I am looking at my GCSE grades from 2017

For OCR B Gateway biology the b1, b2, b3 paper, I got 137 in the mark equivalent column, but the paper is out of 75?
How does that work?

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by 12115

For OCR B Gateway biology the b1, b2, b3 paper, I got 137 in the mark equivalent column, but the paper is out of 75?
How does that work?

Without seeing the document you're looking at (an exam certificate, results slip, a certified statement of results etc.) it's difficult to be sure, but I believe that this PDF on the OCR web site is the relevant specification. It is entitled "Gateway Science Suite | GCSE Biology B | Accredited Specification | J263 | Version 2 | May 2012". Does that seem right? Do you see J263 on the document you have?

If so, then the specification makes it clear that B1, B2 and B3 do indeed total 75 marks, but they only form 1 of the 3 units required for the exam. The other two units have 85 and 48 marks respectively.

OCR Gateway Science - GCSE Biology B - Assessment Overview.JPG

OCR Gateway Science - GCSE Biology B - Assessment Overview.JPG

You will note that 75 + 85 + 48 = 208, but the marks for each unit must be weighted as the screenshot says that the units are worth 35%, 40% and 25% or the overall GCSE. So the per-unit marks are clearly not simply being summed to reach your overall mark. It's also worth noting that the specification says that, "When unit results are issued, the candidate’s unit grade and uniform mark are given." Are you sure you're seeing a "mark equivalent" and not a "uniform mark"?

I will investigate further once we have confirmed that this is the correct specification - i.e. J263. Do you remember (or does the document say) whether you were doing the foundation or higher tier?