5th November 2014 12:00
By Blue Tutors
Exams regulator Ofqual has revealed that a record number of exams are being returned for remarking, and that many of the exam scripts are being graded upward significantly on appeal. This year there have been a record number of successful challenges to GCSE and A Level papers, which has left the Department for Education open to challenges that the current exam system lack credibility. The figures show that exam appeals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have more than doubled in the last three years, and there has also been a big increase in the number of papers being significantly upgraded. School leaders have expressed concerns that the figures show a continued drop in the quality of marking.
The figures produced by Ofqual were revealed after a large number of complaints were made about the quality of marking. Pupils who had their grades raised from Ds to As have been particularly high profile, received widespread media coverage calling the marking system into question. The department for education has said that the figures are alarming, and that it is important for parents, students and employers to have confidence in the exam system. They called on Ofqual to address the matter urgently, in order to boost standards and raise confidence that students were receiving the right grades.
Recent investigations by Ofqual have shown that four in five headteachers thought that some of their school’s exam grades were incorrect. However, whilst Ofqual has said it is taking the concerns of teachers seriously, the regulator and the Joint Council for Qualifications which represents exam boards have said that most of the re-marks only changed marks by one or two grades, which were relatively small changes. They said that only a very small proportion of papers were graded up significantly, and that where this does occur, they investigate cases and are doing everything they can to minimise the chances of this happening.