In the Realms of Re-marking

For anyone who has ever sat an exam, the knowledge that your work can be re-marked, with the possibility of the grade increasing, is for many, too tempting to turn down.

Although this is a credible and essential system to have in place, allowing students a second chance to achieve the grade that they deserve for work that can be highly subjective, we must be careful to not encourage a sense of entitlement in students, or to get their hopes up. In many instances, it may be the parent that will drive this request forward, willing to pay good money to ensure that the grade their child deserves is met.

So with this in mind, is it always worth it? We have listed our top 5 questions to consider before requesting the re-mark.

1. Will this grade change the outcome of a place in College, or prevent you from taking a subject at A-Level?

If the answer to the above is ‘yes’, then requesting an exam to be re-marked may benefit you. If you are in a position of ‘things can only get better’, and an increased grade really is the only chance that you have of reaching your goal, then this is a great opportunity. Talk to your subject teacher first and see if they think it will be worth it.

2. Are you close to the grade boundary?

If you are one mark under a grade boundary, the chances are that you will either stay the same, or move up a grade. This could be really beneficial if your work was unjustly marked. On the flip side though, if you have just scraped a grade boundary, you should seriously think hard before requesting a re-mark, as the likelihood of increasing a whole grade boundary is much slimmer, but you could put yourself at risk of moving down one.

3. Do your teachers agree with your grade?

If you have been consistently reaching a certain grade, and there’s nothing to suggest that you under-performed on the exam day, as well as your teachers agreeing that the work you submitted was to this standard, then it is worth asking them to request a re-mark. If this is what you expected, but you are being pushed into seeing if you could achieve higher, you should think twice before parting with your cash.

4. Would you be in a significantly worse situation if your mark went down a grade boundary?

It’s possible that you have got what you need for the next step, you have secured your place in your dream college, and performed well enough to continue with your preferred subject choice. Is taking a chance on a grade that you don’t NEED really worth the risk?

5. Will this be a financial burden?

These services cost time and money — We think that they are fantastic if used in the right situation, but students shouldn’t feel entitled to receiving, or pressured into asking for a grade increase, nor should parents push for this as a norm. Will the money spent on this really be worth it if it won’t dramatically change any outcomes for the future?

If you have any doubts, you should always speak to your subject teacher. They know the marking schemes, the level you are at, and can best advise on when to go ahead with this, and when it’s safer to stick with your current grade.