How to appeal your A-Level results

Your A level results can have a huge impact on your future, affecting your options for continuing study and, potentially, your future career. Failing to get the grades you need or think you deserve can, therefore, be a serious blow. Those who find themselves in this situation may consider appealing and the good news is that more than half of those who appeal their GCSE, AS and A level results succeed in having their grades raised.

If you are considering appealing your A level results, then it is important to understand how it works, what information you will need to provide and what you can expect from the process. You may also want to consider getting expert support to give yourself the best chance of a successful appeal.

This blog will explore the process for submitting an appeal, the possible outcomes, what to do if your appeal is unsuccessful, how making an appeal might impact university applications and where you can turn for additional support.

The information given here is intended for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. This content is written with respect to the A-level appeals process in England— there is a different process for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Call today to discuss how we can help with appealing A level results

To find out more about how our appealing A level results solicitors can help, please contact Kinjal or Rachael, our education law legal administrators, on 01895 207 961, or by email at educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk.

Kinjal and Rachael can arrange a fixed fee consultation and send you a link to our online booking suite, where you can choose a day and time most convenient for your meeting with the specialist education solicitor.

What are the grounds for appealing my A level results?

There are three basic reasons you can make an A level appeal:

1. You believe there was a clerical error or an issue with the marking or moderation of your exam and this has not been resolved by an earlier recheck or review
2. A malpractice penalty has been applied and you believe this was unfair
3. You consider that you were unfairly declined access arrangements or special considerations or that the level of arrangements or considerations provided was not sufficient

The vast majority of appeals deal with issues concerning clerical errors (e.g. incorrect counting of the number of marks awarded) and issues with marking and moderation (e.g. marks not being given for a correct answer, or correctly awarded marks being taken away by a moderator).

What is the difference between an A level appeal and a clerical recheck or review?

If you are unhappy with your A level grade, then the first step should usually be to request a review. You will need to contact your school or college who will request that the exam board carry out a review. The exam board will then recheck your work to see if there have been any errors in the way your exam was marked or moderated, or any clerical errors.

Following a review, your mark will either be amended or remain as it was. It is important to note that your grade could go down as well as up following a review. If your grade does not change, you may need to pay a fee to the exam board.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of an A level review, then you may need to appeal the result.

What are the steps to submit an appeal?

You will need to ask your school or college to make the appeal on your behalf. They will then need to follow the process set out by the relevant awarding body.

A typical appeals process would look something like the following:

1. You ask your school or college to make an appeal.
2. Your school/college submits a written request for an appeal to the exam board.
3. The awarding body will decide whether to accept or reject the appeal application.
4. If the application is not accepted, the awarding body will explain why in writing.
5. If the application is accepted, an officer for the awarding body will carry out an investigation. They should be someone who was not previously involved in awarding the grade and who has no personal interest in the matter.
6. Following the investigation, the appeal will either be wholly upheld, upheld in part or not upheld.
7. If the appeal is upheld, the awarding body will carry out any further required actions, such as amending the relevant grade and issuing new certificates.
8. If the appeal is not upheld at this stage or only partially upheld, the person making the appeal will need to decide whether to continue their appeal, which will involve requesting a hearing.
9. If a hearing is requested, then the person making the appeal will have a chance to make their case in person to an impartial body which will decide whether to grant the appeal in whole, in part or not at all.

Can you appeal your A level results if you sat an exam as a private candidate?

Yes, if you sat an exam as a private candidate then you can still make an appeal, but the process is slightly different. Because you will not have a school or college to make an appeal for you, you will need to contact the awarding body yourself. If the issue involves concerns about clerical errors or how an exam was marked or moderated, you will need to request a recheck or review before you can make an appeal.

What evidence do I need to provide for my appeal?

Depending on the circumstances, you may need to provide evidence to support your appeal. For example, if you are appealing on the basis that you did not receive reasonable adjustments, you might need to show evidence for what adjustments should have been provided and what you actually received.

Knowing what evidence to provide when appealing A level results can be challenging, so this is one reason why seeking expert legal support can be beneficial.

What is the deadline for submitting an A level appeal?

An appeal must be made within 30 days of an awarding body issuing the outcome of a clerical recheck or a review of its marking or moderation.

If you wish to take an appeal forward to a hearing, then you will usually need to make the request within 14 days of receiving the awarding body’s initial decision.

How long does the appeals process take?

Exactly how long an A level appeal takes will depend on the circumstances.

The normal marking review will usually take around 20 days.  A priority marking review will usually take around 15 days.

If an appeal is submitted following the marking review, the initial decision will be provided within 6 weeks.  If a hearing is required, this will extend the process.

What are the possible outcomes of an A level appeal?

The possible outcomes of an A level appeal are that the appeal is wholly upheld, partially upheld or not upheld. In practical terms, this means your grade might go up or it might stay the same. It is also possible that your grade could be reduced as the result of an A level appeal, so this is something to be aware of before starting the process.

Can my A Level grades be lowered as a result of an appeal?

Yes, your original grade is not protected which means that, if you make an appeal, your grade could go down as well as up. You must fully consider this before making an appeal.

What should I do if my appeal is unsuccessful?

If your appeal is unsuccessful, you can:

1. Accept the outcome and make plans for your future based on the grade you have.
2. Resubmit coursework or retake exams (where applicable).
3. Retake your A levels (either at your original school/college or a new one).
4. Appeal the result to the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) in the hope that they will award you a higher grade. Please note, there are different bodies you would need to contact outside of England.

What happens to my university place while my A level appeal is pending?

Your university is under no obligation to hold a place for you if you did not get the required grades for your course. However, you can contact them and tell them you plan to appeal and they may be willing to hold a place for you. Alternatively, they may offer you a place on the course for the following year if you succeed in having your grade or grades raised.

If your university is not able to hold a place for you, then you could try to find a space on another course through clearing. Alternatively, if your appeal is successful, you could reapply to your original university for the following year and they will usually be able to give an immediate acceptance if they are still happy to offer you a place based on your final grades.

Where can I find additional support and guidance during the appeals process?

Your awarding body should have information available online about their appeals process, so you can search for this or contact the awarding body to request this information. You can also speak to your school or college about the appeals process and how they can help.

To give your appeal the best chance of success, it can also be a good idea to seek expert legal support. At IBB Law, our education law experts have years of experience with how to appeal A level results, so we can advise and guide you every step of the way.

Get in touch for help with how to appeal your A level results

The information given here is intended for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. This content is written with respect to the A level appeals process in England, which is different for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

For A level results advice relevant to your particular situation and to arrange your consultation, please contact our education law legal administrators, either Kinjal or Rachael, on 01895 207 961, or email at educationteam@ibblaw.co.uk.

Kinjal and Rachael can send you a link to an online booking suite so you can select a day and time that is convenient for your fixed-fee consultation.

At that online consultation the solicitor will listen to you about your exam result experience, consider documents you have, and then advise on your prospects of a successful appeal.