Concerns have been raised about the reliability of the marking of GCSE English this summer, after complaints that normally high-achieving pupils in schools in England were awarded lower than expected results, which then went up after being re-marked.
In some cases, marks for individual questions doubled after a review, and at least one pupil’s grade jumped from 6 to 9. GCSEs are graded on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 the highest grade.
The vast majority of GCSE English language and literature candidates sit exams set by the AQA exam board, which said requests for reviews of English marks this year were in line with expectations.
Many in the sector, however, expressed concerns about the level of experience among examiners.
Andrew McCallum, the director of the English and Media Centre, a charity working to support English teachers and students, said: “This year we’ve heard from more teachers than ever before about the unreliability of GCSE marking for English, both language and literature. In particular we’ve heard from teachers whose high-attaining students have been given unexpectedly low marks.”
One head of English posted on X about his mixed emotions after a re-mark: “Had another AQA Lit review back today. Across both papers, it moved up 41 marks from a grade 6 to a 9. Buzzing and fuming.”
Another head of department who sought a re-mark of paper two of AQA GCSE English literature said one mark went up from 17 to 30 while a second more than doubled from 14 to 30, resulting in a jump of two grades.
There are also concerns that not all pupils will request re-marks, which cost £42 each if the grade does not end up being changed.
Drama results have also come under scrutiny. A forum for teachers of AQA GCSE drama contained a stream of outraged comments. “Just had a paper re-marked and the pupil went from having a 6 overall to an 8. The 32-marker was originally marked at 12, then re-marked at 21,” said one post.
“I’ve got all my papers back and I’m horrified by the harshness of the written paper marking,” said another, adding: “My students will not get a re-mark as it’s too expensive. So frustrating and unfair.”
A drama teacher at a small rural comprehensive in the south of England told the Guardian: “It appeared the person who’s marked these papers does not know a thing about the course. It’s unbelievable. These are children’s lives which are being absolutely messed with.”
An AQA spokesperson said: “We’re proud to be the most popular exam board for GCSE English language and English literature. Every year, schools, colleges and exam centres make requests for reviews of marking. Requests for GCSE English language and English literature were in line with expectations.
“Our associates are qualified for the job and we hugely value their expertise. We put a lot of emphasis on examiner training, standardisation and quality checks. We are proud of this team which delivered marking as planned this summer, and we have enough associates to complete reviews of marking.”
A spokesperson for England’s exams regulator, Ofqual, said: “Ofqual expects examination boards to recruit, train and monitor appropriately qualified markers to ensure students’ work is marked reliably. A student can request, via their school or college, an electronic copy of their exam script to help inform decisions about when to seek a review of marking.”
Official statistics about the number of reviews of marking will be published later this year. Last year, 413,525 reviews were requested for GCSEs – an increase of 23% from June 2022 but a decrease of 9% from June 2019.
Tom Middlehurst, the curriculum, assessment and inspection specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It’s concerning when a high number of grades are changed following re-marks. Even though they represent a tiny minority of overall scripts, the changes can be significant and therefore raise questions as to whether the quality of marking is sufficient.”
