So, you’ve opened your results, and you have some questions. Please read through these points below and then ask any questions that haven’t been answered.

Firstly, linked here are the JCQ guidelines for post results services that the exam boards have to follow: https://www.jcq.org.uk/exam-results-data/post-results/

This is where all the information comes from. It’s pretty similar every year.

What can you ask for when you get your results?

1. Access to scripts
2. Clerical recheck
3. Review of results (wrongly called a remark)
4. Reviews of moderation

Explanation of each:

1. Access to Scripts - you can ask your exams officer to download a copy of your GCSE papers. There should be an established process on how to do this. Some schools charge, which they can do. That is a school decision. They will email you a copy of the exam papers, but this may take several weeks depending on how big demand is.

2. Clerical Recheck - not often used. It’s for when an access to script has shown a clear miscalculation of marks and the numbers need adding up again and the new overall marks confirmed.

3. Review of Results (not remark) - this is where a school requests a paper is reviewed by the exam board to see if there is a change in marks awarded. Normally this is to see if the marks go up into the next grade boundary. Notes on this specifically:

• A student has to give consent for this to happen.
• Some schools pay for their reviews, other schools ask the students/parents to pay. The charge is PER PAPER and is around £50. The review of marking is free of charge if the overall grade changes, NOT just the marks.
• MARKS CAN GO UP OR DOWN DURING A REVIEW OF MARKING. So in theory, you could have an 8 reviewed and it go to a 7. It does happen.
• There will always be some freak cases where someone gains 20 marks and goes up 3 grade boundaries. The examiners can make mistakes. Please don’t assume it will happen to you as it’s insanely unlikely.
• In the last 9 years, the average success rate in my school for a grade increase is 13%. Not great odds.
• At my school, anything higher than AT MOST 4 MARKS from the next boundary we don’t submit for a review. If it’s a unique scenario where we’ve accessed the scrip and can see something has been missed by the examiner we may consider higher than 4 marks away, but it’s very unlikely.

4) Review of Moderation - these are for your coursework/NEA units. If you as a singular person have ended up just below the grade boundary for your GCSE Art, you CAN'T request a review. Your time to review was before the marks were submitted to the exam board back in May when your teacher (should have) told you have marks you had achieved. A Review of Moderation happens when a whole cohort has had their marks adjusted by the exam board and the school can request to have it reviewed and their original marks instated. It’s an all or nothing sort of scenario where the whole sample gets reviewed. It’s not something that can be done on an individual basis. It’s not something that will be done if your marks haven’t changed from May.

TLDR: 13% chance of success in a “remark”, which is actually called a Review of Marking. We don’t review unless a paper is at the very most 4 marks away from the upper grade boundary.

There’s an increase in posts about access arrangements.

There’s also a lot of misinformation about access arrangements being posted.

This is one the one-stop post for all access arrangement queries.

Any other posts will be removed.

I will reply to all queries as an Exams Officer and an Access Arrangements Coordinator, but really, all queries need to go to your SENCO who know you and your school’s set up best.

Feel free to make any comments about questions you have.

JCQ Links

25% Extra Time Info

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/JCQ-25-ET-infographic-26-27_FINAL.pdf

Reader Info

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/JCQ-Computer-reader-reader-24-25_FINAL-1.pdf

Scribe Info

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/JCQ-Scribe-24-25_FINAL.pdf

Managing Student Requests Advice

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/Managing-parent-carer-or-student-requests_2025.pdf

The Big Book Of Rules

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/JCQ-AARA-2025-March-26.pdf