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Post result information

Okay, well every year when exam results hit there are countless threads which ask about re-sits, re-marks, declining grades and so forth. This thread is intended to provide all the info you need to know, in one place! Even though now it is slightly late to post this thread, hopefully it’ll be useful for next year’s lot.
*Note- the prices and dates stated are for guidance purposes only. Most, if not all, of the dates are earlier than the final deadlines, by a few days - better to be safe than sorry :smile:

This is because exam officers have a load of stuff to process and send off. Giving in your request(s) on the last day isn't exactly the best move to make!*

Edit: Also technology is moving forward at a fast pace (faster than I can update :p:

), which means centres are now able to do quite a few things online. So information provided in this thread is, again, for guidance purposes only. If you are unsure, the best person to ask is your exam officer :smile:

Results day
A-level results are always on Thursdays (including GCSE ones)
Jan 2006 session = 16th March
June 2006 session = 17th August
So the 2007 results days will be in the same week, the date will not be the same, but it will be on a Thursday!

Missing/incomplete results
For X, # or Q you must bring your results statement to your exam officer, if they are not valid in your case.
X = no result
# = absent for the exam
Q = unit(s) incomplete

Remarks
- Priority remark:
This is for students whose further education place depends on the re-mark outcome. You will need to provide your UCAS number otherwise the exam boards will deny the request. The deadline is 7 days after results day, or 7 days after receiving a photocopy of your script. A priority remark costs £50 per unit and the re-mark is usually completed in a week.

- Standard remark:
This is for all students, the deadline is 15th September and the cost is £40 per unit. My remark only took 2 weeks (this was with Edexcel).

Re-marks can cause the final mark to go up OR down, if the grade changes you will be given a refund. The purpose of a remark is if you got a much lower grade than expected, not for getting that extra one mark! There’s not much point of getting a re-mark for AS if you are out to get that one mark for the next grade (but there is point for A2), as it will contribute little to your overall A2 grade. One mark will be worth half a mark towards your A-level, effectively. You might as well re-sit and get high scoring unit grades which will help you out more as the A2 modules are harder. If you were close to the next grade teachers will take account of that (as well as re-sits) when predicting, so don’t worry. Remember, A2 predictions are one of the most important pieces of info in your University application.

I suppose there is a point of remarking to get the few marks for the next grade, but only for ‘show’ purposes (although this maybe deemed as cheating the system). I advise you only to do this under certain conditions. High grades- let’s say if you got AAB for AS, you were 2 marks away from getting an A. You are applying for university, and most importantly, you are not declining. You might as well remark, especially if it’s an essay orientated subject. Due to cashing-in, universities will see that you got AAA (if re-mark is successful), which looks much better. However, remember this is not doing any good in terms of contribution to the overall A2 award, but I suppose you could still re-sit… Remember, for AS, only do this if 1) You got high grades, 2) Not far from the boundary, and most importantly 3) You’re not declining. For A2 if you were close to the boundary I think it’s worth a re-mark, particularly if your university place depends upon it.
*Some may think that re-marking for the wrong reason is cheating, but what I’m doing is simply providing all the options so that you can evaluate for your self.

Clerical re-check
This checks that all pages have been marked and that all the marks have been added up properly. This costs £15 per unit and the deadline is 15th September. Personally I think this is nonsense, you might as well request a copy of your script for the same price, also it will prove useful.

Access of script
A photocopy of a script/unit paper(s) costs £15 and the deadline is 24th August. For original script the deadline is 20th September. You may want to do this before ordering a re-mark because some subjects have VERY picky mark schemes. You might have thought you had done well- your answers maybe 100% correct, but unless you’ve hit the correct aspects in the mark scheme, what you’ve written down may not be very meaningful. So acknowledge this before proceeding with a remark. Also this gives you the opportunity to find out where you went wrong, or what skill(s) you’re lacking etc.

Declining grades
Declining is free before the 15th September, or within 2 weeks after an EAR (enquiry about results) outcome. After that there is a £30-£45 charge per subject, although exam boards my request a written explanation for the decline.

*edit: new certification/declining rules are being introduced for the 2008 Jan exam session. Read the next post for details*

When you get your AS results you will have the option of declining the grades, although some schools do it automatically- i.e. they tend to get bad results. Declining a grade means that you are ‘rejecting’ the award (i.e. AS, A2), therefore you won’t get a certificate for it. Instead the results, which remain in the ‘bank’, will count towards your A2 award (out of 600 UMS marks for A-level). This procedure means that universities will not receive your results when applying after you get your AS’s. This is not a bad thing, in the way that universities will not discriminate against candidates who have declined and those who haven’t. If you got something like AAAA, then it’s a bad thing to decline because you want universities to see that you have achieved this. They will have more to go on rather than just A2 predictions. It is bad to decline some and not others as it gives the impression that you have something to hide. If you’ve declined, then on the UCAS online application you must put the ‘A-level’ grade as ‘pending’.

*The most important thing to remember is if you want to improve your A2 certification you MUST decline the A2 grade. This only applies with A2. It’s not like GCSE where you can re-sit after you get certificated (then get an updated certificate). If you do not decline you will have to re-sit all the A-level units again!

Re-sits
Your BEST mark will always be used. The ‘general’ cost of a re-sit is £20 per unit; although entering as a private candidate may cost more (you need to know your UCI number). The deadline for January re-sits is 30th September. After that it will cost £35 per unit until the end of November. After that it will be £50 per unit. Note that A-level exam sessions in November no longer exist.

Re-sitting is very useful, plus universities won’t know, unless you take more than 2 years to complete an A-level - that’s what top universities/med schools don’t like. If you’re aiming for A’s, you might as well re-sit the AS units where you got borderline A’s, or similar. AS’s are easier than A2’s and they are worth just as much, so why on earth not re-sit to make your life easier? I got 81/100 in C1 Maths. I re-sat and got 91/100, if hadn’t done this I would have missed out on my A in Maths (that’s how much of a jammy dodger I am!). Re-sits also force you to prepare for the synoptic unit, so that is useful in another way. I’ve heard that some schools force all students to re-sit, probably for the reason above.

Inter-exam board timetable
Perhaps you want to re-sit in January but you school doesn’t allow it - enter as a private candidate (Edexcel guide).

Exact fees for post-result services can be found on AQA's website. Although it is for AQA, the prices across the examboard are likely to be more or less the same.

----

P.s. If anyone would like to post any useful stuff, I’ll put a link on this post to the relevant post in this thread. Yes, I am a bit bored! :p:

M-M

Reply 20

Mustard-man

OP

18

Sorry, I either deleted it or didn't receive it. A copy should be in your outbox (if you did send it) so just forward that to me :smile:

Reply 21

Clefeen

Thanks! PMed you! :biggrin:

Reply 22

JaxT

8

Sorry...having a 'thick' day today :lolz:

Please can you clarify the re-sit and re-mark situation?
I got AAABB for AS. One of the Bs was for Biology where I was only a couple of marks off an A (damned physiology module!! :confused:

). My UCAS application has to be done by October 15th as I'm applying to Oxford. So are the following statements correct or am I being a complete numbskull?

•

I can ask for a re-mark to see if I can squeak the A, however, I can only put my AS grades on my UCAS form if the school does not decline my results. Therefore, if the school declines them I have to put 'pending' on the form so a re-mark would be pointless.

•

I can re-sit the physiology module in Jan to improve my AS mark and hopefully increase the chances of getting an A at A2, although this will make no difference to my application.

Reply 23

Mustard-man

OP

18

JaxT

Sorry...having a 'thick' day today :lolz:

Please can you clarify the re-sit and re-mark situation?
I got AAABB for AS. One of the Bs was for Biology where I was only a couple of marks off an A (damned physiology module!! :confused:

). My UCAS application has to be done by October 15th as I'm applying to Oxford. So are the following statements correct or am I being a complete numbskull?

JaxT

•

I can ask for a re-mark to see if I can squeak the A, however, I can only put my AS grades on my UCAS form if the school does not decline my results. Therefore, if the school declines them I have to put 'pending' on the form so a re-mark would be pointless.

Correct. If you want to put the AS grade down, either improved or B, your school mustn't decline it.

JaxT

•

I can re-sit the physiology module in Jan to improve my AS mark and hopefully increase the chances of getting an A at A2, although this will make no difference to my application.

You can only improve your AS grade if you decline the AS grade. If you don't decline, you'll get a certificate in Nov (usually school holds them and issues with A2 ones). Therefore if you want to improve the AS without sitting all three units again, you'll have to decline. But since you're taking the subject onto A2, you don't need to improve your AS award (i.e. don't decline). Any resits (if marks are better) will go towards the A2 award, which is the important thing. Hope this helps.

Reply 24

JaxT

8

Thanks.....a big help! :biggrin:

Reply 25

Nabster_88

Mustard,

I'll have to decline my A2's to resit them won't I??? Also on the ucas form the universities won't be able to see my grades, they will get suspicious won't they?? To combat that can my referee mention my grades in my reference? Is there a chance that a Uni, which i met their offer for this year might reject me after I "snubbed" them to apply again next yr??? And if i do decline my grades and resit would it matter to the uni I met my offer for before whether I resit again as I already have the grades fdor their course.

Sorry lots of q's

Thanks again!!!

Reply 26

Mustard-man

OP

18

Nabster_88

I'll have to decline my A2's to resit them won't I???

Yes. Unless you want to sit all 6 units again.

Nabster_88

Also on the ucas form the universities won't be able to see my grades, they will get suspicious won't they??

Most applicants apply with A2 predictions anyway...

Nabster_88

To combat that can my referee mention my grades in my reference?

That would be fine.

Nabster_88

Is there a chance that a Uni, which i met their offer for this year might reject me after I "snubbed" them to apply again next yr??? And if i do decline my grades and resit would it matter to the uni I met my offer for before whether I resit again as I already have the grades fdor their course.

Not quite sure about this. May also depend on the uni? Might be worth phoning them up. I very much doubt they'd reject you straight up just because you didn't accept their place. I think they'd consider your application from scratch (they probably won't remember you unless they specifically checked).

Reply 27

Quicky

Mustard-man

But since you're taking the subject onto A2, you don't need to improve your AS award (i.e. don't decline). Any resits (if marks are better) will go towards the A2 award, which is the important thing. Hope this helps.

So whats the point of declining to resit your AS exams? Okay, you can improve your overall AS grade if u decline it, right? but I dont need to decline my grade in order to resit a particular module. And since A2 is the most important thing any exam that I resit (with or without declining my grades) will be added onto my total UMS marks right? (the marks which are out of 600)

so basically: declining AS grades = gives u an opportunity to improve your current AS "grade". but you can still resit it anyway (and if u do better in the resit) it will be added on to your final A2 grade which is the more important thing. Is this correct?

Reply 28

Mustard-man

OP

18

Quicky

So whats the point of declining to resit your AS exams? Okay, you can improve your overall AS grade if u decline it, right? but I dont need to decline my grade in order to resit a particular module. And since A2 is the most important thing any exam that I resit (with or without declining my grades) will be added onto my total UMS marks right? (the marks which are out of 600)

so basically: declining AS grades = gives u an opportunity to improve your current AS "grade". but you can still resit it anyway (and if u do better in the resit) it will be added on to your final A2 grade which is the more important thing. Is this correct?

Not everyone takes all their ASs onto A2 (it is common for people to drop a subject at A2). For those who don't want to take a subject onto A2, some of them may want to improve their AS grade. Or in some cases universities want a specific grade in AS (like Warwick). So because of this, they would have to decline the AS to improve it.

Like I've said, you only really need to decline the AS grade if you want to improve it but are not taking that subject onto A2.

Reply 29

Quicky

Alright kewl. but I take it I was correct with this statement "declining AS grades = gives u an opportunity to improve your current AS "grade". but you can still resit it anyway (and if u do better in the resit) it will be added on to your final A2 grade which is the more important thing."?

Reply 30

Mustard-man

OP

18

Quicky

Alright kewl. but I take it I was correct with this statement "declining AS grades = gives u an opportunity to improve your current AS "grade". but you can still resit it anyway (and if u do better in the resit) it will be added on to your final A2 grade which is the more important thing."?

Yup, that's correct :smile:

Reply 31

Adam.Hughes

Say I wanted to get a photocopy of my script, can I just purchase mine? I thought colleges had to purchase so many or the whole lot? or is that just a lie by them because they can't be bothered?

Reply 32

Mustard-man

OP

18

Adam.Hughes

Say I wanted to get a photocopy of my script, can I just purchase mine? I thought colleges had to purchase so many or the whole lot? or is that just a lie by them because they can't be bothered?

Yes, it is very possible to order just YOUR script/photocopy back. Your college is talking fibs. However, if you want this done, it has to be through your college, so talk to the exam officer.

Reply 33

Adam.Hughes

Thanks - is there anywhere you can link me to somewhere on AQA that proves this? (Just so that when I speak to my exam officer if she decides to try and screw me over again I can say "NO OLD WOMAN, LOOKIE HERE...!" sorta thing)

Reply 34

Mustard-man

OP

18

Adam.Hughes

Thanks - is there anywhere you can link me to somewhere on AQA that proves this? (Just so that when I speak to my exam officer if she decides to try and screw me over again I can say "NO OLD WOMAN, LOOKIE HERE...!" sorta thing)

You should really try looking for yourself first, it's not hard to find.

http://aqa.org.uk/admin/library/EAR-02.PDF

'If the centre cohort consists of five or fewer candidates, the re-moderation fee will be half the normal rate.' If that's enough...