Each year thousands of students, with the support of their teachers, work hard towards their AS and A level qualifications. Awarding bodies and their regulators take great care to ensure that high standards are maintained from year to year so that students get a fair deal and the grades they deserve.

So, what do the awarding bodies and regulators do, and why?

• The syllabus
• Setting the questions
• Exam day!
• Access arrangements
• Marking the papers
• Setting the grades
• Results!
• What next?
• Resits
• 'Cashing in'

The syllabus

AS and A levels, like other qualifications, have clear guidelines (known as criteria) that define how the qualification should be set up, what students need to learn and what skills they need to develop. Awarding bodies must make sure that the syllabus they design for each subject meets the rules set by the regulators. The syllabus must be approved by the regulators before schools and colleges can offer it to their students.

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Setting the questions

Almost as soon as you begin your A level course, examiners are thinking about what questions will be in your final exam papers.
Each exam paper takes about 18 months to prepare.

A principal examiner, appointed by the awarding body, writes the exam paper and creates a detailed explanation of how the
paper should be marked. This is passed to a reviser, then to an evaluation committee, and finally to an assessor.

At every stage along the way, experts check that the paper is clear, that there are no trick questions or nasty surprises, that it is of a similar standard to the previous year’s paper and that it can be completed in the time allowed.

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Exam day!

Once the papers have been delivered to schools it's time for you to put your knowledge, understanding and skills to the test.

If you are ready to sit your exam, but on the day something outside your control affects your performance, such as a recent illness or bereavement, you may be eligible for special consideration after the examiners have marked your paper. If you think this applies to you, speak to your teacher as soon as possible after the exam.

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Access arrangements

The awarding bodies aim to give all students a fair deal. They know that for some students the exam arrangements aren’t suitable. For example, some students who have a disability, a learning difficulty or English as a second language may need help. If you don’t
think the exam arrangements are suitable for you, speak to your teachers. They’ll be able to tell you more about access arrangements and advise you.

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After the exam day

Marking the papers

It is compulsory for examiners who will mark the exam papers and the senior examiners who will check the marking process to attend what is known as a standardisation meeting. At this meeting the examiners come to an understanding of exactly how to mark the exam. They also mark a number of scripts so that their marking can be checked for accuracy and consistency.

After the standardisation meeting, examiners mark another set of scripts. These are also checked. If the marking is not up to standard, the examiner undergoes further training or is not retained by the awarding body. If this happens, the papers are given to another
examiner. Further checks throughout the marking process ensure that you get the grades your work deserves.

Examiners are not allowed to have any connection with the school, college or students whose scripts they are marking.

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Setting the grades

Once all the marking is complete, an awarding meeting takes place. This is when the marks needed for each grade are decided. (This is known as setting the grade boundaries.) This is also when awarding bodies ensure that standards have been and will be maintained.

Guidelines set by the regulators are carefully followed to make each decision. Exam papers from previous years and papers from the current year, as well as expert judgement and technical and statistical information, are used to judge where the grade boundaries should be set.

After the awarding meeting, the accountable officer (a senior person in each awarding body) considers the grade boundaries recommended for each unit. Usually he or she accepts the recommended grade boundaries. If an accountable officer wishes to move the grade boundaries, there must be sufficient evidence for this decision and the senior
examiner has to agree to the change. If the accountable officer and senior examiner disagree, this must be reported and explained to the regulator.

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Results!

This is the day you've been waiting for!

UCAS and the universities get the results a few days before schools. This gives them enough time to make arrangements for those who are able to take up offers of a place at university.

Perhaps you've decided that after finishing your A levels you would like to find a job or travel the world. If you've decided that university is not for you, then having A level qualifications will be an advantage in your future career. They are highly valued by employers.

If you want to find out more about how A level marks relate to grades, see the 'How do marks become grades?' section.

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What next?

If you and your teachers aren't happy with your results and feel that something may have been done incorrectly, don’t worry - you can take action. You need to contact your school or college immediately. They can request your exam papers from the
awarding body so that you can see how your papers have been marked. But don't expect comments telling you where you went wrong! Your school or college can also request your paper be re-marked or the marks added up again. If you are still unhappy and think that the awarding body hasn't followed the correct procedures, then your school or college can appeal to the awarding body. Once all other routes have been exhausted, your school or college can take your appeal to the independent Examinations Appeals Board.

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Resits

It is possible to resit each AS and A2 unit, but it is worth remembering that not all units
are available to take in January.

If you decide to resit a unit, the awarding body will automatically use the highest mark from your two attempts to count towards your final grade, even if your second attempt is lower than your first. Resitting units takes time away from studying and preparing
for assessments in other units, so it is no easy option!

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'Cashing in'

'Cashing in' is the process of turning your unit marks into final AS or A level grades. If you are happy with your results and you applied to cash in when you entered the exam, you don’t need to do anything at all. If you are happy with your results but didn't apply to cash in when you entered the exam, don't worry - you can still cash in. September is when you normally need to apply to cash in, but speak to your teacher to find out the exact deadline.

If you aren't happy with your results and you applied to cash in when you entered the exam, you can decline your AS grade. But remember that you must do this within the deadline. Your teacher will know the exact date. You can then try to improve your grade by resitting one or more units.

If you accept your AS grade, you can still resit your AS units. You won't be able to use these results to improve your AS grade, but they will count towards your full A level.

If you are unsure about what to do speak to your teachers - they’ll be able to help you.

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