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| GCSE and A-level exams re-marks up, says watchdog Ofqual | GCSE and A-level exams re-marks up, says watchdog Ofqual |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| By Angela Harrison Education correspondent, BBC News | By Angela Harrison Education correspondent, BBC News |
| More than 38,000 exam entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were regraded after schools asked for re-marks, the exams watchdog Ofqual says. | More than 38,000 exam entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were regraded after schools asked for re-marks, the exams watchdog Ofqual says. |
| Overall, there was a 19% rise in requests for re-marks for this year's A-level, GCSE and AS-level exams. | Overall, there was a 19% rise in requests for re-marks for this year's A-level, GCSE and AS-level exams. |
| Ofqual says the numbers were affected by a rise in GCSE exam units. | Ofqual says the numbers were affected by a rise in GCSE exam units. |
| But A-levels were not changed in this time and requests for checks for these also rose - to about 80,000. | |
| Of these, more than 12,000 were eventually given a new grade. | |
| Ofqual says across all the exams, about one in five requests for re-marks led to a new grade being given and that this number was slightly down on last year. | Ofqual says across all the exams, about one in five requests for re-marks led to a new grade being given and that this number was slightly down on last year. |
| Competition for university places this year was intense, with tuition fees set to rise for many students in the UK. | Competition for university places this year was intense, with tuition fees set to rise for many students in the UK. |
| And there were about a dozen errors in this year's exam papers, taken by pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. | And there were about a dozen errors in this year's exam papers, taken by pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. |
| More exam units | More exam units |
| Ofqual says the regrading figures should be seen in context: that in 2011, there were more than 18 million entries for exam and assessment units. | Ofqual says the regrading figures should be seen in context: that in 2011, there were more than 18 million entries for exam and assessment units. |
| The numbers have risen dramatically in recent years due to changes in GCSEs and the increase will be reflected in the number of requests for re-marks, the watchdog says. | The numbers have risen dramatically in recent years due to changes in GCSEs and the increase will be reflected in the number of requests for re-marks, the watchdog says. |
| The proportion of exam entries given a new grade as a result of a re-mark is less than a half of one percent of the total entries, it says. | The proportion of exam entries given a new grade as a result of a re-mark is less than a half of one percent of the total entries, it says. |
| GCSEs became increasingly modular in recent years - with many being taken in chunks throughout the year. | GCSEs became increasingly modular in recent years - with many being taken in chunks throughout the year. |
| But that is going to be reversed, under changes being brought in by the Education Secretary Michael Gove. | But that is going to be reversed, under changes being brought in by the Education Secretary Michael Gove. |
| He says most exams should be taken at the end of a two-year course to make them more rigorous. The changes will affect pupils beginning GCSE courses next September. | He says most exams should be taken at the end of a two-year course to make them more rigorous. The changes will affect pupils beginning GCSE courses next September. |