Appealing A Level Results – Process Explained 2023

Why Would You Need Appealing A Level Results?

If you have received lower grades than expected on your A level results day, you may be feeling disappointed and frustrated. However, it is important to remember that there are many factors that can affect your grades, and some of these factors may be beyond your control. If you feel that your grades do not accurately reflect your abilities and potential, you may be able to appeal your grades and increase your chances of getting into the university of your choice.

What to Know Before Going Through Appealing A Level Results?

First of all, beware of the fact that your grade might get lowered. UCAS’s recommendation is to consult with someone at your school first. Speak with your teachers, personal tutor or principal. They have a good idea of your academic achievements, university goals and can advise you accordingly. 

Do You Have to Pay for Appealing?

If you:

📌 attend a state school or college, you won’t have to pay a fee;

📌 go to a private school, you or your school will have to pay;

📌 appealed but your grade didn’t change, you or your school might have to pay.

You Chose to Appeal, What’s Next?

A-level exams are graded by teachers. Then they are signed off by the head teacher or principal and by the head of the department. Factors other than the exam may have affected your grade, such as previous mock tests. So, the first step is to appeal to the school.

📌 Ask your school or college to review your grade and check if they followed through with the correct grading process;

📌 Make sure they also double-check if they made an error while sending the grades.

If your school or college reevaluates and changes your grade, it can be resubmitted to the exam board for consideration. If they didn’t change your grade, there are reasons you may have a lower grade than deserved:

📌 Your school or college didn’t follow grading processes correctly;

📌 They were discriminative against you;

📌 They didn’t review or double-check accurately.

If you still want a review, you can appeal to the exam board. However, you can’t do it alone. Your school or college should request a formal appeal on your behalf. If you are an independent applicant, the centre that submitted your grades should help you.

Exam Boards for Appealing A Level Results

• England – Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation)
• Wales – WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee)
• Northern Ireland – CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment)
• Scotland – SQA (The Scottish Qualifications Authority)

The exam board will review your grade and change it if they decide. Remember, your grade can get higher and lower too, so it’s essential to listen to the advice of teachers, tutors or other school officials.

What if You are not Satisfied with the Decision of the Exam Board?

The next step is to appeal to EPRS (Exams Procedure Review Service). However, you can’t contact them before you receive your decision from the exam board. After that, you’ll have 21 days to contact the EPRS. Remember that they don’t check your grades, they check if the exam board followed through with the correct procedures and rules. Even if they find a mistake in the review process of the exam board, your grade may still not change. Nevertheless, if you really need your grade to be even a little higher, it’s worth a try. 

When Should You Contact the University of Your Choice?

You should contact them as soon as possible because you might need your application deadline changed. If they agree to hold the place for you, you should always keep them updated.

Other Options?

If none of the universities you contacted agreed to hold the place for you or your appeal didn’t help, you can always apply to universities through clearing. Results day is on the 18th of August, clearing closes on October 18th and the appealing process usually takes not more than four weeks, so you have plenty of time. Hence, research courses that use clearing and for further guidance, read how to be prepared for UCAS clearing.

If clearing does not seem like a good option for you, you can always resit the A Level exam! You can study by yourself, get help from your teachers or hire a tutor. There are several different tutoring types, like – in-person tutoring, group tutoring, and online tutoring. If you already have a stressful schedule and want to have a cost-effective tutor with a flexible schedule, online tutoring is for you.

The Internet is full of good online tutoring platforms, one of them being Edumentors, they hire young tutors from Cambridge and Oxford and other big universities. Tutors went through the same as you not too long ago, so they know exactly what you need. Book a free trial with a tutor of your choice and ask all the questions you want to be answered.