours

Can anyone explain the new policy on remarks? Read in the news remarks are now only allowed in special circumstances and if there is a huge error? How would this be decided?

Remarks have changed so that only if a mistake has been made in the marking by the original examiner then the mark can change. If they think marks should have been awarded (like a matter of opinion or difference in interpretation of a candidates work) then marks are no longer awarded it MUST be a genuine glaringly obvious mistake in the marking to change the amount of marks. This is to stop so-called "sympathy" marks from being awarded by examiners which really does give some candidates an unfair advantage year on year.

ANY candidate can still challenge the marking of their paper, the number of marks is just very unlikely to change from now on

This explains it better: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/26/gcse-a-level-exam-appeals-remarks-change-tougher-challenge-results

Aqa - tomorrow 9:30am
OCR - tomorrow (8am latest)
Edexcel - no time specified just the 'day before results day onwards'
I got this info from their twitter pages

I understand why it can be unfair, but when it comes to humanities subjects, what if your marker has little knowledge about your subject? (E.g, a teacher of modern history, with little knowledge of early modern history, marks my papers which all focus around early modern history) and so marks it down because they stick to just what's on the teacher advice paper, to make up for their lack of knowledge? Despite the teacher advice document (I can't remember the official name) just being a general outline as to what could be included, but anything logical and that can be argued - and backed up with evidence - is worthy of marks. Therefore, if I got a surprisingly low grade, knowing full well my essays should have gotten higher, it won't be able to get the marks it deserves? Just because I, or another, got unlucky with my examiner!?

Humanities/arts subjects are basically largely, and mostly, interpretation. So I feel as if they should be given the 'benefit of the doubt' because of how general, and subjective, they are.

I did English Language A-Level last year and everyone else in the class (except me) got a remark. NONE of the papers came back higher infact 3 of the papers came back with lower marks, a similar case happened at AS-Level too. ANYONE who marks exam scripts in any subject has to go through a very stringent set of tests on their marking before every script marking session begins, and almost all examiners are teachers in their subject if not a very similar one (my A-Level chem teacher marked physics papers in order to avoid marking her own students' work for example). Samples of their initial marking goes to the team leader to be scrutinised and anyone awarding less or more marks than they should be ends up being chucked off the team for that season. It is a very fair system as it was except for the remarks- simple as. Now students will no longer be able to "wing it" to get the next grade up by submitting for a remark which is unfair on those who made the grade genuinely and not by paying £50 per script. Sorry just my opinion, and i'm entitled to it!

I think it's perfectly fair and this come from someone who has sat science and humanities A-Levels.

Thank you very much! Your answer made me feel a bit more assured about the reforms, thanks for explaining the process as well

No problem, it is a very misunderstood process despite the tens of thousands of students who sit the exams every year

Yes, it's annoying but as it has been said they've finally scrapped the ISAs. Just unlucky it wasn't this year. Although, the difference in UMS between the grades is pretty small. As long as you get a high C then getting an A overall between the two exams is accessible. I thought the SHM ISA this year varied off the syllabus quite a bit, it was a tough one. Very sad that the boundary is unlikely to change much.

Aqa - tomorrow 9:30am
OCR - tomorrow (8am latest)
Edexcel - no time specified just the 'day before results day onwards'
I got this info from their twitter pages

Last year it was 57, and many students agreed the paper was far more challenging with many missing out questions altogether. Just look at the petition which gained over 9200 signatures, so it wouldn't be surprising if 55 is an A or 53 at the lowest.

anyone know what grade boundaries could be like for OCR A2 F214 and F215 Biology exams? hopefully not a big increase!

Wish they released this a couple days before results day, rather than the day before results day

Waiting for Edexcel