Exam Results and Appeals Summer 2023

Exams that are sat on a nationally agreed dates, or a Final Marked Project (UAL Art/Performing Arts and Extended Project Qualifications) usually have a nationally set release date.  To check whether this applies to your course and to confirm the date of release please check here.

When results for externally examined units are released during your course, the tutor will be informed of the results on the date of release.  They will share the outcomes with you and discuss next steps.

For results that are issued after your course has completed, (usually during August) the overall qualification grades will be available on Proportal  from 8.30am on the date of release.

Bedford Sixth Form learners ONLY can collect their A Level/Level 3 Vocational Results from Bedford Sixth Form between 8.30 and 12 noon on 17^th August 2023.

Externally assessed unit results and/or confirmation of overall qualification achievement be will posted first class to your home address on the date of release where the Awarding Organisation provides it.

(This most often applies to learners who were aged 18+ at the start of their Level 3 Vocational Course)

During your course, tutors will share in-year results with you as they are released/confirmed and discuss next steps.

During the Summer break, results for externally assessed units (usually sat in May/June on a nationally set date) will be posted to you first class on the date of release wherever the Awarding Organisation make them available.

For learners who are midflight (have completed the 1^st year of a 2 year qualification) – most Awarding Organisations will not release any interim certificates or internally assessed unit results. If your Awarding Organisation are issuing interim results these will be sent to your home address as soon as they are released.

Please return to College as planned in September to continue the second year of your course.

• For many learners, the teacher will be able to inform you if you have achieved the qualification as soon as you complete the course.
• In some cases, where Quality Assurance is still to take place, or where there are units/exams that are externally marked by an Awarding Organisation, the final confirmation of achievement or achievement grade may be released after your course has completed. This may be a number of weeks depending on the qualification and Awarding Organisation time frames.
• Overall Qualification results will be available on Proportal as soon as they are released.
• The Awarding Organisation will usually send certificates to the College. Certificates will be sent to your home address within 3 weeks of receipt.

GCSE and A level certificates are not printed by the Awarding Organisations until November, and they will be posted first class to your home address within 3 weeks of receipt in College.

Certificates for the UAL Awarding Body are received in College in October and will be posted within 3 weeks of receipt.

For all other certificates we aim to post them to the home address we have on our records within 3 weeks of receipt in College.

NB: The process of Quality Assurance may delay the release of your certificate.

NB. A certificate is a valuable document, when you receive a certificate, please make sure you keep it in a safe place.  Certificates are expensive to replace. The Awarding Body will require you to pay for replacement certificates. If you change your address, it is your responsibility to inform the College immediately in order that your documents are delivered correctly. 

If you have applied through UCAS the universities will already have evidence of your grades, direct from the awarding bodies.

A statement of results will be sent to students’ home addresses first class on the date of the release where the Awarding Body provides this service and this document can usually be used as evidence.

• All Awarding Organisations have a post results service. The process and cost of this service will vary dependent on the Awarding Organisation.  The most common are listed here.
• If your External Exam result is not what you expected you can Appeal.
• There are deadlines for appeal and a cost. To enable you to make an informed decision you must speak to your tutor first. They may have access to your marks and the grade boundaries. They may recommend an ‘access to script’ service first if this is available.
• The Free Access to Scripts Services should be used, where available, to help you make an informed decision about whether to pay for a review of marking. You should share your script with your course tutor.   In order for the College to Access your Scripts you will need to provide consent .
• Please access this form to request and give consent for Access to Scripts.
• Please be aware of the deadlines – late applications cannot be accepted and fees must be paid in advance.
• If your Awarding Organisation is not listed please discuss deadlines and fees with your Tutor or the Examinations Office
• Where an overall qualification grade is changed as a result of a review of marking then any fees will be refunded.

Be aware that marks may go down as well as up, or may stay the same.

Key deadlines for a review of marking (Appeal -Summer 2023)

Level 3 Priority Review of Marking – Only students applying to higher education and wish to appeal an A level or other Level 3 qualification result

• Students must have submitted their request by Tuesday 22 August 2023 at 3pm

Level 2 Priority Review of Marking – Only students applying to higher education  and wish to appeal a GCSE.

• Students must have submitted their request by Tuesday 29 August 2023 at 3pm

Non priority Review of Marking – all other students.

• Students must have submitted their request by Tuesday 26 September 2023 at 3pm.

To request a Post Result service you MUST request it HERE by the deadline and pay the fee.

Please read The Bedford College Group Appeal Policy carefully.

If you believe that a piece of work submitted for assessment has been assessed unfairly, inconsistently or not in accordance with the standards and level required by the Awarding Organisation, you have the right to appeal against the assessment mark, grade or final outcome.

In the first instance any concerns should be discussed with your personal tutor or a member of the teaching team. While it is recognised that in most circumstances queries relating to assessment can and will be resolved informally, the formal appeals procedure is available to support students in their appeal.

If you need help in making an appeal, this can be obtained by contacting your personal tutor or a member of the Quality department.

The College Appeals Policy and procedure enables students to make a formal appeal against a recommendation or decision relating to:

1. The mark or grade for an individual item of coursework
2. The result of an individual course
3. Entitlement to an award
4. The class or grade of an award

What happens after all my assignments are handed in and I have completed my course?

• Once your assignments have been marked by your tutor, they are Internally Quality Assured. This means that they are reviewed by a team of Internal Verifiers before the results can be confirmed.
• In some cases the College are then able to make immediate contact with the Awarding Organisation and advise them of your success in each unit/full qualification.
• However, for many qualifications, the Awarding Organisation also requires an External Quality Assurance visit to take place. In this instance the Awarding Organisation send their own staff (EQA) to the College to look at samples of work and review the quality of the marking and the processes.  The EQA files a report following the visit. Once approval is granted, the College contact the Awarding Organisation and advise them of the units/qualification you have been successful in.
• For many Higher Education courses, the assignment marks are Internally Quality Assured (by the University IQA if applicable) and then reviewed by an External Examiner or External Quality Assessor. The marks are then sent to an Exam Board. They are ratified by the Chair of the Exam Board. The College/University Faculty are then able to claim the units/qualification you have been successful in.
• This process of Quality Assurance may delay the release of your certificate; however, this means that you can be reassured that all learners completing qualifications are issued a fair grade based upon their performance and the standards are nationally consistent.
• Once all units that make up the qualification are achieved and are accepted by the Awarding Body/University, a certificate is printed and sent to the College. The confirmed grade is added to your student record.
• Some Awarding Bodies will also issue a Certificate of Unit Credit, when units towards a full qualification are awarded.