Appeals for GCSE, AS, A level and Project qualifications: 2022 to 2023 academic year
Published 18 April 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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Introduction
This report presents figures for the number of appeals made during the 2022 to 2023 academic year in England for GCSE, AS, A level and Project qualifications. It also gives information on the number of qualification grades challenged and changed due to those appeals. The report covers all the opportunities to enter for the qualifications during the academic year:
- November 2022 and June 2023 for GCSE qualifications
- June 2023 for AS and A level qualifications
- November 2022, January 2023 and June 2023 for Project qualifications
For all GCSE, AS, A level and Project qualifications, other than for summer 2020 and summer 2021, appeals could be submitted if a school or college was dissatisfied with the result of a review of marking, review of moderation, a malpractice decision, or the outcome of a reasonable adjustment or special consideration request. Appeals were made at the component level and, if related to the same issue, could cover more than one student. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) guide to the awarding bodies’ appeals process describes 2 steps for appeals:
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Preliminary appeal (‘stage 1’ appeal): a review by a senior awarding organisation member who has not previously been involved with the particular case.
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Appeal hearing (‘stage 2’ appeal): applicants and awarding bodies present their respective cases to the panel of 3 or more members, one of which must be independent of the awarding organisation.
An appeal about a student’s grade could be made on multiple grounds. Appeals that were made on multiple grounds for the same component are counted as one appeal received.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the cancellation of exams in summer 2020 and summer 2021. As a result, the standard post-results services were replaced by a different appeals process for these exam series. Exams, assessments and standard post-results services resumed in summer 2022, with some adaptions to the usual assessments. The approach to grading led to overall results in 2022 being midway between results in 2021 and 2019.
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, assessment arrangements largely returned to pre-pandemic arrangements and results in summer 2023 were broadly similar to summer 2019, reflecting a return to pre-pandemic grading.
Throughout the report, figures of appeals in the 2022 to 2023 academic year are primarily compared with figures from the 2021 to 2022 academic year. Please note that whilst the same appeals process was in place between these years, comparisons should be treated with caution due to the differences in the grading standard applied in summer 2022 as well as the additional autumn 2021 exam series.
Direct comparisons involving the 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 academic years are not valid and are not made in this report, due to the exceptional nature of grading and the different appeals processes being in place in summer 2020 and summer 2021.
Additionally, comparisons between academic years 2021 to 2022 onwards and pre-pandemic academic years (up to and including the 2018 to 2019 academic year) are most meaningful for figures reporting the number of grades challenged and changed, rather than figures based on the number of appeals. This is because the reporting of appeals changed from the 2021 to 2022 academic year onwards are to be submitted at component level, whereas previously a single appeal may have related to one or more components for the qualification grade challenged (aside from during summer 2020 and summer 2021 where appeals were made at qualification level).
Changes in cohort size may also affect the overall number of appeals and grades challenged in each academic year. In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there was a 2.4% increase in the total number of certificates issued for GCSE, AS, A level and Project qualifications compared with the previous year.
Throughout the report, figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 and percentages have been calculated from unrounded figures.
Key headlines
The key headlines regarding appeals made for GCSE, AS, A level, and Project qualifications for the 2022 to 2023 academic year in England were:
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Overall, 2,570 (0.04%) of the 6.3 million grades issued for GCSEs, AS and A levels were challenged, a 5.9% increase compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when 2,430 grades were challenged
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Overall, 710 (0.01%) of the 6.3 million grades issued for GCSEs, AS and A levels were changed as part of an upheld appeal, a 15.8% increase compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when 610 grades were changed
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The number of appeals received for GCSEs, AS and A levels in the 2022 to 2023 academic year was 1,840. Of these appeals 1,010 (54.9%) were upheld. To note, as it will be explained in the main report, one appeal may cover more than one grade
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The most common ground for which appeals were received in the 2022 to 2023 academic year for GCSEs, AS and A levels was ‘review of marking - marking error’
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For Project qualifications, 15 appeals were received in the 2022 to 2023 academic year of which 5 were upheld. Out of the 395 grades challenged for Projects, 40 were changed in the 2022 to 2023 academic year
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For all qualifications covered, 73.7% of upheld appeals were associated with a qualification grade change in the 2022 to 2023 academic year
The number of appeals received by exam series
GCSE, AS and A levels, and Project qualifications
For GCSEs, AS and A levels, the vast majority of appeals were for the summer exam series.
The number of appeals received by exam series for GCSEs, AS and A levels and Project qualifications
Table 1: Number of appeals received by exam series for GCSEs, AS and A levels, and Project qualifications
| Qualification | November 2022 | January 2023 | June 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCSE | 55 | No exams | 1,100 |
| AS and A level | No exams | No exams | 685 |
| Project | 5 | Fewer than 5 | 5 |
Due to the small number of appeals, details on Project qualification appeals are reported in a separate section from GCSEs, AS and A levels.
Total number of appeals received, upheld and associated with at least one grade change
An appeal may be submitted by a school or college, or private candidate, if they are dissatisfied with the result of a review of marking or moderation or if they wish to contest the outcome of a reasonable adjustment or special consideration request, or a malpractice decision. The appeal may be upheld at either a preliminary appeal or an appeal hearing, and this may lead to a change in one or more of the qualification grades involved.
The data tables and charts in the report contain figures on all grounds of appeals received by all awarding organisations.
GCSE
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the number of appeals received, appeals upheld and appeals associated with at least one grade change for GCSE has remained broadly in line with 2021 to 2022 and earlier, pre-pandemic years. This likely reflects the return to the ‘normal’ appeal arrangements since summer 2022, where most concerns about grades awarded are considered through reviews of marking and moderation rather than appeals. This differs to pandemic years when reviews of marking and moderation were not available and the only way to challenge a grade was through an appeal. For this reason, direct comparisons between pandemic and other academic years should not be made. Furthermore, changes between 2022 to 2023 and earlier, pre-pandemic years may reflect the change in the way in which appeals were reported. Direct comparisons between these years should be treated with caution.
The number of GCSE appeals increased from 1,090 in the 2021 to 2022 academic year to 1,155 in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. The number of appeals upheld increased from 635 in 2021 to 2022 to 690 in 2022 to 2023 and the number of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change increased from 480 in 2021 to 2022 to 520 in 2022 to 2023.
The number of appeals received, appeals upheld and appeals associated with at least one grade change for GCSE from the 2017 to 2018 academic year to the 2022 to 2023 academic year
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the percentage of GCSE appeals that were upheld, as a proportion of GCSE appeals submitted (59.6%), has remained broadly in line with levels reported in 2021 to 2022 (58.2%) and earlier, pre-pandemic years.
The percentage of appeals upheld for GCSE from the 2017 to 2018 academic year to the 2022 to 2023 academic year
Table 2: The number of appeals received, appeals upheld and appeals associated with at least one grade change at GCSE from the 2017 to 2018 academic year to the 2022 to 2023 academic year
| Appeals received, upheld, and associated with a grade change | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 | 2020 to 2021 | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals received | 490 | 775 | 2,270 | 9,225 | 1,090 | 1,155 |
| Appeals upheld | 265 | 435 | 1,910 | 3,670 | 635 | 690 |
| Percentage of appeals upheld | 53.8% | 56.1% | 84.1% | 39.8% | 58.2% | 59.6% |
| Appeals associated with at least one grade change | 150 | 275 | 1,875 | 3,415 | 480 | 520 |
| Percentage of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change | 56.3% | 63.4% | 98.4% | 93.1% | 75.4% | 75.9% |
AS and A level
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the number of appeals received, appeals upheld and appeals associated with at least one grade change for AS and A level has remained broadly in line with 2021 to 2022 and earlier, pre-pandemic years. This likely reflects the return to the ‘normal’ appeal arrangements since summer 2022, where most concerns about grades awarded are considered through reviews of marking and moderation rather than appeals. This differs to pandemic years when reviews of marking and moderation were not available and the only way to challenge a grade was through an appeal. For this reason, direct comparisons between pandemic and other academic years should not be made. Furthermore, changes between 2022 to 2023 and earlier, pre-pandemic years may reflect the change in the way in which appeals were reported. Direct comparisons between these years should be treated with caution.
The number of AS and A level appeals increased from 455 in the 2021 to 2022 academic year to 685 in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. The number of appeals upheld increased from 245 in 2021 to 2022 to 325 in 2022 to 2023 and the number of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change increased from 175 in 2021 to 2022 to 225 in 2022 to 2023.
The number of appeals received, appeals upheld and appeals associated with at least one grade change for AS and A level from the 2017 to 2018 academic year to the 2022 to 2023 academic year
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the percentage of AS and A level appeals that were upheld, as a proportion of AS and A level appeals submitted (47.0%), has remained broadly in line with levels reported in 2021 to 2022 (53.6%) and earlier pre-pandemic years.
The percentage of appeals upheld for AS and A level from the 2017 to 2018 academic year to the 2022 to 2023 academic year
Table 3: The number of appeals received, appeals upheld and appeals associated with at least one grade change for AS and A level from the 2017 to 2018 academic year to the 2022 to 2023 academic year
| Appeals received, upheld, and associated with a grade change | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 | 2020 to 2021 | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals received | 370 | 480 | 1,355 | 6,865 | 455 | 685 |
| Appeals upheld | 145 | 250 | 1,085 | 2,100 | 245 | 325 |
| Percentage of appeals upheld | 38.9% | 51.8% | 80.1% | 30.6% | 53.6% | 47.0% |
| Appeals associated with at least one grade change | 70 | 150 | 1,065 | 1,945 | 175 | 225 |
| Percentage of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change | 48.3% | 60.6% | 98.2% | 92.7% | 72.8% | 69.3% |
Nature of appeals
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, an appeal could be made for a range of reasons, for instance: to contest the result of a review of marking or moderation, or to contest a malpractice decision or a decision on reasonable adjustments or special consideration.
An appeal about a student’s grade can be made on multiple grounds. In this section each ground for appeal is counted separately. This means the total number of appeals in this section will not match the total number of appeals reported elsewhere in the report.
GCSE
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, review of marking - marking error was the most common ground for GCSE appeals with 805 appeals received. This was an increase compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when there were 575 appeals received on that ground.
Nature of GCSE appeals
Table 4: Nature of GCSE appeals
| Nature of appeal | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Review of marking - marking error | 575 | 805 |
| Malpractice | 315 | 220 |
| Reasonable adjustment or special consideration | 175 | 115 |
| Review of moderation - marking error | 15 | 15 |
| Review of moderation - procedural | 5 | Fewer than 5 |
| Review of marking - procedural | 15 | 0 |
AS and A level
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, review of marking - marking error was the most common ground for AS and A level appeals with 510 appeals received. This was an increase compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when there were 315 appeals received on that ground.
Nature of AS and A level appeals
Table 5: Nature of AS and A level appeals
| Nature of appeal | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Review of marking - marking error | 315 | 510 |
| Reasonable adjustment or special consideration | 55 | 80 |
| Malpractice | 65 | 60 |
| Review of moderation - marking error | 15 | 30 |
| Review of marking - procedural | Fewer than 5 | 10 |
| Review of moderation - procedural | Fewer than 5 | 5 |
Preliminary appeals and appeal hearings
The appeals process, as set out in JCQ regulations, consists of 2 stages:
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Preliminary appeals (‘stage 1’ appeal): a review by a senior awarding organisation member who has not been previously involved in the individual case. As a result of a preliminary appeal, the case is either upheld or not upheld
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Appeal hearings (‘stage 2’ appeal): when the applicant and awarding organisation present their cases to the panel. An applicant may decide to progress to an appeal hearing if they are dissatisfied with the result of the preliminary appeal
An appeal panel consists of 3 or more members, at least one of which is independent from the awarding organisation (meaning they have not been an employee, examiner, committee or board member of the awarding organisation in the previous 5 years).
If a school or college, or private candidate, was still dissatisfied with the outcome following an appeal, they could apply to Ofqual’s Examination Procedures Review Service (EPRS) within 21 days of receiving the appeal outcome from the awarding organisation.
GCSE
Overall, in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 45.2% of all GCSE appeals received were associated with at least one grade change. This was a slight increase compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when 43.9% of GCSE appeals were associated with at least one grade change.
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, for GCSEs, 45.3% of all preliminary appeals (compared with 43.5% in 2021 to 2022) and 11.1% of all appeal hearings (compared with 12.7% in 2021 to 2022) were associated with a grade change.
The overall number of appeals and the number of appeals associated with a grade change per stage for GCSE
Table 6: The overall number of appeals and the number of appeals associated with a grade change per stage for GCSE
| 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of preliminary appeals | 1,090 | 1,155 |
| Number of appeal hearings | 55 | 25 |
| Percentage of preliminary appeals leading to appeal hearings | 5.1% | 2.2% |
| Preliminary appeals associated with least one grade change | 470 | 520 |
| Appeal hearings associated with at least one grade change | 5 | Fewer than 5 |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were no GCSE appeals where the outcome of the appeal was pending the outcome from the Examinations Procedure Review Service (EPRS).
AS and A level
Overall, in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 32.6% of all AS and A level appeals received were associated with at least one grade change. This was a decrease compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when 39.1% of AS and A level appeals were associated with at least one grade change.
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, for AS and A levels, 32.6% of all preliminary appeals (compared with 39.1% in 2021 to 2022) and 9.1% of all appeal hearings were associated with a grade change (compared with no appeal hearings in 2021 to 2022).
The overall number of appeals and the number of appeals associated with a grade change per stage for AS and A level
Table 7: The overall number of appeals and the number of appeals associated with a grade change per stage for AS and A level
| 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of preliminary appeals | 455 | 685 |
| Number of appeal hearings | 35 | 30 |
| Percentage of preliminary appeals leading to appeal hearings | 7.3% | 4.1% |
| Preliminary appeals associated with least one grade change | 175 | 225 |
| Appeal hearings associated with at least one grade change | 0 | Fewer than 5 |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were no AS and A level appeals where the outcome of the appeal was pending the outcome from the Examinations Procedure Review Service (EPRS).
Grades challenged and changed
A single appeal may represent one or more qualification grades which are being challenged, for example when a school or college appeals against its results for a qualification taken by a number of its students. Additionally, students are awarded 2 grades for GCSE combined science. An upheld appeal may result in a change to all, some, or none of the associated qualification grades. Therefore, an increase or decrease in appeals received may not be reflected in the number of grades challenged or changed.
A student may be involved in more than one appeal. In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there were 2,450 GCSE, AS and A level students whose grades were involved in an appeal compared with 2,305 in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
This translated to 2,570 (0.04%) of the 6.3 million grades certified for GCSE, AS and A level being challenged. Of these grades challenged, 710 (0.01% of grades certified) were changed as part of an upheld appeal.
GCSE
In 2022 to 2023, there were 1,680 grades challenged and 505 grades changed for GCSE. This was a 10.6% decrease in the number of grades challenged and a 12.7% increase in the number of grades changed compared with 2021 to 2022, where 1,880 and 450 grades were challenged and changed, respectively.
The number of GCSE grades challenged and changed
Table 8: The number of grades challenged and changed for GCSE
| Grades challenged and changed | 2018 to 2019 | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades challenged | 2,185 | 1,880 | 1,680 |
| Grades challenged in upheld appeals | 1,345 | 730 | 1,140 |
| Grades changed in upheld appeals | 325 | 450 | 505 |
| Grades not changed in upheld appeals | 715 | 240 | 635 |
The number of grades changed or unchanged refers only to grades included as part of an upheld appeal. It also does not include cases where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade is unknown or yet to be determined (for example, in cases where a preliminary appeal was upheld, the appeal progressed to an appeal hearing and the final qualification grade is awaiting the result of the appeal hearing). In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, at the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were fewer than 5 GCSE grades from upheld appeals where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade was unknown or yet to be determined.
AS and A level
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there were 895 grades challenged and 205 grades changed for AS and A level. This was a 62.4% increase in grades challenged and a 24.5% increase in grades changed compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year, where 550 and 165 grades were challenged and changed, respectively.
The number of AS and A level grades challenged and changed in the 2022 to 2023 academic year was similar to that which was reported in the 2018 to 2019 academic year.
The number of AS and A level grades challenged and changed
Table 9: The number of grades challenged and changed for AS and A level
| Grades challenged and changed | 2018 to 2019 | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades challenged | 1,020 | 550 | 895 |
| Grades challenged in upheld appeals | 425 | 285 | 370 |
| Grades changed in upheld appeals | 195 | 165 | 205 |
| Grades not changed in upheld appeals | 145 | 120 | 165 |
The number of grades changed or unchanged refers only to grades included as part of an upheld appeal. It also does not include cases where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade is unknown or yet to be determined (for example, in cases where a preliminary appeal was upheld, the appeal progressed to an appeal hearing and the final qualification grade is awaiting the result of the appeal hearing). In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, at the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were fewer than 5 AS and A level grades from upheld appeals where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade was unknown or yet to be determined.
Completion within exam boards’ target timescales
The target timescales in the 2022 to 2023 academic year allowed 6 weeks (42 calendar days) to complete a preliminary appeal from the receipt of the application, and 10 weeks (70 calendar days) to complete an appeal hearing from the receipt of a request for an appeal hearing.
The figures for the percentage of appeals completed in the target time in this section are for completed appeals only and do not include appeals which were still in progress at the time the data was collected. At the point at which Ofqual collected the data, in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there were 10 GCSE and 5 AS and A level appeals which were still in progress and may or may not be completed within the target timescale.
GCSE
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 98.4% of completed GCSE preliminary appeals (compared with 97.8% in 2021 to 2022) and 66.7% of completed GCSE appeal hearings (compared with 34.5% in 2021 to 2022) were completed within the target timescale.
The median number of days to complete a GCSE preliminary appeal decreased from 27 days in the 2021 to 2022 academic year to 17 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. The median number of days to complete a GCSE appeal hearing also decreased from 94 days in the 2021 to 2022 academic year to 60 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
The percentage of GCSE preliminary appeals and appeal hearings completed within exam boards’ target timescales
Table 10: GCSE preliminary appeals and appeal hearings completed within exam boards’ target timescales
| 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary appeals completed in target time | 1,060 | 1,135 |
| Percentage of completed preliminary appeals completed in target time | 97.8% | 98.4% |
| Appeal hearings completed in target time | 20 | 10 |
| Percentage of completed appeal hearings completed in target time | 34.5% | 66.7% |
AS and A level
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 96.1% of completed AS and A level preliminary appeals (compared with 97.6% in 2021 to 2022) and 95.5% of completed AS and A level appeal hearings (compared with 79.3% in 2021 to 2022) were completed within the target timescale.
The median number of days to complete an AS and A level preliminary appeal was 21 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year (the same as in 2021 to 2022). The median number of days to complete an AS and A level appeal hearing increased from 51 days in the 2021 to 2022 academic year to 53 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
The percentage of AS and A level preliminary appeals and appeal hearings completed within exam boards’ target timescales
Table 11: AS and A level preliminary appeals and appeal hearings completed within exam boards’ target timescales
| 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary appeals completed in target time | 440 | 660 |
| Percentage of completed preliminary appeals completed in target time | 97.6% | 96.1% |
| Appeal hearings completed in target time | 25 | 20 |
| Percentage of completed appeal hearings completed in target time | 79.3% | 95.5% |
Grades challenged at appeal
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, grade 3 was the most contested grade for GCSE, with 280 grades challenged, and grade B was the most contested grade for AS and A level, with 360 grades challenged. Fewer than 5 grades were challenged for each GCSE combined science grade that was contested.
Grades challenged at appeal for GCSE 9 to 1, GCSE combined science and AS and A level
Source: Table 7: Data tables for appeals for GCSE, AS, A level and Projects: 2022 to 2023 academic year
Raw mark changes for upheld appeals
For upheld appeals, only changes where both the original and resulting mark are known are included in the distribution of changes to the raw marks.
Note that all mark increases of 10 marks or more have been combined into a single category (‘10 or more’) and all mark decreases have been combined into the category ‘less than or equal to -1’. A change of 10 marks or more may reflect an overturned malpractice decision where the student was originally given 0 marks due to alleged malpractice.
GCSE
Overall, in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 54.9% of upheld appeals (where both the pre and post appeal raw marks were known) resulted in additional marks given, compared with 87.6% in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the most common outcome was no change in marks (44.9%), followed by a mark change of 2 (18.8%). There were fewer than 5 appeals that led to a decrease in marks. Mark changes of 10 or more marks were predominantly from appeals on the grounds of malpractice, for example where a malpractice decision was overturned, and penalties were reduced or removed.
The number of GCSE raw mark changes at appeal
Table 12: GCSE raw mark changes at appeal
| Mark change | 2018 to 2019 | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| less than or equal to -1 | 35 | 5 | Fewer than 5 |
| 0 | 400 | 65 | 735 |
| 1 | 345 | 140 | 165 |
| 2 | 360 | 55 | 305 |
| 3 | 110 | 55 | 60 |
| 4 | 60 | 40 | 50 |
| 5 | 30 | 25 | 25 |
| 6 | 25 | 20 | 20 |
| 7 | 15 | 20 | 15 |
| 8 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| 9 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| 10 or more | 160 | 135 | 215 |
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there were fewer than 5 GCSE raw mark changes for upheld appeals which were not included in this section and 230 not included in this section for the 2021 to 2022 academic year. This is because either the pre or post appeal raw mark was unknown.
AS and A level
Overall, in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 80.6% of upheld appeals (where both the pre and post appeal raw marks were known) resulted in additional marks given, compared with 85.8% in 2021 to 2022.
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, the most common outcome was a mark change of 2 (17.2%), followed by a mark change of 10 or more (15.7%) and no change in marks (15.5%). There were 20 (3.9%) appeals that led to a decrease in marks. Mark changes of 10 or more marks were predominantly from appeals on the grounds of malpractice or ‘review of marking - marking error’.
The number of AS and A level raw mark changes at appeal
Table 13: AS and A level raw mark changes at appeal
| Mark change | 2018 to 2019 | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| less than or equal to -1 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| 0 | 50 | 25 | 70 |
| 1 | 60 | 55 | 50 |
| 2 | 60 | 35 | 80 |
| 3 | 35 | 25 | 40 |
| 4 | 30 | 10 | 35 |
| 5 | 35 | 15 | 30 |
| 6 | 25 | 15 | 25 |
| 7 | 10 | 10 | 25 |
| 8 | 10 | 10 | 15 |
| 9 | 15 | 10 | 5 |
| 10 or more | 95 | 55 | 70 |
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there were fewer than 5 AS and A level raw mark changes for upheld appeals which were not included in this section and 40 not included in this section for the 2021 to 2022 academic year. This is because either the pre or post appeal raw mark was unknown.
Grade changes for upheld appeals
In this section the magnitude of grade changes following an upheld appeal in the 2022 to 2023 academic year are reported. Instances where upheld appeals were for students who were not originally given a grade or where a student’s grade had not yet been determined after an appeal was upheld are not included in this section.
GCSE
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, when an appeal was upheld and the original and resulting grades were known, 635 (56.5%) GCSE grades challenged did not change. This was an increase compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when 240 (36.7%) GCSE grades challenged did not change. The number of GCSE grades challenged that did not change in the 2022 to 2023 academic year was more in line with that reported in the 2018 to 2019 academic year.
Overall, in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 43.4% of GCSE grades challenged had a grade change of one or more grade. Among those GCSE grades that were changed, 82.6% changed by one grade (compared with 79.0% in 2021 to 2022) and 17.3% changed by 2 or more grades (compared with 20.9% in 2021 to 2022).
Grade changes from upheld appeals at GCSE
Table 14: Grade changes from upheld appeals at GCSE
| Grade change for upheld appeals | Number of grades 2018 to 2019 | Number of grades 2021 to 2022 | Number of grades 2022 to 2023 | Percentage of grades 2018 to 2019 | Percentage of grades 2021 to 2022 | Percentage of grades 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade change of 0 | 715 | 240 | 635 | 68.9 % | 36.7 % | 56.5 % |
| Grade change of 1 | 295 | 330 | 405 | 28.5 % | 50.0 % | 35.9 % |
| Grade change of 2 | 20 | 55 | 50 | 1.7 % | 8.5 % | 4.5 % |
| Grade change of 3 or more | 10 | 30 | 35 | 0.9 % | 4.7 % | 3.1 % |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were 20 GCSE grades challenged for upheld appeals where grades were either unknown, not awarded (for example, if the student was absent) or yet to be determined. These grades are not reported in this section.
AS and A level
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, when an appeal was upheld and the original and resulting grades were known, 165 (46.3%) AS and A level grades challenged did not change. This was a 36.4% increase compared with the 2021 to 2022 academic year when 120 (43.5%) AS and A level grades challenged did not change.
Overall, in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 53.8% of AS and A level grades challenged had a grade change of one or more grade. Among those AS and A level grades that were changed, 91.6% changed by one grade (compared with 86.0% in 2021 to 2022) and 8.3% changed by 2 or more grades (compared with 14.0% in 2021 to 2022).
The magnitude of grade changes for AS and A level grades in the 2022 to 2023 academic year was more in line with those reported in the 2018 to 2019 academic year than in the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
Grade changes from upheld appeals at AS and A level
Table 15: Grade changes from upheld appeals at AS and A level
| Grade change for upheld appeals | Number of grades 2018 to 2019 | Number of grades 2021 to 2022 | Number of grades 2022 to 2023 | Percentage of grades 2018 to 2019 | Percentage of grades 2021 to 2022 | Percentage of grades 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade change of 0 | 145 | 120 | 165 | 42.9 % | 43.5 % | 46.3 % |
| Grade change of 1 | 185 | 135 | 175 | 53.8 % | 48.6 % | 49.2 % |
| Grade change of 2 | 10 | 20 | 15 | 3.2 % | 7.6 % | 3.7 % |
| Grade change of 3 or more | 0 | Fewer than 5 | Fewer than 5 | 0.0 % | 0.4 % | 0.8 % |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were 10 AS and A level grades challenged for upheld appeals where grades were either unknown, not awarded (for example, if the student was absent) or yet to be determined. These grades are not reported in this section.
Project qualifications
In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there were 395 students for Project qualifications whose grades were involved in an appeal. Overall, 40 (0.08%) of the nearly 51,300 grades certified for Project qualifications were changed as a result of an appeal.
There were 15 appeals received for Project qualifications in the 2022 to 2023 academic year, 5 (46.2%) of which were upheld and fewer than 5 of which were associated with at least one grade change.
Table 16: Appeals received, appeals upheld, grades challenged and grades changed for Project qualifications
| Appeals received, appeals upheld, grades challenged, and grades changed | 2017 to 2018 | 2018 to 2019 | 2019 to 2020 | 2020 to 2021 | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals received | Fewer than 5 | 10 | 15 | 105 | 10 | 15 |
| Appeals upheld | Fewer than 5 | Fewer than 5 | 15 | 40 | Fewer than 5 | 5 |
| Grades challenged | 15 | 335 | 20 | 135 | 290 | 395 |
| Grades changed | Fewer than 5 | Fewer than 5 | 15 | 35 | 15 | 40 |
Contextual information
This report presents data on requests for appeals made to awarding organisations for the academic year 2022 to 2023. The qualifications covered in this report are GCSEs, AS, A levels and Project qualifications in England.
Further information on this release is available in the background information as well as data tables accompanying this report.
User feedback
We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.
Head of profession: Nadir Zanini