2021 Examination Results

Results days – dates and key release details

10th August 2021: A level and vocational level 3 results

12th August 2021: GCSE and vocational level 2 results

  • Emails will be sent to students from 8:30 am onwards on the results days advising the students of their summer 2021 qualification results.  
  • Emails will be sent to the student’s college email account.  
  • Results information will be released on the student portal from 8:30am on the same day.
  • Results information will be released on the parent portal 24 hours later.

Support for next steps – advice and guidance

  • Careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG), including support with confirming HE course choices will be available on level 3 vocational and A level results day 10th August and the day after, 11th August
  • Advice and guidance will be provided by pastoral mentors and careers advisors and will be a predominantly remote service via Google Meet or phone. However, face to face support can be arranged where this is required.

How can advice and guidance about next steps be requested?

  • A link to a Google Form will be included in the email sent to students advising them of their results. This Google Form can be used to request advice and guidance. You will be asked to provide brief details of the support needed so that we can tailor the support offered.
  • Pastoral mentors will arrange a CIAG Google Meet or phone call as required.
  • Requests will be responded to based upon time of the request and level of urgency using the detail provided.

Appeals

Given the rigour of the teacher-assessed grade (TAG) process and the transparency of the data provided, it is unlikely that you will wish to appeal, however, it is important that you know on which grounds you can appeal and how to do this and you can find details of this on our website in the Exams section.

It is important to note that following an appeal a grade can stay the same, go up or go down and the appeal grade, which is determined by the exam board and not the college, will be the final grade.  For example, if the TAG is a B and you choose to appeal because you think it could be an A , the final grade could be an A, a B or it could go down to a C or lower. This could, potentially, impact an offer from a university.

It is also important to note that should an appeal be upheld (allowed) it will not necessarily result in a grade change for a student, for example, if the exam board find that a piece of information or evidence has not been taken into account when we gave the TAG, they may also decide that not doing this has not had a material effect on the overall grade given and, therefore, they won’t change the grade. 

What is discovered in any stage of the appeals process may also result in other student’s grades requiring a change too. 

Exam boards have the final say about grade changes, not the college. 

The time frame for appeals are as follows, these deadlines are set by JCQ and are very tight:

Priority appeals (where a student’s next steps are reliant on this grade, e.g. entrance to university)

10 August to 7 September: priority appeals window

  • 10 August to 16 August: student requests centre review
  • 10 August to 20 August: centre conducts centre review
  • 11 August to 23 August: centre submits appeal to exam board

Standard appeals (where a student’s next steps are not reliant on this grade)

10 August to end October: majority of non-priority appeals take place

  • 10 August to 3 September: student requests centre review
  • 10 August to 10 September: centre conducts centre review
  • 11 August to 17 September: centre submits appeal to exam board

Students who submit a priority appeal to college are advised to notify the university that they have done so.

Summary of grounds for appeal

Stage 1 – appeals to the college (centre review)

a] Administrative error by the college: centre made an administrative error, e.g. an incorrect grade was submitted, an incorrect assessment mark was used when determining the grade.

b] Procedural error by the college: centre did not apply a procedure correctly, such as the centre did not follow its centre policy, did not undertake internal quality assurance, did not take account of access arrangements or special consideration.  The centre policy can be found here.

Stage 2 – appeal to the exam board(s) (this must be made via the college)

c] Administrative error by the exam board: the awarding organisation made an administrative error, e.g. the grade was incorrectly changed by the awarding organisation during the processing of grades.

d] Unreasonable academic judgement by the college: student considers that the centre made an unreasonable exercise of academic judgement in the choice of evidence from which to determine the grade and/or the determination of the grade from that evidence.

The starting point in a review by the exam board will be whether the TAG is reasonable, not whether the grade being suggested by the student is reasonable. An exercise of judgement will not be unreasonable simply because a student considers that an alternative grade should have been awarded, even if the student puts forward supporting evidence. There may be a difference of opinion without there being an unreasonable exercise of judgement. The reviewer will not remark individual assessments to make fine judgements but will take a holistic approach based on the overall evidence. The reviewer will only conclude that there has been an unreasonable exercise of academic judgement if the TAG was clearly wrong – i.e. there was no basis upon which the grade could properly have been given.

How to appeal

Step 1:
You must complete the Stage 1 Appeals Request Form and submit this to exams@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk within the time frames stated above.

Step 2:
If a stage 2 appeal is required you must complete the Stage 2 Appeals Request Form and submit this to exams@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk within the time frames stated above.
Please note: all appeals must go through stage 1 first.

You can access the Appeals Request Form here.

Confidentiality of grades

Staff are not allowed to discuss or disclose the TAGs with students or their parents/carers prior to the results being published in August.  It is important, therefore, that you do not ask a member of staff to reveal any grades or to submit higher grades. 

Heads of Centre have been asked to keep records of such cases and might be required to report to the exam boards any cases where they believe inappropriate pressure is being put on teachers. Exam boards may treat such cases as potential malpractice.  

Please be reassured that the process of grading involves a wide range of expert staff and leaders at the college and a robust quality assurance process.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Further information relating to appeals

Students and parents/carers have already received the following information in relation to grading and appeals in 2021:
Ofqual Student guide to awarding summer 2021
FAQs: Summer Results 2021 (students and parents/carers) – this document explains how grades have been determined in 2021.

The graphics below explain also cover the key details for different types of qualification:

TAG Poster A Level

Extenuating circumstances letter
Special consideration letter (sent via email to students who made a request for extenuating circumstances to be considered)
Centre Policy (awarding body approved)

Blackpool Sixth TAG Policy July 201

You may find this additional information useful when considering an appeal:
Guidance/ FAQs about the appeals process
JCQ Guidance for students, parents and guardians: GCSEs and AS/A Levels in England Summer 2021

Autumn Examination Series 2021 

Students who received an A Level teacher assessed grade this summer are eligible to take A Level exams in the same subjects in Autumn 2021. Exams will be in their normal format with no adaptations made and grades will be determined by a student’s performance in the exam. If a student wishes to sit exams in the Autumn series they are asked to speak to their Head of Department first for guidance, including the exam schedule and how to submit an entry.

The deadline for submitting entries is midday Wednesday 8th September 2021

 

Other information

We recognise this is an anxious time for students and we will do everything we can to support them on/after the results days. The pastoral team and Heads of Department will be available to provide information, advice and guidance on results day.

Examination team contact details

If you have any queries then please contact the Examinations Team by emailing exams@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk. Alternatively, write to Examinations Department, The Blackpool Sixth Form College, Blackpool Old Road, Blackpool, FY3 7LR.

Examination office opening hours (term and holiday time) – We are available Monday to Friday 09:00am – 16:00pm. The office is closed during the Christmas break and bank holidays. Please note that due to the Covid situation opening hours may vary.  From July 2021, please contact the Examinations team via email in the first instance. To see all the academic dates, please click here.

The examinations office is the department to contact for any queries to do with examinations held at Blackpool Sixth.

  • Advice on examination issues
  • Examination entries
  • Special consideration
  • Examination timetables
  • Access to scripts
  • Re-marking of Scripts
  • Certificates
  • Liaison with examination boards
  • Subject/candidate transfers

Here is information on the college’s policy on the review of centre-assessed marks (GCSE controlled assessments, GCE coursework, GCE and GCSE non-examination assessments and Project qualifications).