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Exam marking consistency: Ofqual must publish the data

GCSEs and A Levels Examinations & Qualifications
Of around 330,000 GCSE, AS and A level grade challenges in 2024, 220,000 marking errors were discovered resulting in almost 75,000 grade changes. Given the numbers involved, Ofqual must begin routinely publishing marking consistency metrics, says Dennis Sherwood
What if? One-in-five exam grades appealed in 2024 were changed (most upgraded). It begs the question: How many unchallenged exam grades might also have been changed if they had been appealed? - Adobe Stock

In December, exams watchdog Ofqual published its statistics relating to reviews of marking and moderation for the summer 2024 GCSE, AS and A level exams in England (Ofqual, 2024).

As shown in the left-hand column of the table below (figure 1), the overall number of grades changed, expressed as a percentage of entries, 1.2%, has been remarkably constant each year since 2016, when Ofqual introduced the current rules for appeals.

As with all statistics, it is always wise to look behind the numbers, and doing so reveals that the number of grades changed in 2024 (74,665) is indeed 1.2% of the number of grades awarded in 2024 (6,423,785).

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