Information for 2026 GCSE / BTEC Examinations

Exam Results Day is Thursday 20th August 2026, 9am to 12 noon.

GCSE Appeals Process for Summer 2026

The reviews and appeals system for GCSEs has a number of stages, illustrated in the text below. Ofqual’s rules set out in detail the way exam boards must carry out each of the stages.

What to do if you think there is a mistake in your results….

Reviews of marking and enquiries about results

If you think there has been a mistake in the marking of your exams or assessments, you should talk to your school or college. Your school or college can ask the awarding organisation to check if there were any errors in how your exam or assessment was marked. If your school or college decides not to take forward your request for an awarding organisation to review the marking of your work, you can ask your school or college to review that decision.

For some qualifications, including GCSEs, your school or college can also ask to see your marked assessment or exam paper. They can do this before deciding whether to ask for a review of marking, to see whether they think there was a mistake when your work was marked. The awarding organisation may charge for this.

If your school or college asks for a review of marking and the awarding organisation does not find any mistakes, your mark will not change, so your grade will not change. If the awarding organisation finds a mistake, your mark could go up or down. If your mark changes, this could mean that your grade stays the same, goes up or goes down.

An awarding organisation cannot give you extra marks just because your mark was close to a grade boundary or because you did not get the grade your school or college predicted. In most years, at A Level, only around half of students achieve the grades their school predicted them. If you don’t get the grade your school predicted, it does not automatically mean something has gone wrong with the marking or grading of your exam.

For GCSE and some vocational or technical qualifications, your school or college can also apply for a review of moderation of non-exam assessment that was marked by your teacher, if marks were changed by the awarding organisation following moderation. This review would apply to all students taking the qualification at your school or college, not just to you.

If the awarding organisation finds a mistake with the moderation, your grade could stay the same or go up, but it cannot go down. This is because the review affects many students, and schools and colleges may not be able to get permission from everyone to request the review. This review would apply to all students taking the qualification at your school or college, not just to you.

The awarding organisation may charge fees for reviews of marking or moderation if your grade does not change. There will be no fees if your grade changes following a review. Your school or college will be able to tell you about any fees that you may need to pay.

If you are not sure whether this would apply to the qualification you are taking, you should speak to your school or college.

More information about Reviews and appeals for GCSEs, AS A levels and Technical Qualifications within T Levels can be found at this link: DfE: Reviews and Appeals for GCSE

Deadlines

Awarding organisations publish details of the deadlines for seeking reviews of marking or moderation, and appeals, on their websites.

Appeals

For all qualifications, if you and your school or college still have concerns after asking the awarding organisation to review your mark, your school or college can challenge the review decision through an appeal. The possible outcomes of an appeal are the same as for reviews of marking or moderation, explained above. Your school or college will be able to tell you about any fees you may need to pay.

Your school or college can also challenge awarding organisations’ decisions about reasonable adjustments, special consideration and malpractice. If you have concerns about any of these decisions, speak to your school or college.

Exam procedures review service

If your qualification is a GCSE, AS or A Level, Level 3 Project (EPQ) or Technical Qualification (part of a T Level) and your school or college thinks the review of marking or moderation and / or appeal were not completed properly, they can ask Ofqual to review the case.

This is called the exam procedures review service (EPRS). An application can only be made to EPRS after your case has been considered at the awarding organisation’s final appeal stage. There is no fee for the EPRS.

The EPRS will look at whether the awarding organisation has followed its own procedures and Ofqual’s rules.

Ofqual will not review your work or change your grade.

We can ask the awarding organisation to look at your appeal again if we think the awarding organisation has made a mistake when it completed the review of marking or moderation, or when it considered your appeal.

See guidance on the EPRS for more information.

What Happens After You Have Taken Exams or Assessment?

All appeals must be submitted to the college by a date in line with exam boards deadlines.

Further information and details regarding the appeals and review process can be found at the links below.

Regulating GCSE Guide for Schools and Colleges 2024 – Reviews and Appeals

JCQ Appeals Information Booklet effective from June 2023

Student Request Form for Appeals to Awarding Organisations