Ofqual criticises exam boards for flouting new rules on remarks amid huge spike in GCSE grade changes

The number of GCSE grades changed by exam boards on review has surged by 52 percent in the past year, leading the exam regulator to scold providers for being “too lenient”.

In 2017, the number of grade changes to GCSE papers increased by 25,000, with exam boards forced to make more than 73,000 alterations to test scores.

The number of successful exam appeals resulting in students’ scores changing by more than two grades also jumped by 391 per cent, up from 401 to 1,969 during the same period.

Across all A-level, AS level and GCSE qualifications, 88,505 grades were changed this year, up by 40 percent on 2016.

The figures will deeply concern school leaders and parents, as they suggest that students who submit an application for a remark may have a significant advantage over those who simply accept their scores.

Ofqual is similarly concerned, stating in its report that students whose papers are reviewed should not gain an “advantage” over their peers because exam boards are failing to adhere to its standards.

In 2016, it introduced reforms designed to improve marking consistency and reduce the number of people challenging their exam results speculatively.

Its guidance emphasises that marks reviewing test papers can only change grades if there is a “clear marking error”.  They cannot, Ofqual states, alter grades due to a difference in professional judgment.

But the latest figures suggest providers are not paying heed to the reforms, with Ofqual now threatening action to ensure they comply in the future.

Sally Collier, Ofqual’s chief regulator, said: “From our initial analysis, it appears that some of the exam boards have not done enough to change old practices and meet our new rules around reviews of marking.

“We expect all exam boards to comply with our rules at all times. We are currently looking at where more could and should be done and will consider what form of regulatory action may be appropriate.”

Ofqual added that the increase could partially be attributed to more pupils taking GCSE English language and literature.

However, it said the steep spike in grade changes could not be explained by additional English entries alone.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Barnaby Lenon, the former headmaster of Harrow and Ofqual board member, said that exam boards had been far “too liberal” in their approach to remarking.

“Ofqual will be tightening this up,” he continued. “There is no evidence that the original marking was wrong. It was the remarking that was not as tight as it should have been.

“We don’t want speculative remark requests because this is unfair. It makes it worthwhile for [students to put] in a remark request when you have no real ground to do so.”