The Student Room Group

Should I go for clerical check/marking review?

Hi!
I just got back my higher results and I got AAABB. The two Bs are in biology and physics and I am considering using the SQA's results services to get the marks checked. I was a bit disappointed with the Bs as I got 8 As last year and I thought I had done quite well in both bio and physics.
Technically, I don't need to have anything higher than AAABB because I am going to apply for English Literature/Theatre Studies/Classical Civilisation at the University of Glasgow and the standard entry requirements are AAABB but I think from a pride perspective I would like to get my grades up as far as possible.
(I'm probably going to wait until I hear if they were band 3 or 4s before I get the remark done if I go for it.)
Any advice would be appreciated,
Thanks!!
Original post by ErmLaird
Hi!
I just got back my higher results and I got AAABB. The two Bs are in biology and physics and I am considering using the SQA's results services to get the marks checked. I was a bit disappointed with the Bs as I got 8 As last year and I thought I had done quite well in both bio and physics.
Technically, I don't need to have anything higher than AAABB because I am going to apply for English Literature/Theatre Studies/Classical Civilisation at the University of Glasgow and the standard entry requirements are AAABB but I think from a pride perspective I would like to get my grades up as far as possible.
(I'm probably going to wait until I hear if they were band 3 or 4s before I get the remark done if I go for it.)
Any advice would be appreciated,
Thanks!!


Well, as I've just had to go through the process of trying to get a Clerical Check/Remark, let me help you with what I've learned:

Obviously, the Post Results Service is different from the old Appeals system, in that there is no evidence to be submitted on your part that can help to improve your grade. HOWEVER, as I discovered, your teachers will have been keeping a record of your progress throughout the year with stuff like Prelims and any other class assessments, and will have formed a final prediction accordingly. If their prediction is lower than or equal to the grade you received, then you are unlikely to get an Appeal, as you've performed better than or as well as you were expected to. If however you've fallen below your prediction, then you've got grounds to Appeal on.

Next up, it's a case of looking at how far away from the grade you were. Your teachers will have your component marks, so they'll be able to tell you exactly how far away from the grade boundaries you were. Anything more than 4 marks off, and they're not likely to bother, as they'll be charged for every Check/Remark that fails to elicit a change in grade.

If however, you've both missed your prediction AND you've only missed the boundary by a mark or two, then you might be in with a shout. The whole thing is still at the discretion of your schools SQA Co-ordinator (probably one of the deputy heads) and your subjects Principle Teacher. They'll then decide if they want a Clerical Check or a Remark (Not sure if it's possible to have both, but it might well be)

As someone whose Appeal is also solely for pride this year (Already been told to sod off by my Conditional Uni, but I worked too damn hard to miss out on a B in AH Chem by 1 sodding mark!), I'm not going to condemn you for doing this for the sake of pride, but be aware that your school may not share your opinion that it's worth the risk. It's also worth noting that a clerical check or remark can also send your grades DOWN if they find error, so bear that in mind.

Anyhow, I hope I've helped a bit! Huge congratulations on your excellent results, and all the best with getting into Uni later down the line!
Original post by ErmLaird
Hi!
I just got back my higher results and I got AAABB. The two Bs are in biology and physics and I am considering using the SQA's results services to get the marks checked. I was a bit disappointed with the Bs as I got 8 As last year and I thought I had done quite well in both bio and physics.
Technically, I don't need to have anything higher than AAABB because I am going to apply for English Literature/Theatre Studies/Classical Civilisation at the University of Glasgow and the standard entry requirements are AAABB but I think from a pride perspective I would like to get my grades up as far as possible.
(I'm probably going to wait until I hear if they were band 3 or 4s before I get the remark done if I go for it.)
Any advice would be appreciated,
Thanks!!


Hi, I got the exact same results as you! I got my B's in geography and chemistry. For geography I was predicted an A as I always did well throughout the year so I'm definitely going for a marking review when I get back to school. Although, I'll have to check how many marks off an A I was.
If i were you, I'd go for a marking review as that includes a clerical check as well. But, remember that physics and biology are science subjects so if you're more than 3 marks off it might be a waste as typically, science subjects and maths only have one right answer. Whereas, social studies, languages etc are essay type subjects so there's more than one right answer and more ways of expressing an answer. So even if you're say 5 marks off there's still a chance you could move up a grade. Does that make sense lol?
Hope that helps and congrats on your results!

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