Appeals for GCSE, AS, A level and Project qualifications: 2023 to 2024 academic year
Published 10 April 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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This report presents figures for the number of appeals made during the 2023 to 2024 academic year in England for GCSE, AS, A level and, Project qualifications. It also gives information on the number of qualification grades challenged and changed due to those appeals. The report covers all the opportunities to enter for the qualifications during the academic year, including:
- November 2023 and June 2024 for GCSE qualifications
- June 2024 for AS and A level qualifications
- November 2023, January 2024 and June 2024 for Project qualifications
For all GCSE, AS, A level, and Project qualifications appeals could be submitted if a school or college was dissatisfied with the result of a review of marking, review of moderation, a malpractice decision, or the outcome of a reasonable adjustment or special consideration request. Appeals are made at the component level and, if related to the same issue, can cover more than one student. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) guide to the awarding organisations’ appeals process describes 2 steps for appeals:
- Preliminary appeal (‘stage 1’ appeal): a review by a senior awarding organisation member who has not previously been involved with the particular case.
- Appeal hearing (‘stage 2’ appeal): applicants and awarding organisation present their respective cases to the panel of 3 or more members, one of which must be independent of the awarding organisation.
An appeal about a student’s grade could be made on multiple grounds. Appeals that were made on multiple grounds for the same component are counted as one appeal received.
This report presents comparisons with data between the 2021 to 2022, 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 academic years. Please note that whilst the same appeals process was in place between these years, comparisons with the 2021 to 2022 academic year should be treated with caution due to the differences in the grading standard applied in summer 2022 as well as the additional autumn 2021 exam series. Due to the different appeals process in place in academic years 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021, these years are not included in this report (see background notes accompanying this report for more information).
Changes in cohort size may affect the overall number of appeals and grades challenged in each academic year. In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, there was an increase of 4.6% in the total number of grades awarded for GCSE, AS, A level and an increase of 1.3% in the number of certificates issued for Project qualifications compared with the previous year. More information on the respective measures of cohort sizes can be found in the background notes accompanying this report.
Key headlines
The key headlines regarding appeals made for GCSE, AS, A level, and Project qualifications for the 2023 to 2024 academic year in England were:
- Overall, 2,655 (0.04%) of the 6.8 million grades awarded for GCSE, AS and A levels were challenged at appeal, an increase of 1.8% compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year when 2,610 grades were challenged
- Overall, 745 (0.01%) of the 6.8 million grades awarded for GCSE, AS and A levels were changed as part of an upheld appeal, an increase of 5.7% compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year when 705 grades were changed
- The number of appeals received for GCSE, AS and A levels in the 2023 to 2024 academic year was 1,795. Of these appeals 970 (54.2%) were upheld. As explained in the main report, one appeal may cover more than one grade
- The most common ground for which appeals were received in the 2023 to 2024 academic year for GCSE, AS and A levels was ‘review of marking - marking error’
- For Project qualifications, 5 appeals were received in the 2023 to 2024 academic year all of which were upheld. Out of the 200 grades challenged for Projects, 45 were changed. As explained in the main report, one appeal may cover more than one grade
- For all qualifications covered, 73% of upheld appeals were associated with a qualification grade change in the 2023 to 2024 academic year
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The number of appeals received by exam series
GCSE, AS and A levels, and Project qualifications
The majority of appeals in the 2023 to 2024 academic year were for the summer exam series.
Table 1: Number of appeals received by exam series for GCSE, AS and A level, and Project qualifications
| Qualification | November 2023 | January 2024 | June 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCSE | 50 | No assessments | 1,020 |
| AS and A level | No assessments | No assessments | 725 |
| Project | Fewer than 5 | 0 | 5 |
Due to the small number of appeals, details on Project qualification appeals are reported in a separate section from GCSE, AS, and A levels.
Total number of appeals received, upheld and associated with at least one grade change
An appeal may be submitted by a school or college, or private candidate, if they: - are dissatisfied with the result of a review of marking or moderation - wish to contest the outcome of a reasonable adjustment or special consideration request - wish to contest a malpractice decision The appeal may be upheld at either the preliminary appeal or appeal hearing stage, and this may lead to a change in one or more of the qualification grades challenged.
The data tables and charts in this report contain combined figures on all grounds of appeals received by all awarding organisations. Further breakdowns are given in the data tables accompanying this report. ### GCSE
The number of GCSE appeals received decreased from 1,155 in the 2022 to 2023 academic year to 1,065 in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. The number of appeals upheld decreased from 690 in 2022 to 2023, to 620 in 2023 to 2024, and the number of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change decreased from 520 in 2022 to 2023, to 475 in 2023 to 2024. Despite these changes, overall, the number of appeals received, appeals upheld and appeals associated with at least one grade change for GCSE in 2023 to 2024 has remained broadly in line with previous years.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, the percentage of GCSE appeals that were upheld, as a proportion of GCSE appeals submitted (58.0%), has remained broadly in line with levels reported in 2022 to 2023 (59.6%).
Table 2: The number of appeals received, appeals upheld, and appeals associated with at least one grade change at GCSE from the 2021 to 2022 academic year to the 2023 to 2024 academic year
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals received | 1,090 | 1,155 | 1,065 |
| Appeals upheld | 635 | 690 | 620 |
| Percentage of appeals upheld | 58.3% | 59.6% | 58.0% |
| Appeals associated with at least one grade change | 470 | 520 | 475 |
| Percentage of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change | 74.2% | 75.3% | 77.2% |
AS and A level
The number of AS and A level appeals received increased from 685 in the 2022 to 2023 academic year to 725 in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. The number of appeals upheld increased from 325 in 2022 to 2023, to 355 in 2023 to 2024, and the number of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change increased from 215 in 2022 to 2023, to 230 in 2023 to 2024.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, the percentage of AS and A level appeals that were upheld, as a proportion of AS and A level appeals submitted (48.6%), has remained broadly in line with levels reported in 2022 to 2023 (47.0%).
Table 3: The number of appeals received, appeals upheld, and appeals associated with at least one grade change for AS and A level from the 2021 to 2022 academic year to the 2023 to 2024 academic year
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals received | 455 | 685 | 725 |
| Appeals upheld | 240 | 325 | 355 |
| Percentage of appeals upheld | 53.4% | 47.0% | 48.6% |
| Appeals associated with at least one grade change | 175 | 215 | 230 |
| Percentage of upheld appeals associated with at least one grade change | 71.5% | 65.9% | 65.7% |
Grounds for appeals
Appeals can be made to contest the result of a review of marking or moderation, or to contest a malpractice decision or a decision on reasonable adjustments or special consideration.
An appeal about a student’s grade can be made on multiple grounds. In this section each ground for appeal is counted separately. This means the total number of appeals in this section will not match the total number of appeals reported elsewhere in the report.
GCSE
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, review of marking - marking error was the most common ground for GCSE appeals with 820 appeals received. This was an increase compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year when there were 805 appeals received on that ground.
Note, for all figures in the report the highlighted bar shows the current year. Other bars show previous years for context, presented in the same order as the legend.
Table 4: Grounds for GCSE appeals
| Ground for appeal | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review of marking - marking error | 575 | 805 | 820 |
| Malpractice | 315 | 220 | 175 |
| Reasonable adjustment or special consideration | 175 | 115 | 50 |
| Review of moderation - marking error | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Review of marking - procedural | 15 | 0 | Fewer than 5 |
| Review of moderation - procedural | 5 | Fewer than 5 | Fewer than 5 |
AS and A level
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, review of marking - marking error was the most common ground for AS and A level appeals with 560 appeals received. This was an increase compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year when there were 510 appeals received on that ground.
Table 5: Grounds for AS and A level appeals
| Ground for appeal | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review of marking - marking error | 315 | 510 | 560 |
| Malpractice | 65 | 60 | 65 |
| Reasonable adjustment or special consideration | 55 | 80 | 65 |
| Review of moderation - marking error | 15 | 30 | 35 |
| Review of marking - procedural | Fewer than 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Review of moderation - procedural | Fewer than 5 | 5 | Fewer than 5 |
Preliminary appeals and appeal hearings
The appeals process, as set out in JCQ regulations, consists of 2 stages:
- Preliminary appeals (‘stage 1’ appeal): a review by a senior awarding organisation member who has not been previously involved in the individual case. As a result of a preliminary appeal, the case is either upheld or not upheld
- Appeal hearings (‘stage 2’ appeal): when the applicant and awarding organisation present their cases to the panel. An applicant may decide to progress to an appeal hearing if they are dissatisfied with the result of the preliminary appeal. As a result of an appeal hearing, the case is either upheld or not upheld.
An appeal panel consists of 3 or more members, at least one of which is independent from the awarding organisation (meaning they have not been an employee, examiner, committee or board member of the awarding organisation in the previous 5 years).
If a school or college, or private candidate, is still dissatisfied with the outcome following an appeal, they can apply to Ofqual’s Examination Procedures Review Service (EPRS) within 21 days of receiving the appeal outcome from the awarding organisation.
GCSE
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, for GCSE, 475 preliminary appeals were associated with at least one grade change (45.0% of all preliminary appeals, compared with 44.9% in the 2022 to 2023 academic year) and no appeal hearings were associated with at least one grade change (compared with fewer than 5 in the 2022 to 2023 academic year).
Table 6: Total number of appeals and the number of appeals associated with at least one grade change by appeal stage for GCSE
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of preliminary appeals | 1,090 | 1,155 | 1,065 |
| Number of appeal hearings | 55 | 25 | 20 |
| Percentage of preliminary appeals leading to appeal hearings | 5.1% | 2.2% | 2.0% |
| Preliminary appeals associated with at least one grade change | 465 | 520 | 475 |
| Appeal hearings associated with at least one grade change | 5 | Fewer than 5 | 0 |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were no GCSE appeals where the outcome of the appeal was still pending the outcome from the Examinations Procedure Review Service (EPRS).
AS and A level
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, for AS and A levels, 230 preliminary appeals were associated with at least one grade change (31.8% of all preliminary appeals, compared with compared with 30.9% in the 2022 to 2023 academic year) and fewer than 5 appeal hearings were associated with at least one grade change (the same as in the 2022 to 2023 academic year).
Table 7: Total number of appeals and the number of appeals associated with at least one grade change by appeal stage for AS and A level
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of preliminary appeals | 455 | 685 | 725 |
| Number of appeal hearings | 35 | 30 | 35 |
| Percentage of preliminary appeals leading to appeal hearings | 7.3% | 4.1% | 4.7% |
| Preliminary appeals associated with at least one grade change | 175 | 210 | 230 |
| Appeal hearings associated with at least one grade change | 0 | Fewer than 5 | Fewer than 5 |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were no AS and A level appeals where the outcome of the appeal was still pending the outcome from the Examinations Procedure Review Service (EPRS).
Grades challenged and changed
A single appeal may represent one or more qualification grades which are being challenged, for example when a school or college appeals against its results for a qualification taken by a number of its students. Additionally, students are awarded 2 grades for GCSE combined science. An upheld appeal may result in a change to all, some, or none of the associated qualification grades. Therefore, an increase or decrease in appeals received may not be reflected in the number of grades challenged or changed.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, there were 2,550 GCSE, AS and A level students whose grades were involved in appeals compared with 2,450 in the 2022 to 2023 academic year. The same student may be involved in more than one appeal.
This translated to 2,655 (0.04%) of the 6.8 million grades awarded for GCSE, AS and A level being challenged. Of these grades challenged, 745 (0.01% of grades awarded) were changed as part of an upheld appeal.
GCSE
In 2023 to 2024, there were 1,440 grades challenged and 535 grades changed for GCSE. This was a decrease of 15.1% in the number of grades challenged and an increase of 5.8% in the number of grades changed compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year, where 1,695 and 505 grades were challenged and changed, respectively.
Table 8: The number of grades challenged and changed for GCSE
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades challenged | 1,900 | 1,695 | 1,440 |
| Grades challenged in upheld appeals | 740 | 1,145 | 710 |
| Grades changed in upheld appeals | 460 | 505 | 535 |
| Grades not changed in upheld appeals | 240 | 640 | 180 |
The number of grades changed or unchanged refers only to grades included as part of an upheld appeal. It also does not include cases where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade is unknown or yet to be determined (for example, in cases where a preliminary appeal was upheld, the appeal progressed to an appeal hearing and the final qualification grade is awaiting the result of the appeal hearing). In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, at the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were fewer than 5 GCSE grades from upheld appeals where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade was unknown or yet to be determined.
AS and A level
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, there were 1,215 grades challenged and 215 grades changed for AS and A level. This was an increase of 32.9% in grades challenged and an increase of 5.4% in grades changed compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year, where 915 and 205 grades were challenged and changed, respectively.
Table 9: The number of grades challenged and changed for AS and A level
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades challenged | 555 | 915 | 1,215 |
| Grades challenged in upheld appeals | 290 | 380 | 360 |
| Grades changed in upheld appeals | 165 | 205 | 215 |
| Grades not changed in upheld appeals | 125 | 175 | 145 |
The number of grades changed or unchanged refers only to grades included as part of an upheld appeal. It also does not include cases where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade is unknown or yet to be determined (for example, in cases where a preliminary appeal was upheld, the appeal progressed to an appeal hearing and the final qualification grade is awaiting the result of the appeal hearing). In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, at the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were fewer than 5 AS and A level grades from upheld appeals where either the pre or post appeal qualification grade was unknown or yet to be determined.
Completion within target timescales
The target timescales that awarding organisations have chosen to set in the 2023 to 2024 academic year allowed 6 weeks (42 calendar days) to complete a preliminary appeal from the receipt of the application, and 10 weeks (70 calendar days, in addition to time already spent at the preliminary appeal stage) to complete an appeal hearing from the receipt of a request for an appeal hearing.
The figures for the percentage of appeals completed in the target time in this section are for completed appeals only, and do not include appeals which were still in progress at the time the data was collected. At the point at which Ofqual collected the data, in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, there were 10 GCSE and 10 AS and A level appeals which were still in progress and may or may not be completed within the target timescale.
GCSE
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, 98.5% of completed GCSE preliminary appeals (compared with 98.2% in the 2022 to 2023 academic year) and 55.6% of completed GCSE appeal hearings (compared with 66.7% in the 2022 to 2023 academic year) were completed within the target timescale.
The median number of days to complete a GCSE preliminary appeal in the 2023 to 2024 academic year was 19 days (compared with 18 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year). The median number of days to complete a GCSE appeals hearing in the 2023 to 2024 academic year was 67 days (compared with 60 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year).
Table 10: GCSE preliminary appeals and appeal hearings completed within exam boards’ target timescales
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary appeals completed in target time | 1,060 | 1,130 | 1,045 |
| Percentage of completed preliminary appeals completed in target time | 97.8% | 98.2% | 98.5% |
| Appeal hearings completed in target time | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| Percentage of completed appeal hearings completed in target time | 34.5% | 66.7% | 55.6% |
AS and A level
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, 97.4% of completed AS and A level preliminary appeals (compared with 96.1% in the 2022 to 2023 academic year) and 85.7% of completed AS and A level appeal hearings (compared with 95.5% in the 2022 to 2023 academic year) were completed within the target timescale.
The median number of days to complete an AS and A level preliminary appeal in the 2023 to 2024 academic year was 19 days (compared with 21 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year). The median number of days to complete a AS and A level appeals hearing in the 2023 to 2024 academic year was 49 days (compared with 59 days in the 2022 to 2023 academic year).
Table 11: AS and A level preliminary appeals and appeal hearings completed within exam boards’ target timescales
| Value | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary appeals completed in target time | 440 | 660 | 705 |
| Percentage of completed preliminary appeals completed in target time | 96.9% | 96.1% | 97.4% |
| Appeal hearings completed in target time | 25 | 20 | 25 |
| Percentage of completed appeal hearings completed in target time | 79.3% | 95.5% | 85.7% |
Grades challenged at appeal
GCSE
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, grade 3 was the most commonly challenged grade for GCSE, with 310 grades challenged. For each GCSE combined science grade between 9-9 and U, 10 or fewer grades were challenged (a full breakdown can be found in Table 7 of the data tables accompanying this report).
Source: Table 7 of the data tables accompanying this report.
AS and A level
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, grade B was the most commonly challenged grade for AS and A level, with 460 grades challenged.
Source: Table 7 of the data tables accompanying this report.
Raw mark changes for upheld appeals
For upheld appeals, only changes where both the original and resulting mark are known are included in the distribution of changes to the raw marks.
Note that all mark increases of 10 marks or more have been combined into a single category (‘10 or more’) and all mark decreases have been combined into the category ‘less than or equal to -1’. A change of 10 marks or more may reflect an overturned malpractice decision where the student was originally given 0 marks due to alleged malpractice.
GCSE
Overall, in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, 96.6% of upheld appeals (where both the pre and post appeal raw marks were known) resulted in additional marks given, compared with 54.9% in the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, the most common outcome was a mark change of 10 or more (23.7%), followed by a mark change of 1 (17.5%). There were 5 appeals that led to a decrease in marks. Mark changes of 10 or more marks were predominantly from appeals on the grounds of malpractice, for example where a malpractice decision was overturned, and penalties were reduced or removed.
Table 12: GCSE raw mark changes at appeal
| Mark change | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| less than or equal to -1 | 5 | Fewer than 5 | 5 |
| 0 | 70 | 735 | 20 |
| 1 | 135 | 165 | 135 |
| 2 | 55 | 305 | 75 |
| 3 | 55 | 60 | 55 |
| 4 | 40 | 50 | 50 |
| 5 | 25 | 25 | 50 |
| 6 | 20 | 20 | 60 |
| 7 | 20 | 15 | 35 |
| 8 | 10 | 15 | 85 |
| 9 | 10 | 20 | 20 |
| 10 or more | 135 | 215 | 185 |
There were fewer than 5 GCSE raw mark changes for upheld appeals in the 2023 to 2024 academic year excluded from this section, due to either the pre or post appeal raw mark being unknown. For the same reason, fewer than 5 GCSE raw mark changes for upheld appeals in the 2022 to 2023 academic year were excluded.
AS and A level
Overall, in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, 85.1% of upheld appeals (where both the pre and post appeal raw marks were known) resulted in additional marks given, compared with 80.6% in 2022 to 2023.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, the most common outcome was a mark change of 10 or more (20.2%), followed by a mark change of 1 (17.4%) and a mark change of 3 (13.6%). There were 10 (2.5%) appeals that led to a decrease in marks. Mark changes of 10 or more marks were predominantly from appeals on the grounds of malpractice, for example where a malpractice decision was overturned, and penalties were reduced or removed.
Table 13: AS and A level raw mark changes at appeal
| Mark change | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| less than or equal to -1 | 15 | 20 | 10 |
| 0 | 25 | 70 | 50 |
| 1 | 55 | 50 | 70 |
| 2 | 35 | 80 | 45 |
| 3 | 25 | 40 | 55 |
| 4 | 10 | 35 | 35 |
| 5 | 15 | 30 | 20 |
| 6 | 15 | 25 | 15 |
| 7 | 10 | 25 | 5 |
| 8 | 10 | 15 | 10 |
| 9 | 10 | 5 | Fewer than 5 |
| 10 or more | 55 | 70 | 80 |
There were fewer than 5 AS and A level raw mark changes for upheld appeals in the 2023 to 2024 academic year excluded from this section, due to either the pre or post appeal raw mark being unknown. For the same reason, fewer than 5 AS and A level raw mark changes for upheld appeals in the 2022 to 2023 academic year were excluded.
Grade changes for upheld appeals
In this section, the grade changes following an upheld appeal in the 2023 to 2024 academic year are reported. Instances where upheld appeals were for students who were not originally given a grade, or where a student’s grade had not yet been determined after an appeal was upheld are not included in this section.
GCSE
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, when an appeal was upheld and both the original and resulting grades were known, 175 (25.6%) GCSE grades challenged did not change. This was a decrease compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year when 635 (56.7%) GCSE grades challenged in upheld appeals did not change.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, the majority of GCSE grades challenged in upheld appeals were increased by 1 grade (57.2%) at appeal (compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year, where the majority were not changed). Overall, 71.5% of GCSE grades challenged in upheld appeals were increased after appeal (compared with 42.5% in 2022 to 2023) and 2.9% of GCSE grades challenged were decreased (compared with 0.8% in 2022 to 2023).
Table 14: Grade changes from upheld appeals at GCSE
| Grade change for upheld appeals | Number of grades 2021 to 2022 | Number of grades 2022 to 2023 | Number of grades 2023 to 2024 | Percentage of grades 2021 to 2022 | Percentage of grades 2022 to 2023 | Percentage of grades 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decreased by 2 grades | Fewer than 5 | 0 | Fewer than 5 | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Decreased by 1 grade | 15 | 10 | 20 | 2.1% | 0.8% | 2.7% |
| No grade change | 245 | 635 | 175 | 36.4% | 56.7% | 25.6% |
| Increased by 1 grade | 325 | 390 | 395 | 48.7% | 34.9% | 57.2% |
| Increased by 2 grades | 50 | 50 | 60 | 7.6% | 4.5% | 8.8% |
| Increased by 3 or more grades | 30 | 35 | 40 | 4.6% | 3.1% | 5.5% |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were 20 GCSE grades challenged for upheld appeals in the 2023 to 2024 academic year where grades were either unknown, not awarded (for example, if the student was absent) or yet to be determined. These grades are not reported in this section.
AS and A level
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, when an appeal was upheld and both the original and resulting grades were known, 145 (41.2%) AS and A level grades challenged did not change. This was a decrease compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year when 175 (47.8%) AS and A level grades challenged in upheld appeals did not change.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, the majority of AS and A level grades challenged in upheld appeals were increased by 1 grade (51.4%) at appeal (compared with the 2022 to 2023 academic year, where the majority were either not changed or increased by 1 grade). Overall, 58.5% of AS and A level grades challenged in upheld appeals were increased after appeal (compared with 52.2% in 2022 to 2023) and 0.3% of AS and A level grades challenged were decreased (compared with no grades in 2022 to 2023).
Table 15: Grade changes from upheld appeals at AS and A level
| Grade change for upheld appeals | Number of grades 2021 to 2022 | Number of grades 2022 to 2023 | Number of grades 2023 to 2024 | Percentage of grades 2021 to 2022 | Percentage of grades 2022 to 2023 | Percentage of grades 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decreased by 2 grades | Fewer than 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Decreased by 1 grade | 0 | 0 | Fewer than 5 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| No grade change | 125 | 175 | 145 | 44.1% | 47.8% | 41.2% |
| Increased by 1 grade | 135 | 175 | 180 | 47.7% | 47.8% | 51.4% |
| Increased by 2 grades | 20 | 15 | 20 | 7.1% | 3.6% | 5.1% |
| Increased by 3 or more grades | Fewer than 5 | Fewer than 5 | 5 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 2.0% |
At the time when data was reported to Ofqual, there were 10 AS and A level grades challenged for upheld appeals where grades were either unknown, not awarded (for example, if the student was absent) or yet to be determined. These grades are not reported in this section.
Project qualifications
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, there were 5 appeals received for Project qualifications, all of which were upheld and 5 of which were associated with at least one grade change.
In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, there were 200 students for Project qualifications whose grades were involved in an appeal. Overall, 45 grades were changed as a result of an appeal (for context, a total of 51,915 certificates were issued for Project qualifications in the 2023 to 2024 academic year).
Table 16: Appeals received, appeals upheld, grades challenged and grades changed for Project qualifications
| Appeals received, appeals upheld, grades challenged, and grades changed | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appeals received | 10 | 15 | 5 |
| Appeals upheld | Fewer than 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Grades challenged | 290 | 395 | 200 |
| Grades changed | 15 | 40 | 45 |
Contextual information
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the cancellation of exams in summer 2020 and summer 2021. Exams, assessments and standard post-results services resumed in summer 2022, with some adaptions to the usual assessments. The approach to grading led to overall results in 2022 being midway between results in 2021 and 2019. In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, assessment arrangements largely returned to pre-pandemic arrangements and results in summer 2023 were broadly similar to summer 2019, reflecting a return to pre-pandemic grading.
This report presents comparisons with data between the 2021 to 2022, 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 academic years. Please note that whilst the same appeals process was in place between these years, comparisons should be treated with caution due to the differences in the grading standard applied in summer 2022 as well as the additional autumn 2021 exam series.
To ensure confidentiality, the data in this report has been rounded in line with Ofqual’s rounding policy.
Further information on this release is available in the background notes and data tables accompanying this report.
Head of profession: Ben Cuff