Record number of O and A level exams sent to be regraded

Latest figures show that there were 506,750 challenges to O, A level results this summer

A record 90,000 A-level and GCSE grades were changed this year following a sharp increase in the number of papers sent back by schools to be remarked.

Latest figures from exams regulator Ofqual show that there were 506,750 challenges about GCSE and A level results this summer, 22.2 per cent more than last year and more than double the number in 2011. An alarming total of 90,650 grades were changed, up from 77,400 last year.



Data from Ofqual reveals that 62,150 were GCSE grades while 28,500 were A-levels, and 99 per cent of grades changed were given a higher result. The number of results changed represents around 1.1 per cent of all grades, an exam chief said.

Concerned about the rising number of  exam results that have to be regraded, Brian Lightman of the Association of School and College Leaders said, “These results are of critical importance to young people and are a key measure on which schools are judged. The marking system is under huge pressure and we fear it is creaking under the strain.”



“As data published today by Ofqual shows, each year over eight million GCSE and A-level grades are awarded to a high level of accuracy,” Michael Turner, director general of the Joint Council for Qualifications, said.

“Although the number of enquiries about results increased in 2015, the proportion of all grades changed was 1.1 per cent. Importantly, the average mark change following a review of marking is 1.1 for GCSEs and 1.4 for A-levels. Grade changes happen when a student very close to a grade boundary is awarded a mark or two extra by a second examiner,” he added.

This article originally appeared on Independent.