Guidance on Post-Results Services for the AFA

Post-results Services for the Apprentice of Fine Arts (AFA) in Creative Writing

There are four services open to candidates following the publication of results:

  1. Missing or incomplete results

This service should be used if an individual result is missing, or the candidate has been omitted entirely from the results supplied. In such circumstances please contact David Briggs as soon as the problem has been identified. There is a fee of £10 for a clerical check of this nature.

  • Reviews of marking

If a Centre believes there to have been an error with a candidate’s result, they may request a review of marking. Candidates will have until mid-September, typically five weeks after the date of publication of the AFA results, to request a review of marking for WRITE-2 and/or WRITE-3. A request for a review of marking will cost £30 per paper.

Where a review of marking is requested, the original mark awarded will be reviewed by both DLB and by the Principal Examiner not responsible for the original mark: i.e. the Principal Examiner of the paper not under review.

Exams Officers will be informed of the outcome of a review of marking within two weeks of the request having been made.

Reviews of marking for WRITE-1, the internally-assessed component, are not available for the following reasons:

  • Firstly, this is an internally-assessed component
  • The Principal Moderator only considers an adjustment to the mark awarded by the centre if the marking is deemed to be out of tolerance. WEB allows a generous tolerance (9 marks across the portfolio as contrasted to 6 marks across the folder for the old AQA A-Level)
  • If the PM does consider an adjustment to the mark, she consults first with the other two Senior Officers of WEB
  • Only in cases where Senior Officers agree that an adjustment to the marking is required will an adjustment be made
  • Any downwards adjustments to the mark of an internally-assessed portfolio will be by half of the difference between the centre mark and the Principal Moderator’s mark: i.e. if the Senior Officers agree that the centre mark was 10 marks too generous for the folder as a whole, the actual adjustment applied would be 5 marks. In circumstances where the Principal Moderator’s mark is higher than the centre mark, and sufficiently generous to be out of tolerance, WEB will award the Principal Moderator’s mark.

If a centre believes there to have been malpractice or maladministration in the assessment of their internally-assessed portfolios they should submit an appeal against procedure to the Headteacher of Bristol Grammar School.

  • Appeals against procedure

When a centre has submitted requests for reviews of marking, and also believes that WEB has not followed its own procedures, as outlined in this document and in the Specification, they will have until the 31 October in that year to submit an appeal against procedure. Provided both conditions have been met, an appeal against procedure may be submitted in the form of a letter explaining the perceived issue. An appeal against procedure will cost £150.

            An appeal against procedure should be submitted in writing to the Headteacher of Bristol Grammar School, stating clearly the precise nature of the perceived failing. The Headteacher of Bristol Grammar School, or a person appointed for the purpose (which will ordinarily be a member of SLT), will investigate, and inform the relevant centre of his or her decision. All decisions of the Headteacher of Bristol Grammar School, and their appointed spokesperson in such matters, will be final.

  • Access to scripts

Centres can request access to marked scripts. There is an administrative charge of £10 per script.

Centres should note that there is a fee for all post-results services requested. In the case of a clerical check for missing or incomplete marks proving that an error was made by WEB, the £10 fee will be reimbursed. Similarly, in circumstances where a review of marking leads to a change of overall grade for that candidate, WEB will refund the £30 fee.

  • Replacement Certificates

The administration fee for a replacement certificate is £10.

  • Deadlines

The deadline for the request of Post-results services is 16 September.

The deadline for Appeals against procedure is 31 October.