Edexcel A-level Remark - Chances?

Read our 2017 guide to reviews and remarks here.

So it happened. All year I've been predicted at least an A in Music and my teachers said I've got chances to get an A*. Had a good A in AS.
Got a B in a-level, need 4 UMS marks for an A.

My performance scored 88/90 which is very good (marked by the college), but I have a distinction in grade 8 so I was super confident about that part.

My composition and technical study got... a C.
Even though two teachers checked my composition before I had to submit it and said it was very good and I should get at least an A or even an A*.
And I've done about 100 technical exercises this year and NEVER had a C, 95% of time it was a very good A with 0-2 minor errors. I've got grade 8 in music theory and my A-level result doesn't make sense since I did grade 8 only 4 days before that without any preparation (as I had 7 exams that week!) and grade 8 theory is much harder than any of the a-level stuff...

And finally I got a C for my written paper.
Wrote hundreds of essays this year... Ended up getting full marks for most of them before the exam.

Had an A for a mock without any revision. And before the exam I spent a whole day learning given that I knew the stuff before. My teachers are very very good so I don't have any doubt that I was taught properly, I will always be thankful to these amazing people...

So...
Applied to get a priority script for the written paper and a priority remark for the Composition and Technical studies.
And now I'm absolutely terrified not to get that A or even to lose marks...

How long will the priority remark take? And what do you think my chances are? :frown:

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 1

Compost

19

Original post by LaMusica

How long will the priority remark take? And what do you think my chances are? :frown:

Edexcel priority re-marks normally take 2 days or less - we had some Economics non-priority re-marks back in under 3 hours this morning.

Reply 2

ArtisticFlair

11

I've just sent my History paper back for remarking - like you, I'd achieved A/A* in all my mocks throughout the year, only to receive 65% in the exam! Doesn't really add up to be honest, because I was quite confident coming out of the exam hall.

I've been told that priority remarks take a maximum of 18 days (to get the papers back before the UCAS deadline of 31st August), can take as little as 2 days, but my teacher estimated that my remark would be back by Wednesday. I submitted it this morning.

Reply 3

Changing Skies

22

Original post by ArtisticFlair

I've just sent my History paper back for remarking - like you, I'd achieved A/A* in all my mocks throughout the year, only to receive 65% in the exam! Doesn't really add up to be honest, because I was quite confident coming out of the exam hall.

I've been told that priority remarks take a maximum of 18 days (to get the papers back before the UCAS deadline of 31st August), can take as little as 2 days, but my teacher estimated that my remark would be back by Wednesday. I submitted it this morning.

The exact same thing happened to me in history :sad:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 4

ArtisticFlair

11

Original post by Changing Skies

The exact same thing happened to me in history :sad:

Posted from TSR Mobile

What happened?

It will REALLY annoy me if it comes back considerably higher - do they not understand how to mark an essay?!

Reply 5

username1513873

OP

5

Original post by ArtisticFlair

What happened?

It will REALLY annoy me if it comes back considerably higher - do they not understand how to mark an essay?!

Same here. My written music exam was 90% essay based. I don't believe after all these essays I got As for I got C in the exam! Had small issues with Edexcel before to be fair.

Was your History A-level Edexcel as well??

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 6

username1513873

OP

5

Original post by Compost

Edexcel priority re-marks normally take 2 days or less - we had some Economics non-priority re-marks back in under 3 hours this morning.

Thank you! I really hope to get it some time next week...
I also hope to get the priority script for my written exam soon and apply for a priority remark for that one as well if my teacher thinks I should. All I can say I'm lucky to have two part-time jobs and if required my mum and my bf supporting me... £64 altogether for the script and the priority remark. And will be more I'm afraid ><

Reply 7

Changing Skies

22

Original post by ArtisticFlair

What happened?

It will REALLY annoy me if it comes back considerably higher - do they not understand how to mark an essay?!

Been achieving A*s all year round, coursework went in on full marks. I somehow got 42/70 in my exam and my coursework dropped 4 marks to give me 69/80 UMS. Ended up with a B and I'm genuinely gutted. I didn't come out of the exam massively confident but I didn't expect such a low mark. Maybe I misinterpreted a question or something :redface:

Well I hope it works out for you! I know :lol:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 8

fran245

Hey guys,

I took AS Biology with Edexcel and after being shocked with an E yesterday (after working towards a minimum of a C) I asked for my exam scripts back. After looking at them today, I think I've been wronged...

One of my teachers has said that my handwriting in exams might become a problem for examiners but I've never had this problem throughout GCSEs etc... and have never been offered the use of a scribe/computer. There are lots of examples in both papers where I have answered 6+ mark questions and got 0... I can't see where I've got NO MARKS and I think the examiner just couldn't be bothered to try to read my handwriting.

I'm so upset! If I get a remark, will another examiner actually read and mark my answers rather than skipping over them and marking them as 0??????

Reply 9

username1513873

OP

5

Original post by fran245

Hey guys,

I took AS Biology with Edexcel and after being shocked with an E yesterday (after working towards a minimum of a C) I asked for my exam scripts back. After looking at them today, I think I've been wronged...

One of my teachers has said that my handwriting in exams might become a problem for examiners but I've never had this problem throughout GCSEs etc... and have never been offered the use of a scribe/computer. There are lots of examples in both papers where I have answered 6+ mark questions and got 0... I can't see where I've got NO MARKS and I think the examiner just couldn't be bothered to try to read my handwriting.

I'm so upset! If I get a remark, will another examiner actually read and mark my answers rather than skipping over them and marking them as 0??????

Did you show the script to your teacher? I've got a terrible (apparently) handwriting as well, but never had any significant problems with exam boards, similar to you. Before applying for a remark I would get the script checked by one of your teachers if possible, but don't miss the deadlines.

Reply 10

Compost

19

Original post by LaMusica

Thank you! I really hope to get it some time next week...
I also hope to get the priority script for my written exam soon and apply for a priority remark for that one as well if my teacher thinks I should.

If you've gone for the priority script you can't then order a priority re-mark but Edexcel turn the normal re-marks round so quickly that it won't make much difference anyway.

Reply 11

RainReader

2

Original post by Changing Skies

Been achieving A*s all year round, coursework went in on full marks. I somehow got 42/70 in my exam and my coursework dropped 4 marks to give me 69/80 UMS. Ended up with a B and I'm genuinely gutted. I didn't come out of the exam massively confident but I didn't expect such a low mark. Maybe I misinterpreted a question or something :redface:

Well I hope it works out for you! I know :lol:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Hiya, I completely empathise with your situation! I ended up being two UMS away from an A yesterday after getting A's in my mocks all year. I didn't need an A for my offer luckily but I was still disappointed. I'm getting my script back to decide if it's worth a remark or if I just didn't write a good enough essay and habitually fell at the last hurdle. I hope it works out for you if you are going for a remark and the same to everyone else in the thread. :smile:

(Also was it just me or were the coursework grade boundaries really odd? Should probably add my maths is not the best anyway :redface:

)

Reply 12

ArtisticFlair

11

Original post by Changing Skies

Been achieving A*s all year round, coursework went in on full marks. I somehow got 42/70 in my exam and my coursework dropped 4 marks to give me 69/80 UMS. Ended up with a B and I'm genuinely gutted. I didn't come out of the exam massively confident but I didn't expect such a low mark. Maybe I misinterpreted a question or something :redface:

Well I hope it works out for you! I know :lol:

Posted from TSR Mobile

I got 77/120 in the exam and 72/80 in the coursework.

I do wonder about the handwriting that others have brought up - but I didn't have this problem at GCSE or AS with Edexcel?

Hopefully I'll get the remark result sometime next week!

Reply 13

koeytin

Original post by LaMusica

So it happened. All year I've been predicted at least an A in Music and my teachers said I've got chances to get an A*. Had a good A in AS.
Got a B in a-level, need 4 UMS marks for an A.

My performance scored 88/90 which is very good (marked by the college), but I have a distinction in grade 8 so I was super confident about that part.

My composition and technical study got... a C.
Even though two teachers checked my composition before I had to submit it and said it was very good and I should get at least an A or even an A*.
And I've done about 100 technical exercises this year and NEVER had a C, 95% of time it was a very good A with 0-2 minor errors. I've got grade 8 in music theory and my A-level result doesn't make sense since I did grade 8 only 4 days before that without any preparation (as I had 7 exams that week!) and grade 8 theory is much harder than any of the a-level stuff...

And finally I got a C for my written paper.
Wrote hundreds of essays this year... Ended up getting full marks for most of them before the exam.

Had an A for a mock without any revision. And before the exam I spent a whole day learning given that I knew the stuff before. My teachers are very very good so I don't have any doubt I wasn't taught properly, I will always be thankful to these amazing people...

So...
Applied to get a priority script for the written paper and a priority remark for the Composition and Technical studies.
And now I'm absolutely terrified not to get that A or even to lose marks...

How long will the priority remark take? And what do you think my chances are? :frown:

Same happened to me but in AS but I am the only one who does music in my year so I don't know if it's just me! I got a D in my composition which brought me down to a B overall (I know a B is not bad but I don't understand what went wrong with it) My teachers also felt I deserved more marks for that component!! I'm getting it remarked for sure.

Reply 14

username1513873

OP

5

Original post by koeytin

Same happened to me but in AS but I am the only one who does music in my year so I don't know if it's just me! I got a D in my composition which brought me down to a B overall (I know a B is not bad but I don't understand what went wrong with it) My teachers also felt I deserved more marks for that component!! I'm getting it remarked for sure.