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Results day, and asking for a review of marking

GCSE results for 2027 come out on Thursday 19 August. If an English grade looks wrong, only the school can ask AQA to check it, and the grade can go down as well as up.

Quick guide for parents and carers · 3 minute read

GCSE results for the summer 2027 exams come out on Thursday 19 August 2027. Schools receive them the day before, and your child gets them from the school, which decides how they are given out. Ask before the summer holiday. AQA will not give results to students or parents, “even if your school or college is closed”.

The results slip

The results slip is a statement of provisional results. AQA explains: “Results are provisional until certificates are issued.” Certificates follow about eight weeks later and go to the school. English Language and English Literature each have their own grade, and the spoken language endorsement is reported separately.

AQA publishes its grade boundaries at 8.00am on results day. If the school can tell you your child’s mark on each paper, the boundaries show how close it was to the next grade.

If a grade looks wrong

The school has to make every request. The rules come from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), through which the exam boards agree shared rules, and they say exam boards accept requests for reviews of marking only “from centres and not from candidates or their parents”. AQA puts it more simply: “Only your exams officer can request the review on your behalf.”

There are three services that matter for GCSE English.

  1. A copy of the marked paper. At AQA this is free, and the teacher can see where the marks were given before deciding anything else.
  2. A clerical re-check. Someone checks that every part of the paper was marked and that the marks were added up and recorded correctly.
  3. A review of marking. Another examiner checks the original marking for errors, including any unreasonable judgement, and the clerical checks are part of it. JCQ’s rules are clear that “Reviewers will not re-mark the script.” AQA says a review takes up to 20 calendar days, and there is no faster priority review for GCSE.

Grades can go down

Before the school sends a request, your child has to give written consent. JCQ’s rules say they must be told that “their marks and subject grades could go down as well as up”. AQA says that after a review, grades may be “lowered, confirmed or raised”.

A review corrects mistakes in the marking. An answer that was marked reasonably keeps its mark, so being one or two marks below a boundary is not enough reason on its own to ask. The most useful first step is the free copy of the paper. Ask the English teacher to read it and say whether the marking looks wrong.

Deadlines and fees

AQA’s deadline for reviews of marking on the June 2027 exams is 24 September 2027. The school needs your child’s consent and time to send the request, so ask the exams officer for the school’s own deadline before results day.

AQA’s fees for the summer 2027 exams are £10.05 a paper for a clerical re-check and £46.30 a paper for a review of marking, which includes a copy of the reviewed paper. Copies of marked papers are free. AQA says: “We only charge a review fee if your grade stays the same.” It also warns that the school may charge you an admin fee on top of the review fee, so ask what the school charges and whether it refunds anything if the grade goes up.

If English is below a grade 4

A student aged 16 to 18 who goes on to a sixth form or college course without a grade 4 in either English GCSE has to keep studying English. If your child does not get a grade 4 in English explains the rules and the resits, and What GCSE grades 4, 5 and 7 mean explains the grades themselves.

Sources

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