August Update: Getting ready for summer 2016 results period

If you have submitted coursework or controlled assessments in the summer 2016 series, your moderator will have written a report which will provide you with general feedback on your marking and administration.

1. To download your report go to www.edexcelonline.co.uk and sign in using your Edexcel Online username and password. If you've forgotten your password you can generate a reminder from Edexcel Online by selecting 'forgotten password'.

2. Once you're logged in under your centre, select the relevant qualification (for example, GCSE) from the top left-hand menu.

3. Then click on the 'Results' tab on the left-hand side of the page and select 'Moderator Reports'.

If you do not have access to 'Results' in your Edexcel Online profile then you will not see the 'Results' tab. In this instance please ask your exams officer to change your profile.

4. Now select the relevant examination series, your subject and press 'Submit'. You will get a message saying the report will be in your 'mailbox' in two hours. The report normally takes only five minutes to appear in your mailbox.

5. Go to your mailbox to download the report.

Your moderator will have written a detailed report for you, highlighting good practice and, using the assessment criteria, explaining if it was necessary to adjust your centre's marks.

You can also download the Principal Moderator Report which contains detailed advice and guidance on each coursework and controlled assessment unit.

Principal Moderator Reports are available on ResultsPlus from results day. They will also be available on the respective qualifications pages from:

• 22 August for Edexcel A Levels

• 29 August for Edexcel GCSEs

1. To access the Principal Moderator's Report on results day, go to www.edexcel.com/resultsplus and sign in using your Edexcel Online username and password. If you've forgotten your password you can generate a reminder from Edexcel Online.

2. Once you are logged in under your centre, select 'ResultsPlus Analysis'.

3. Then select 'Whole cohort results' followed by 'Cohort paper analysis'.

4. Select the relevant qualification and series, for example 'GCE' and 'June 2016', followed by the relevant subject and 'View paper analysis' for your coursework or controlled assessment unit.

Due to it being an internally assessed unit there will not be any paper analysis available, but if you select 'Exam docs' you will find the Principal Moderator Report for that unit.

To access the Principal Moderator Report from the qualifications pages you should go to the relevant qualification and select 'Examiner Reports' and then choose the relevant examination series from the menu.

If you're not happy with your students' results this summer, you should take the following steps:

• For GCSE controlled assessment units or coursework units for other qualifications, download your school or college's individual E9 moderator report from Edexcel Online. For help with downloading your E9, see above. 
  
• Next, log in to ResultsPlus for an instant and detailed analysis of your students' exam performance. See how they have performed on every question and compare their performance to the national average.  
  
• You can download a copy of the relevant Principal Examiner's Report from ResultsPlus on results day. The summer 2016 question papers and mark schemes are already available to download from the relevant qualification pages. GCE examiners' reports will be uploaded onto the qualification page on 22 August 2016 and GCSE examiners' reports will be uploaded on 29 August 2016. 
  
• If, having checked your individual moderator’s report, ResultsPlus and the relevant mark schemes and examiners' reports, you're still unhappy with your students' results, you may apply for a review of marking via our post-results services. You can find everything you need to know about Results Day and post-results services here. To find out how to apply for post-results services such as reviews of marking or access to scripts, you may find it helpful to watch this guidance video. 
  
• Please remember that the last date for us to receive applications for reviews of marking services is 20 September 2016. The deadline for requesting a Priority Service 2 review of marking (GCE only, where a student's place in further/higher education depends on the outcome) is 26 August 2016. The deadline for requesting access to scripts to support teaching and learning is 4 October 2016.

Post-results service fees summary

Waiving of fees

Clerical check (EAR1) and review of marking (EAR2/EAR2P) requests

We will not charge centres for these services if the candidate:

• has been issued an overall grade for the qualification and this changes as a result of the review of marking
• has not been issued an overall grade for the qualification and their notional unit grade changes as a result of the clerical check. 

Review of moderation (EAR3) requests

We will not charge centres for this service if centre marks are reinstated as a result of the review of moderation. In all other cases, the full fee will apply.

Significant under-marking on a paper does not happen often, but if an issue is identified, we will always seek to address it via an 'extended review of marking'.

Where we're satisfied that a review of marking has revealed a demonstrable trend of significant under-marking of a centre cohort, we will seek to address the issue via an 'extended review of marking'. 'Significant under-marking' is generally defined as a change of more than 5% of the total raw mark for the paper (not the uniform mark).

If you have concerns about an entire class you will need to submit a representative sample of about 10 per cent of your centre's total cohort (a minimum of 8 candidates) for a review of marking through the EAR process. Very large centres don't need to submit more than 20 requests.

At least half the sample would need to see mark changes of more than 5 per cent of the total raw mark (not the uniform mark) for the paper for an extension to be agreed.

Where we initiate an extended review of marking, you won't be charged a fee.

Please speak to your exams officer if you wish to proceed with an Enquiry About Results. Exams officers should contact their Centre Account Specialist on 0844 463 2535 if they require further information or guidance on EAR services. All applications for EAR must be submitted through Edexcel Online. If you can't submit your request via Edexcel Online, please contact your Centre Account Specialist on the above number.

Post results service video

Post-results review of moderation of internally assessed / externally moderated coursework or controlled assessment

This service is not available to individual candidates and the outcome will affect the whole cohort. The service is not available if the original centre marks were accepted. The original sample must be sent to us within three days of the request. Work must be kept in secure conditions and not returned to candidates.

Teachers are strongly advised to download their individual centre's E9 Moderator Report from Edexcel Online, as well as their Principal Examiner's Report for the relevant internally assessed component, before proceeding with this service.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of an EAR (enquiry about results), you may wish to appeal against the decision. We will allow the head of centre (or designated member of the centre’s senior management team or examinations manager) 14 calendar days from the receipt of the outcome of the EAR, during which an appeal may be lodged by writing to the following address:

Edexcel Appeals 
Office One90 High Holborn 
London
WC1V 7BH

or by email to edexcelappeals@pearson.com.

We cannot accept appeals directly from candidates, their parents or other third parties acting on their behalf. However, private candidates may appeal directly without the support of the entering centre.

Do you need help understanding UMS marks?

From results day you'll be able to download our mark converter to convert UMS marks to raw marks and vice versa.

The mark converter is useful to teachers and students in the following ways:

• to convert UMS marks to raw marks on results day
• to convert teacher-awarded raw marks to UMS marks when teachers are marking mock exams using past papers
• to convert self-awarded raw marks to UMS marks when students are revising for future exams using past papers.

The summer 2016 converter will go live on results day.

What are UMS marks and why do we use them?

Grade boundaries are set using raw marks (the actual paper marks).

Raw mark boundaries change from series to series since exam papers can perform differently from year to year, depending on the tasks set. We're also required to review coursework and controlled assessment grade boundaries in each series to ensure standards are maintained.

Even though raw mark boundaries can vary, we have to ensure that the standard required to gain a particular unit score is the same from exam series to exam series.

The uniform mark scale is therefore used to convert students' raw marks to uniform marks. This is done to standardise the marks between different units and from year to year.

So, even though the raw mark boundaries may change, the uniform mark for each grade boundary remains the same for all examinations.

You can download the raw mark and UMS grade boundaries for each exam series from our website.

Summer 2016 grade boundaries will be made available from results day.

How do UMS marks contribute to the overall GCSE or A level grade?

After a student has been awarded a result, their uniform mark will be recorded in our system until their teacher requests the overall grade to be calculated and certified (cash-in).

You can find tables showing the minimum uniform marks required for each grade at unit level and at qualification level at the back of the specification for the qualification you are interested in.

I hope you found this update useful. For more detailed information on UMS, see this UMS guidance.

These will be released in late September 2016.