The Student Room Group

Is exam marking fair? Have your say

Had bad experiences of marking? Losing faith in the system? Seen marks drastically change on remark? Or has the system always worked well for you?

And anyway, is it actually possible to have a 100% accurate marking system for every subject?

Here’s a chance to ask the questions you want to the people who matter.

TSR has been invited to a seminar about the accuracy of GCSE and A-level marking on Monday 14th November.

And we want to ask your questions, represent your views and reflect your opinions.

So post them in this thread and we’ll report back after the 14th.

Ofqual are running the day. Here’s what it involves:

Spoiler

Scroll to see replies

Original post by The Learn Ranger
Had bad experiences of marking? Losing faith in the system? Seen marks drastically change on remark? Or has the system always worked well for you?

And anyway, is it actually possible to have a 100% accurate marking system for every subject?

Here’s a chance to ask the questions you want to the people who matter.

TSR has been invited to a seminar about the accuracy of GCSE and A-level marking on Monday 14th November.

And we want to ask your questions, represent your views and reflect your opinions.

So post them in this thread and we’ll report back after the 14th.

Ofqual are running the day. Here’s what it involves:

Spoiler




I think that if someone is 5 or less marks off a higher grade, for example 5 marks off a C, they should get a C, and not a D.
When I got my GCSE results, the vast majority had been 5- marks off C,B,A and A* (not at the same time, but you know what I mean).
Original post by Mvine001
I think that if someone is 5 or less marks off a higher grade, for example 5 marks off a C, they should get a C, and not a D.
When I got my GCSE results, the vast majority had been 5- marks off C,B,A and A* (not at the same time, but you know what I mean).


Yes I think that should happen too.
Original post by sunshine774
Yes I think that should happen too.


For my English, I was 5 marks off a C.
It took 10 of my friends to cheer me up. I was in such a state.
Original post by Mvine001
For my English, I was 5 marks off a C.
It took 10 of my friends to cheer me up. I was in such a state.


Oh I feel so sorry for you!:frown:
Original post by sunshine774
Oh I feel so sorry for you!:frown:


I resat and got the C.
I am now in a school I absolutley love.
Original post by Mvine001
I resat and got the C.
I am now in a school I absolutley love.


Oh are you in college/sixth form now doing a levels?:smile:
Original post by sunshine774
Oh are you in college/sixth form now doing a levels?:smile:


Sixth form
Original post by Mvine001
Sixth form


Nice, what subjects are you doing?x:smile:
Reply 9
In 2014, I had my AQA Further Maths MFP2 remarked after needing only 1UMS more in that paper to get an A* overall. After recalling my script, I found a one mark question completely unmarked that I had got right which was all I needed.

My mark went up 2UMS (1 raw) as expected and I got the A*.

I think it's totally unacceptable how errors like these can be made when our grades, universities and therefore our lives depend on the competence of the markers...
Original post by The Learn Ranger
Had bad experiences of marking? Losing faith in the system? Seen marks drastically change on remark? Or has the system always worked well for you?

And anyway, is it actually possible to have a 100% accurate marking system for every subject?

Here’s a chance to ask the questions you want to the people who matter.

TSR has been invited to a seminar about the accuracy of GCSE and A-level marking on Monday 14th November.

And we want to ask your questions, represent your views and reflect your opinions.

So post them in this thread and we’ll report back after the 14th.

Ofqual are running the day. Here’s what it involves:

Spoiler




I've seen a lot of comments around the new process for remarks that is supposed to result in fewer successful changes. despite reading lots about it I have to confess I don't feel I understand it. I don't think I'm stupid but can they explain again the rationale and operation of the new process.

Compared to how many papers are sat each year, how many remarks are requested each year? Does it vary by subject? What proportion are successful and lead to change of grade? Does this vary by subject?
What proportion of successful remarks are small changes for people close to the next boundary compared to dramatic changes due to a serious marking problem?

How is the price of a remark decided, why is it different for different examiners and why is the refund process different for different examiners?

How do really bad marking errors get through the training, checking and review processes? What really happens to a marker who gets things badly wrong?

What would be the cost of having every paper marked independently twice compared to the current system?

I see a lot of usually wrong or overly simplified explanations of how grade boundaries are set to maintain standards over time. Can they explain how it's really done?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by sunshine774
Nice, what subjects are you doing?x:smile:


Maths
Computing
IT
Original post by The Learn Ranger
Had bad experiences of marking? Losing faith in the system? Seen marks drastically change on remark? Or has the system always worked well for you?

And anyway, is it actually possible to have a 100% accurate marking system for every subject?

Here’s a chance to ask the questions you want to the people who matter.

TSR has been invited to a seminar about the accuracy of GCSE and A-level marking on Monday 14th November.

And we want to ask your questions, represent your views and reflect your opinions.

So post them in this thread and we’ll report back after the 14th.

Ofqual are running the day. Here’s what it involves:

Spoiler




As a student who has finished A levels and had 2 papers remarked for AQA chemistry, BOTH of which increased in raw marks, resulting in changes to module grades and an overall award grade from a B to an A, I can say that I'm highly dissatisfied with the accuracy of marking.
Having achieved A*AB on results day, I didn't get the A I needed to take a gap year and apply to study medicine, so I accepted my offer to study biological sciences. However after noticing I was only a couple of UMS off an A in chemistry, I submitted for remarks for 2 of my modules. This meant I was prepared to go to university until early September when I received the results of my remarks. This meant I abandoned all my university plans to take a gap year and apply for the course I am desperate to study.
If marking had been accurate originally, I would have been awarded A*AA on results day, and I would have been able to prepare for a gap year and my application for 2017 entry at a much earlier date and I wouldn't have lost my £250 accommodation deposit!
I would be somewhat more sympathetic to the markers at AQA if the subject had been essay based, where answers can be viewed in an arguably more subjective manner such as English or History, however in Chemistry the majority of answers are either correct or incorrect.
You may think this is an overreaction, but this is people's hopes and dreams you are affecting by sloppy marking. What if my parents hadn't had the disposable income to pay £100+ for these remarks? I achieved an A, but I never would have known and this would have affected not only my degree, but the rest of my life.
What are you going to do to rectify this clearly significant issue in the future?
Original post by Mvine001
Maths
Computing
IT

Oh ok, best of luck with your a levels!x:h:
I think if someone is few marks of their C grade then they should get it. For example, if it's like 5 marks.
I was 2 marks off a B in my AS Politics and Government paper. We sent it for a remark, and it came back with exactly the same marks. It did seem unfair to me, because it wasn't like I was 5 marks off a B, but I was 2 marks and it would have only taken finding one mark in each paper for my grade to go up to a B.

I know remarks have now changed, but I don't understand how it will work for essay subjects like Politics or English where you have to present an argument and interpretation, and one examiner can disagree with the interpretation or argument whilst another can agree or accept it. As much as they say you have to be able to back it up, I had a teacher last year tell me an interpretation of mine (with evidence from the text!) was wrong and not supported in the text, despite the interpretation I used being one that another teacher had told me to add in as they felt it was a very strong interpretation and the text evidence strongly supported it.
Similarly, how will you prove a marking error in an opinion/interpretation/argument based subject? I can understand it's much easier in subjects where there is a simple right or wrong answer, but not in subjects where there isn't necessarily right or wrong, how would you prove that an error has been made in the marking? I don't understand it really, tbh.
Reply 16
The whole A-level system is just rubbish. The cirruculum is fine but the overall submission, marking and application process is extremely inconvenient.
Lots of students lose their grades because of markers' mistakes. Some are even to an extreme point where my classmate lost 4 marks in a physics paper despite writing the method marks correctly, thus he acheived a B. Incase you have any inquiry about your results, you're forced to pay $100+ and face the consequenes becuase re-marks aren't done overnight.
The results are out on August 18, when the majority of the world is already done with their university admission documents but the a-level students have to rely on the wicked system of 'predicted grades' which makes the application process much more difficult.
I was 1UMS point off an A* in my music GCSE. I thought, well we'll see what happens and I'll send the paper off for a remark. Just to see if I could get the overall A* because my coursework were both A*s and if I had gotten an A* in the modules where your musical capabilities were actually being examined why shouldn't I get the A* overall?

In the end the mark didn't go up or down, and although I'm proud of an A, it annoys me that whilst I got an A* in the two areas which actually dealt with music but an A overall due to a paper which didn't test music at all.

Idk, music is a niche subject on this forum so not many people would get my struggle. :frown:
Original post by Mvine001
I think that if someone is 5 or less marks off a higher grade, for example 5 marks off a C, they should get a C, and not a D.


That defeats the entire point of grade boundaries. You'd then be "5 marks off being 5 marks off" etc.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by RuairiMorrissey
That defeats the entire point of grade boundaries. You'd then be "5 marks off being 5 marks off" etc.


Aren't you ever bothered by grades?

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