Summer 2021 Grading Timeline for GCSEs, AS, A Level and VTQ qualifications

[07 Jul 2021]

What has happened so far?

May to June: Your grades were decided and carefully checked by your school or college

  • You have completed your studies; building your knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of subjects.

  • You may have completed additional assessments in the last few months to support with Summer 2021 grading.

  • Your teachers have decided your grades by selecting a range of your work. Schools and colleges had the flexibility to decide which work to use as evidence to account for what you had been taught during the pandemic. This also made sure your grades were based on evidence and demonstrated the standard you had been performing at during your course.

  • Your teachers should have told you which work is being used as evidence for your grades. They may have told you the marks or grades for individual pieces of work but must not tell you your overall grades.

  • Each of your grades has been checked by at least two subject teachers, or your teacher and the Head of Department or Head of School. This followed your school or college’s approved policy which was reviewed by the exam boards.

  • Your school or college sent your grades to the exam boards by the 18th June.

What happens next?

21st June to 16th July: Grades will be checked by the exam boards.

  • If you haven’t already, please make sure your teacher has information they need about any special circumstances, such as illness, that may have impacted your performance on the assessments used as evidence.

  • Your teachers have now sent the exam boards examples of the evidence they based some students’ grades on so your school or college’s grades can be reviewed.

  • The boards will check a sample of schools’ and colleges’ evidence to make sure they have followed this year’s grading process and that grades are supported by appropriate evidence.

  • You can have confidence that grades have been fully checked by schools and colleges and the grading process has been externally reviewed by the exam boards.

10th August and 12th August: Receive your grades!

  • You will receive your AS, A-Level and other Level 3 (e.g. BTEC Nationals, Cambridge Technicals) grades on 10th August or GCSE and other Level 2 (e.g. BTECs, Cambridge Nationals) grades on 12th August.

  • You can then confidently progress to higher education, further education (e.g. sixth form), or employment.

  • In the event that you think an error has been made in deciding your grade, details on the appeals process will be found on the JCQ and exam board websites. Remember your grade can go down as well as up on appeal.

  • If you want to improve your grade, there will be an exam series in the autumn.

  • If you want to discuss your options, you can talk to your school or college or call the Exams Results Helpline.

  • Look out for JCQ’s Student Guide, which will be available before results day and have more support for you.

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