Marking reviews, appeals, grade boundaries and Code of Practice

This consultation is about three distinct but inter-related proposals:

1. To improve the way concerns about a candidate’s GCSE, AS or A level marks are considered by exam boards. Our proposals apply to new GCSEs, AS and A levels and to legacy GCSEs, AS and A levels while these continue to be available.

2. To withdraw the GCSE, GCE, Principal Learning and Project Code of Practice (the Code) which contains the rules exam boards must follow when they deliver and award legacy GCSEs, AS and A levels and Principal Learning and Project qualifications. The Code includes the current rules on reviewing marks and appeals.

3. To introduce new procedural rules on how exam boards set grade boundaries for GCSEs, AS and A levels. The current rules for the legacy qualifications are in the Code. The proposals are about the procedures of grade boundary setting only, not about the substantive decisions as to where they are set.

Our proposals would:

• change the way exam boards review their marking and moderation of GCSE, AS and A level assessments, including so they correct mistakes but do not change legitimate marks

• extend the grounds on which centres3, (and in some cases candidates), following a review, can appeal against marking and moderation decisions for GCSEs, AS and A levels, so appeals can be about unreasonable marks/decisions as well as procedures

• remove duplication in our rules and remove some rules we consider to be unnecessary, whilst making sure exam boards take a common approach to setting grade boundaries for GCSEs, AS and A levels

The supporting research for this document is available in our published research paper, “Alternative marking review processes for exams”

We have produced an infographic comparing the current system to the one proposed in this consultation.