Sands School /
The ALTERNATIVE FACE of EDUCATION

Internal Assessment Appeals and Enquiries about Results (EARs)

This policy applies to internal assessment decisions of work and provisional final grades relating to external qualifications at Key Stage 4 (GCSE).

Internal Assessments

Sands School is committed to ensuring that whenever its staff mark candidates' controlled assessments / coursework this is done fairly, consistently and in accordance with the awarding body's specification and subject specific associated documents.
In accordance with the JCQ Code of Practice for the conduct of external qualifications produced by the QCA, Ilford Grammar School is committed to ensuring that:

  • Internal assessments are conducted by staff who have the appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills.
  • Assessment evidence provided by candidates is produced and authenticated according to the requirements of the relevant Specifications for each subject.
  • Where more than one teacher is involved in marking candidates' work the consistency of internal assessment is assured through internal standardisation as set out by the Awarding Bodies.

If a candidate believes that this may not have happened in relation to their work, they may make use of this appeals procedure.

Appeals may be made to the School regarding the procedures used in internal assessment, but not against the actual marks or grades submitted by the School for moderation by the Awarding Body.

After candidates' work has been internally assessed, it is moderated by the awarding body to ensure consistency in marking between centres. The moderation process may lead to mark changes. This process is outside our control and is not covered by this procedure.

Appeal procedure (internal assessment)

Any concerns about the procedures used in assessing internally marked work for external qualifications (e.g. coursework / portfolio / projects), should initially be raised with the tutor / teacher concerned. It is hoped that this will resolve the issue.
If the disagreement cannot be resolved by discussion between the teacher and candidate concerned then the candidate may appeal to the Examinations Officer, who will put into action the agreed appeals process set out below. It is expected that it will be used only in exceptional circumstances.
The Examinations Officer is in overall charge of managing appeals relating to internal assessments. In the first instance a pupil or parent wishing to appeal against the procedures used in internal assessments should contact the Examinations Officer as soon as possible to discuss the appeal, and a written appeal must be received by the School before the end of the exam season in question. Each Awarding Body publishes procedures for appeals against its decisions, and the Examinations Officer will be able to advise pupils and parents of these procedures. If a student wishes to appeal about the internal assessment process then the following procedures should be followed:

  • The appeal should be made, as early as possible, in writing to the Examinations Officer stating the details of the complaint and the reasons for the appeal
  • The purpose of the appeal will be to decide whether the process used for internal assessment conformed to the awarding body's specification and subject specific associated documents.
  • The teacher(s) concerned in marking the assessment which is the subject of the appeal will respond to the appeal in writing to the Examinations Officer
  • The Examinations Officer will conduct the investigation and will inform the appellant, in writing, of the outcome of the appeal, including any relevant correspondence with the awarding body, and any change made to internal assessment procedures.
  • The outcome of the appeal will be logged as a complaint and a written record will be kept and made available to the awarding body upon request. Should the appeal bring any irregularity in procedure to light, the awarding body will be informed..

Enquiries about Results (EARs)

After the release of examination results a candidate has the right to apply to the awarding body, through the school, for a review of their result if they consider the grade to be too low. This can take the form of a clerical check or a full re‐mark of an examination paper or papers. This review is termed an Enquiry about Results (EAR)and is applied for by the centre on behalf of the candidate.

The Examinations Officer and the subject teachers will routinely review all the exam results and identify any grades which are below what was expected. If the provisional marks are relatively close to a grade boundary they will discuss the possibility of making an EAR with the candidate.

Candidates should be aware that this process may result in a lowering of the grade awarded. Any candidate who applies for an EAR has to complete a consent form to confirm that they have understood the possible consequences of an enquiry.

If a candidate has concerns about a grade awarded for a subject they should talk their concerns through with their subject teacher and the Examinations Officer as soon as possible after the issue of results. This procedure has a short deadline and therefore requests must be carried out quickly.

There is also a cost involved which will be covered by the school as long as the school considers the review request to be appropriate. If the school does not consider the review request to be appropriate the candidate will be asked to pay the fees before the EAR can be made. If the enquiry is successful the fee will be refunded to the candidate.

The JCQ guidance to centres, including the candidate consent form can be accessed from

AQA post results services and guidance

CIE post results services and guidance

policy log

Last reviewed / June 2016
Agreed by / Donald Barr
Review frequency / Annual against current JCQ guidance