With the GCSE exam season approaching, many students will have questions surrounding the process, no doubt. There are a lot of questions surrounding marking and papers, because it is likely students aren’t really told what happens during and after the marking process. One common question that students ask is if they can get their exam papers back. Fear not! This question (and more!) will be answered!
To put it briefly, it is possible to see your GCSE exam papers and get them back, marked. However, the paper you get back sometimes isn’t the real thing; it’s a copy made to ensure the exam board or teaching body can keep your work for evidence. It may also be a requirement to pay some fees to get that GCSE paper back.
While this may have given you a brief summary on whether it is possible to get your GCSE exam back, the rest of this article may also be helpful.
Can you see your marked exam papers?
In short, yes! You have to contact your exam officer at your school or college, who will then request a copy of your paper back on your behalf. It is also known as “access to scripts”.
However, this may come with a fee! It is important to ask your exam officers for more information regarding this.
The UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives each student the right to see information held about the student. This means that is within your rights to request your exam (or a copy) as well as the marks within.
These copies of exam papers are available through the exam board’s post-results service, which typically is open for several weeks after the exams are sat.
For instance, click here to find out more about GCSE post-results services with Pearson Edexcel as an example.
Each exam board who has post-results services should be easily found by searching the exam board’s name along with post-results services! However, make sure that the years afterwards correspond with this academic year.
How much does it cost to get your GCSE papers back?
Some exam boards in the UK, such as AQA and Pearson Edexcel, offer access to scripts and original papers that you sat, for free.
Where some exam boards offer access to scripts for free, other exam boards have candidates pay for access to papers, such as WJEC charging £11 in 2022 (with some exceptions if your grade is changed).
To find out more about the fees for WJEC’s post result services, check out this spreadsheet by WJEC. This information is for the 2022 exams, which gives a rough idea of the charges you can expect. However, make sure to double check exam board websites for fees specific to your year.
Can you get a GCSE remark?
In short, definitely. Remarks are important to the exam process, as occasionally examiners may make mistakes with the marks.
In order to get the GCSE paper remarked, the script must be looked over and if you believe there are any mistakes in the marking, the school should be contacted. The school will contact the exam board. They are then able to remark the paper, replacing your original grade with the new one.
By doing this, the mark may go up, but it can also go down. If it does go down, you cannot request your original grade back.
However, if you feel that (even after the remark) you have still been unfairly or wrongly graded, you can request an academic appeal. This is when the school appeals to the exam board again and the exam board looks at the work to decide whether it needs correction or not.
There is a deadline for the post-results services each year. This deadline needs to be kept in mind when submitting appeals and remark requests, otherwise the request will not go through. Deadlines for the post results service typically fall between July and the later half of September. It varies with each exam board; therefore, it is always important to double check!
Usually with remarks and appeals, it does cost extra. Typically, most exam boards charge roughly £40 for their mark reviews. Some exam boards charge less if the mark does go up, or sometimes it’s even free in that case!
To read more about GCSE remarks, this article from Think Student on the topic may be helpful.
If you want to know more about academic appeals, this article from Think Student may offer more insight.