[M Kh]

So hopefully everyone must have got their January 2012 EAR results. I hope everyone got what they expected. Even I got my Jan 2012 EAR results about more than a week ago. Here's my story from the beginning:

I sat for all my Edexcel A2 Physics, Chemistry and Biology papers in January 2011 but ended up with C’s in all 3 A-levels. I re-sat all 3 of my A2 Biology papers in June 2011 and got an A in A-level Biology. When I got my A2 bio papers re-checked, I still got an A but my marks increased by 4 ums. My marks in the unit 4 bio paper did not change. When I marked my paper as strictly as I could excluding any marks I had the slightest doubt in, I still had to get 6 more marks. But then I appealed against the June 2011 EAR decision, saying that I still doubt my results and that they need to be reviewed. But the appeals officer replied by saying that the examiner for unit 4 was the most experienced they had, that his marking has been very accurate and that due to this they do not see any grounds for getting my papers re-checked. He also attached a copy of a document from the examiner showing how many marks I gained for each question part.

Unfortunately, when I count all the marks from that document and take into account the grade boundaries, I should still have got 4 more marks. Also the examiner did not include my marks for 2 of my question parts for which I gave an answer. But I did not include those marks in counting the total and I still should have got at least 4 more marks. But I did not wish to proceed to appeals stage 2 because if such a mistake has gone so far, what good is spending more money on appeals?

So I was fine with an A in A-level Biology and planned to re-sit unit 4 biology in June 2012 to get an overall A*. I then re-sat all three of my papers for Edexcel A2 Chemistry and A2 Physics in January 2012 but then ended up with an overall C in each again as in January 2011 with almost the same marks in each paper!

I was so horrified. I improved a lot and worked very hard within that one year but still ended up with almost the same ums in each paper. I also sat for AS Pure Math (C1, C2 and C3) this January 2012 along with A2 Phy and A2 Chem and got a B in AS Pure Math. The C1 and C2 marks were exactly same as what I calculated but the C3 marks were very different. They were considerably lower than what I had expected and what I actually calculated. I couldn’t believe my marks in physics unit 5 and unit 6 and chemistry unit 4, 5 and 6, and in Math C3. I got all these papers re-marked as I was 3 marks off a B in each chemistry and physics. My marks went up in chemistry by 3 ums and I got a B in Chemistry. The marks for physics did not change at all. I had expected much better than this because I worked really hard and did much better in these papers.

Now I wish to appeal against my January 2012 EAR results. I fear that the Appeals Officer will again say that our examiners are very experienced and we do not see any grounds for a re-mark. I don’t know what has gone wrong. This time it’s horrible. I have got only 2 days for deciding whether I must appeal or not as we must notify Edexcel within 14 days of receipt of our EAR our wish to appeal against the decision. But I am still confused. I cannot even re-sit all A2 papers again! What shall I do? Please suggest something that would be helpful. What would you do if you were me? Has anyone got any experiences with Edexcel appeals? What should I write in my appeals letter to convince them about my situation?

I am thinking of scanning my January 2011 results statement with those C’s and also my January 2012 results statement with those C’s in physics and chemistry. I am also thinking of making a few notes on the Review of Marking document I received from Edexcel as a result of my Biology June 2011 appeal in which I will write all marks I received in total for each question and then the total for the paper. I will then explain how taking into account the grade boundaries I must receive a 90/120 instead of a 86/120 excluding the marks that the examiner did not include in the Review of Marking doc (although I wrote answers for those questions and my answers did match the marking scheme). I will then scan this doc and then attach all these docs in the email that I will send to the Edexcel Appeals Panel as part of my appeal email letter.

What do you guys suggest? Shall I appeal or not? What if, although this is very unlikely seeing how stupid Edexcel is, my grades do change as a result of the appeal investigation followed by re-mark, do I get my appeal investigation fee back or do I still have to pay them? I am not willing to spend another 120 pounds but if my grades do increase I will be happy. Do I have to pay 120 pounds for each Cashed-in subject or for one appeal investigation no matter how many papers it involves?

Please suggest if I must appeal or not. I mean I don’t wish to pay 120 pounds but I don’t want to re-sit these exams again! Has anyone got any experiences with Edexcel EAR appeals? Has it been worth it? How was the result of the appeal?

I need to make this decision soon. Any suggestions will hopefully help. I am a private candidate and my centre will be fine to support me with the appeals procedures. Also I want to go to medical school.

I know my post is really long – sorry for that. But I am seeking helpful suggestions here which is why I had to explain everything very well. This was the second time I sat for my Edexcel A2 papers. Why are January results always so unexpected – do they have less time for checking or what? I am so confused. Please do help.
Thanks a lot.

[M Kh]

Suggestions needed please.....need to make the decision soon.

[Azland]

You must be very rich for so many remark requests.

My advice : Just resit the exams. It looks like you've already pissed off Edexcel and I dont think they're going to be any kinder this time.

[Data]

(Original post by M Kh)
Suggestions needed please.....need to make the decision soon.

I did lose the will to live part way through the post but (having successfully appealed on A2 Physics with Edexcel) I have a few comments/observations:

1. Firstly, all my knowledge is based on domestic (i.e. UK entries). As you took 6PH06 in January I'm assuming you are an international student as 6PH06 isn't available in January in the UK. I don't know much about the differences.
If you are going to appeal (and in the UK candidates can't - only a Head of Centre can) then you need to be really tightly focussed and not keep swapping your argument from subject to subject and exam season to exam season. Your post comes out as a complaint you didn't get the grades you want, not as evidence the exam board got it wrong.
2. An appeal can only be about the current exam season's re-marks, there is absolutely no point dragging up old grievances from previous exam seasons.
3. An appeal can only deal with a single unit at a time.
4. Did you get a photocopy of all these papers before/after going for the re-mark? If not, what evidence do you have that the marking is wrong? (For instance the grade boundaries for Maths C3 (6665) were really high in January; lots of people didn't get the grade they expected after the exam.)
5. The guidance on appeals says that you can't appeal just because you don't like the mark, you have to have evidence that the process was wrong. What evidence have you got?

[M Kh]

(Original post by Azland)
You must be very rich for so many remark requests.

My advice : Just resit the exams. It looks like you've already pissed off Edexcel and I dont think they're going to be any kinder this time.

This was a re-sit from the January 2011 session. I re-sat all of my A2 edexcel jan 2011 exams in jun 2011 (for bio) and jan 2012 (for a2 chem and a2 phy)

I can't re-sit again in jan 2013 that's why I worked really hard this time. I wish I had chosen CIE. I don't think I pissed them off - I paid them 120 pounds for the appeal investigation.

Anyways thanks for the suggestions. I hope someone else also suggests something.

[Azland]

(Original post by M Kh)
This was a re-sit from the January 2011 session. I re-sat all of my A2 edexcel jan 2011 exams in jun 2011 (for bio) and jan 2012 (for a2 chem and a2 phy)

I can't re-sit again in jan 2013 that's why I worked really hard this time. I wish I had chosen CIE. I don't think I pissed them off - I paid them 120 pounds for the appeal investigation.

Anyways thanks for the suggestions. I hope someone else also suggests something.

Maybe you can try and register for CIE, June? It's still open I think though late fees may apply.

[M Kh]

(Original post by Azland)
Maybe you can try and register for CIE, June? It's still open I think though late fees may apply.

I will have to prepare for them then - maybe in oct/nov. But I worked really hard for my edexcel exams this time as I was re-sitting. You suggest me against appealing then?

[M Kh]

(Original post by Data)
I did lose the will to live part way through the post but (having successfully appealed on A2 Physics with Edexcel) I have a few comments/observations:

Can you tell me some more about your Edexcel a2 physics appeal? What marks did you get? And how did you get it successful?

(Original post by Data)
1. Firstly, all my knowledge is based on domestic (i.e. UK entries). As you took 6PH06 in January I'm assuming you are an international student as 6PH06 isn't available in January in the UK. I don't know much about the differences.

Yes, I am a private candidate as well as an international candidate. I take exams through the British Council.

(Original post by Data)
If you are going to appeal (and in the UK candidates can't - only a Head of Centre can) then you need to be really tightly focussed and not keep swapping your argument from subject to subject and exam season to exam season. Your post comes out as a complaint you didn't get the grades you want, not as evidence the exam board got it wrong.

My Head of Centre is fine to appeal on my behalf. They are ready to support me anytime.
I sat for these exams in jan 2011 and re-sat these in jan 2012 with a lot of preparation and hard work but still ended up with the same grades and almost the same ums. I just want them to investigate this as I believe something must have gone wrong. I couldn’t get a copy of my scripts after the re-mark. Before the re-mark, I didn’t have the means to get copies of my scripts back and then get my scripts re-marked so I got them re-marked straight away.

(Original post by Data)
2. An appeal can only be about the current exam season's re-marks, there is absolutely no point dragging up old grievances from previous exam seasons.

I want to appeal against my EAR results for this jan 2012 session. But I want to point out to them what happened last time so I want them to make a more careful investigation this time investigating how the raw marks were converted into the ums scores and how the individual question marks were counted towards the total.

(Original post by Data)
3. An appeal can only deal with a single unit at a time.

Last time my appeal was against my bio unit 4 and unit 6 EAR results. But can an appeal deal with different cashed-in subjects at a time?

(Original post by Data)
4. Did you get a photocopy of all these papers before/after going for the re-mark? If not, what evidence do you have that the marking is wrong? (For instance the grade boundaries for Maths C3 (6665) were really high in January; lots of people didn't get the grade they expected after the exam.)

No, as I explained above, I didn’t get photocopies of my scripts – I didn’t have the means to get copies of scripts and then get them re-marked and after re-mark the deadline has passed. I noticed the high grade boundaries for math C3 but when I calculate my marks and compare them against the grade boundaries, what I actually got is still considerably lower – there’s more than 25 ums difference.

(Original post by Data)
5. The guidance on appeals says that you can't appeal just because you don't like the mark, you have to have evidence that the process was wrong. What evidence have you got?

I believe there has been a mistake like last time. Last time, during the review of marking, 2 of my question parts’ marks were not included in the review of marking and when I count all those marks (excluding the missed ones) and convert the raw marks into ums using the grade boundaries, there was a 4 mark difference. This time it’s much worse. I got almost the same marks as last time – I want them to investigate this.

[Data]

(Original post by M Kh)
Can you tell me some more about your Edexcel a2 physics appeal? What marks did you get? And how did you get it successful?

It was the Unit 6 coursework (domestic A levels have coursework for Units 3 and 6; international A levels don't). We were able to prove that we had acted upon the advice from the previous year's moderator, and that we had completed the coursework before Edexcel issued new guidance on it in February. It resulted in 10 students getting a better overall A level grade.

(Original post by M Kh)
I couldn’t get a copy of my scripts after the re-mark. Before the re-mark, I didn’t have the means to get copies of my scripts back and then get my scripts re-marked so I got them re-marked straight away.

Photocopies are available for a week after the results come out (I've just checked that does apply to international students) and Edexcel normally email them to you within 1-2 hours. That allows you to have a look at the marked paper and determine whether it is worth going for a re-mark. Equally, you can order a script back after the re-mark. If you haven't done either of these things then I am not sure how you are so certain that you deserve more marks or what grounds you have for appeal. Re-marks are always done by a senior examiner; he's agreed with the initial marker. How can you know they are both wrong, even if you've looked at the mark scheme in detail when all you have is your memory of what you think you did 3 months ago?

(Original post by M Kh)
Last time my appeal was against my bio unit 4 and unit 6 EAR results. But can an appeal deal with different cashed-in subjects at a time?

You have to have grounds for appeal. If you have grounds for more than 1 unit then you can appeal twice.

(Original post by M Kh)
I calculate my marks and compare them against the grade boundaries, what I actually got is still considerably lower – there’s more than 25 ums difference.

Even I you have reconstructed your answers as you believe you made them in January, have you got an experienced teacher to mark that paper rather than just mark it yourself? Students often say 'I deserved the marks for that' when they have been insufficiently precise or not used a suitably rigorous method and do not merit them.

I am sorry, but I cannot see that you have grounds for appeal.

[M Kh]

Congrats on your grade that has been changed.

28th April is the deadline for requesting copies of scripts. I will see if I can get copies of my scripts back to see what went wrong. But after that I won't be able to appeal since I only have two more days to do so.

Thanks for your suggestions and thanks to you too Azland.

[M Kh]

My decision atlast: I will take CIE A-Level Chemistry exams in oct/nov. I hate edexcel.

[Azland]

For what it's worth CIE is much more difficult. Think it through before going for it.

[cmoore094]

Edexcel are the worst exam board. My coursework was marked at an A, dropped to a C by the exam board, remarked at a C then I added more stuff in and it dropped to a D. They will not change their minds. Good luck with whatever you do

[M Kh]

(Original post by Azland)
For what it's worth CIE is much more difficult. Think it through before going for it.

I did 6 subjects of CIE IGCSE in 2 years - almost self-taught them all to myself because my school wasn't that good and they did not wish to complete the course within 3 years rather than 2.

I wanted to take CIE A-levels but my teachers said that they won't allow private candidates to take CIE A-level Science practical exams through the British Council, which at that time I didn't realise was false. I did a big mistake by choosing Edexcel. Yes, you are right, CIE is more difficult but I didn't feel this during IGCSEs at all - I was used to CIE only. And you know what? For CIE if you work hard, you will expect good results and get them, but for edexcel, no matter how hard you work, I don't know why I feel that the marking seems to be so inaccurate especially for the january exams. For CIE, work hard, get the grades. In my school, there were candidates who woked hard and expected and got good results. Those who didn't work hard, knew they wouldn't get good grades and so they didn't.

[M Kh]

(Original post by cmoore094)
Edexcel are the worst exam board. My coursework was marked at an A, dropped to a C by the exam board, remarked at a C then I added more stuff in and it dropped to a D. They will not change their minds. Good luck with whatever you do

Ohh that's sad. Yes, they won't. They have destroyed my academic life and now my father feels that it's me who is not that capable, but my mom knows how hard I worked.

Anyway, I am going to start studying for free at the best medical univeristy in my current country of residence in this Sept. They only need two A Levels and 6 IGCSEs. I have done very well in their aptitude tests (got 100%) and their mathematics test is much difficult than standard A-level Math. So Edexcel go to hell. I just wanted to pass A-levels with the best possible grades so here comes CIE A-Level Chemistry.

[Azland]

(Original post by M Kh)
I did 6 subjects of CIE IGCSE in 2 years - almost self-taught them all to myself because my school wasn't that good and they did not wish to complete the course within 3 years rather than 2.

I wanted to take CIE A-levels but my teachers said that they won't allow private candidates to take CIE A-level Science practical exams through the British Council, which at that time I didn't realise was false. I did a big mistake by choosing Edexcel. Yes, you are right, CIE is more difficult but I didn't feel this during IGCSEs at all - I was used to CIE only. And you know what? For CIE if you work hard, you will expect good results and get them, but for edexcel, no matter how hard you work, I don't know why I feel that the marking seems to be so inaccurate especially for the january exams. For CIE, work hard, get the grades. In my school, there were candidates who woked hard and expected and got good results. Those who didn't work hard, knew they wouldn't get good grades and so they didn't.

CIE IGCSE is a joke, no point comparing it to A Levels. But yes, maybe you will get the grades you think you deserve there. Hope it all works out, all the best.

[M Kh]

(Original post by Azland)
CIE IGCSE is a joke, no point comparing it to A Levels. But yes, maybe you will get the grades you think you deserve there. Hope it all works out, all the best.

You said CIE is difficult - I didn't know if you meant CIE A-Levels or CIE as a wole, as I usually hear around people saying that CIE IGCSEs are more difficult than the other exam boards IGCSEs and GCSEs. Also when I hear people saying that CIE is difficult, they say whether it be CIE IGCSEs or CIE A-Levels, they are more difficult than the other equivalent qualifications.

Atleast CIE doesn't make mistakes - no mistakes reported for CIE until now.
Anyways, thanks for the suggestions. Thanks a lot - Good Luck to you too, my friend.

By the way, what do you do?

[Azland]

(Original post by M Kh)
You said CIE is difficult - I didn't know if you meant CIE A-Levels or CIE as a wole, as I usually hear around people saying that CIE IGCSEs are more difficult than the other exam boards IGCSEs and GCSEs. Also when I hear people saying that CIE is difficult, they say whether it be CIE IGCSEs or CIE A-Levels, they are more difficult than the other equivalent qualifications.

Atleast CIE doesn't make mistakes - no mistakes reported for CIE until now.
Anyways, thanks for the suggestions. Thanks a lot - Good Luck to you too, my friend.

By the way, what do you do?

Well, I do CIE myself. Planning to do further math under Edexcel once all my CIE subjects are completed.

[M Kh]

(Original post by Azland)
Well, I do CIE myself. Planning to do further math under Edexcel once all my CIE subjects are completed.

Do you stay in England or take exams as an international candidate?

Good Luck!

[Azland]

(Original post by M Kh)
Do you stay in England or take exams as an international candidate?

Good Luck!

International candidate.