A Level and GCSE Grades 2021 - Appeals Process

Statement on appeals for A Level and GCSE or equivalent grades

The following statement outlines the appeals process in relation to Teacher Assessed Grades for 2021 at Durham Johnston Comprehensive School.

All GCSE and A level qualifications can be taken again in the autumn term and there are also exams in AS Biology, Chemistry, Further Maths, Maths and Physics.

Please note that during either of the appeals stages, results could go up, down or stay the same. You will not keep the higher of the grades, and an appeal cannot be withdrawn once a decision has been made.

Types of Appeal

If you wish to directly appeal one of your results this can be done on the following grounds:

Stage 1 - Centre Appeals

Administrative error – you think the school has submitted the wrong grade for you.

Any appeal will automatically start with this process, even if you are technically appealing based on one of the other categories.

Stage 2 – Exam Board Appeals

Procedural error - you think the school did not follow our process correctly.

You can find our Centre Policy here. The policy was checked and approved by the exam boards. You will need to be able to identify which area of the policy may not have been applied to you in relation to which grade.

Error of academic judgement – you do not think the grade submitted reflects a reasonable judgement on either the evidence that was used, or the grade arrived at.

Urgency of Appeals

All appeals will be processed as either priority or non-priority appeals.  

Priority Appeals

Priority appeals are only for A level students who have not met the offer of their firm choice of university. The deadline for these appeals is Friday 13 August 2021.

Non-Priority Appeals

All appeals that do not relate to the above category will be regarded as non-priority. The deadline for these appeals is Friday 3 September 2021.

How to Appeal

We would recommend that you first discuss your potential appeal with a member of the senior leadership team of the school or a member of the 6^th Form team.

If you still wish to appeal you should then do the following:

Email assessments2021@durhamjohnston.org.uk using your school email account.

State clearly the following:

• Your name
• Your tutor group
• Please indicate if this is a priority appeal because you are in Year 13 and missed your firm choice offer. Please include your UCAS ID number needed to verify this.
• The subject of the Teacher Assessed Grade that you are appealing.
• In brief, the reasons or grounds for the appeal

Reminder

During either of the appeals stages, results could go up, down or stay the same. You will not keep the higher of the grades, and an appeal cannot be withdrawn once a decision has been made.

All GCSE, AS and A level qualifications can be re-sat in the autumn term.