What to Do if Your Child Doesn’t Get the Exam Results They Need

When is exam results day in 2023?

AS level, A level and T Level exam results day will be on Thursday 17 August 2023.

GCSE examination results day will be on Thursday 24 August 2023.

Students will receive results for level 3 VTQs on or before 17 August and will receive results for level 2 VTQs on or before 24 August 2023.

It is normally the case that students will collect their grades from colleges and schools, first thing in the morning, although it is wise for students to check with their schools and teachers in advance.

Thankfully, we will not see the debacle of 2020, when exams were cancelled and the marking of A-levels caused an uproar because of the use of an algorithm applied by Ofqual. Something like 40% of A-level results were downgraded from teacher predictions which, following the uproar, were reviewed and the use of the algorithm was binned in 2021.

Is Covid-19 impacting on the exams?

Formal assessments and exams, in England, including GCSE, AS-level, A-level and T level went ahead as normal, this summer. However, it is recognised that students taking their exams this year are likely to have been affected by the disruption caused by Covid 19, notwithstanding students taking exams in the summer of 2023 did not suffer from school closures in their 2 year period of studying.

Students taking GCSEs in combined science, physics and maths have continued to be supported. There is also protection for those pupils and students who take GCSEs, AS-level’s and A-levels, when it comes to grading their results. Although the grading this year is returning to a pre-pandemic approach, there will also be allowance for the disruption, with the intention that overall the examination results should be similar to those in 2019.

It is important to note that it is anticipated that the results this August will be lower than in 2022.

What happens if you miss your required A-level or GCSE results?

Even if you miss the required grades for your chosen course of study, you may still be accepted. It is important to check with your first choice university, college or sixth form, before taking further action.

If you do not receive the place you were hoping for due to missing out on your predicted grades, then it may be possible to have your exam results reassessed to see if a mistake has been made.

How to challenge A-level or GCSE exam results

There are various processes available to challenge A-Level or GCSE results.

These can involve, for example, the following:

• requesting that your exam is re-marked;
• applying for Special Considerations;
• challenging any potential malpractice or maladministration. The process for getting A-level and GCSE exam grades reassessed is called a Review of Results (RoR). This doesn’t involve your exam being remarked from scratch, but rather your exam board checking the way your exam was originally graded.

For many students, these results determine the next step of their academic journey and therefore it is important to take action quickly, as there are short timescales to appeal examination grades.

If you would like our assistance to challenge the grades you have been given, contact the Education law team on educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk or call 0330 175 7620.

Is it worth challenging GCSE and A-level exam results?

In the 2020-2021 academic year, there were 17,610 grades which were challenged by students. Overall, 6200 grades were changed following appeal.

The most common basis for an appeal, for GCSE, AS-level and A-level was “Unreasonable exercise of academic judgement: determination of grade.”

In the 2021-2022 academic year, there were 2460 grades challenged by students, representing a decrease from 2018-2019 where 3205 grades were challenged by students. Of the 2460 grades challenged in the 2021-2022 academic year, 610 were changed as a result of an appeal.

The most common basis for an appeal, in 2021-2022, was “review of marking-marking error”.

How long does it take to get A-level grades remarked?

UCAS asks universities to make decisions about university places by 31 August, so if you want to get your grades reassessed, then you ideally need to have it done before this date.

To speed up the remarking process, you can ask for a priority review of marking. However, this takes up to 15 days, so there is no guarantee it will be completed in time for the 31 August deadline.

If you miss this deadline, then universities can still consider reassessed grades received after this deadline on a case-by-case basis, but it is possible your chosen course might be full by this point. In this case, you may be able to receive deferred entry for the next academic year.

When are the GCSE re-sits?

The resits for English and Maths takes place in November 2023. The resits for other examinations takes place during the 2024 examination season.

Consult our specialist expert Education law solicitors

At IBB Law, we are passionate about making sure students get the best outcomes from their education. If you are concerned about your child not getting the examination results that they need for their chosen course of further study, we will be happy to advise you.

IBB Law specialist education solicitors, who work full time in the field of education law, have an excellent track record of helping families and young people navigate even the most challenging education law issues. You can be confident that you and your family are in safe hands. On a daily basis we act for children and young adults who face difficulties with their studies at school and university.

In addition to being able to help pupils and students challenge their GCSE and A-level grades, we have helped many students successfully challenge decisions by universities in relation to academic performance. These include challenges in respect of degree classification, coursework, attendance, allegations of plagiarism and appealing grades.

To book your initial consultation or to find out more about how we can help, please contact the Education team on educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk or call 0330 175 7620.