It is the aim of Ridgeway Secondary School to make the examination experience as stress-free and successful as possible for all candidates. We have a dedicated team of staff with a focus on ensuring our students have the best possible examination series in order to succeed.
Hopefully the information and links below will prove informative and helpful for you and your parents. Please read through each section carefully and make sure you are aware of the examination procedures and regulations, thus preventing any problems occurring during the exam period.
We are required to follow the strict criteria from the awarding bodies (or examination boards) therefore pay particular attention to the Information for Candidates sections.
If you or your parents have any queries or need help or advice at any time before or during the exam period, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to answer your questions.
Please see the 2024 GCSE exam timetable (subject to change) here: GCSE 2024 Timetable Student Version
If you are unable to take an examination because you are ill, you must notify the school by telephone (01527 892867) as soon as possible. The Receptionist will let the exam staff know of your illness.
If you miss an external examination through illness, you must complete the JCQ Form 14 and return it to school as soon as possible or by email to [email protected]. Please note that without this completed form we cannot proceed with any special consideration request, and it is possible that you may be charged the entry fee for the examination. If possible, you should sit the examination – it may be possible to accommodate you in a small room rather than in the Examination Hall – this depends on staff availability.
Year 11 – Thursday 24 August
Students will be able to collect their results from 9:30am in school.
If students cannot collect their results on results day, they can choose to have the results emailed by filling in the Email Collection form and returning to the school office or emailing to [email protected] by the 23rd August 2023.
If students would like a third party to collect results on their behalf, they must fill in the Third Party Collection form and return it to the school office or email to [email protected] by the 23rd August 2023.
The person named in the Third-Party form must bring photographic ID when collecting results.
Following the release of examination results, a candidate has the right to apply to the awarding body, through the school, for a review of their results if they believe an error has been made. Please note that parents/carers cannot make an enquiry on behalf of a candidate as the results are the intellectual property of the candidate. This can take the form of a clerical check or a full re-mark of an examination paper or papers. Students can also request to be sent an electronic copy of their examination paper. This review is termed an Enquiry About Results (EAR) and is applied for by the school on behalf of the candidate. This procedure has a short deadline and therefore any requests must be carried out quickly and within the deadline stated. Candidates wishing to make an enquiry or appeal about results must complete a request and consent form and sent to [email protected] prior to the stated deadlines in the Post Results Services Deadlines Summer 2023 document.
If Ridgeway Secondary School makes an enquiry about the result of the examination after the subject grade has been issued, there are three possible outcomes:
- The original mark is confirmed as correct, and there is no change to the grade
- The original mark is raised, so your final grade may be higher than the original grade and the fee refunded.
- The original mark is lowered, so your final grade may be lower than the original grade
We advise that any candidate who has concerns about a grade awarded for a subject to talk their concerns through with the subject teacher (where possible) before the dates shown later in this document. Following this discussion, the school will apply for a review if this is considered an appropriate course of action.
To proceed with the enquiry or appeal, you must complete and sign a request and consent form, available from the examination’s office or via the website. This tells the headteacher that you have understood what the outcome might be, and that you give your consent to the enquiry or appeal being made.
Two services are available to candidates which are summarised below:
Service 1: A clerical re-check of the marks awarded.
Service 2: A review of the marking, in accordance with the agreed mark scheme. A priority service is available for A-level candidates where a higher education place is dependent upon the outcome.
For Services 1 and 2, the written consent of the candidate must be obtained, as the candidate’s marks and subject grades may be lowered.
Access to Scripts (ATS) Services
Service 1: Requesting priority scripts. This is available to AS/A level candidates only. Following receipt, a subsequent enquiry about results can be made, if required.
Service 2: Requesting non-priority scripts. This is available for both GCSE and AS/A level. Receipt of the script by the candidate will be too late for any subsequent results enquiry to be made but may be useful to support the candidate’s future learning.
Fees and deadlines differ slightly, according to examination board each year and are detailed in the Post results service Fees and Deadlines Summer 2023 document.
All applications for Enquiries about Results (EAR) and Access to Scripts (ATS) services must be made through the examination officer (Mr Burns). Applications can be made by contacting: [email protected]
All GCSE and certificates will be available for collection from the main school reception from December 2023. When collecting results students should bring with them photographic identification. All certificates must be signed for on collection.
As per the JCQ guidelines, any examination certificates that have been returned to us will be kept by Ridgeway Secondary School for 12 months until December 2024.
If students wish to claim their examination certificate following this date, students will need to contact the awarding bodies themselves for replacement certificates. Please note that not all examination boards offer a replacement certificate service. If this is the case a ‘Certifying Statement of Results’ will be issued.
AQA: https://www.aqa.org.uk/contact-us/past-results-and-lost-certificates
PEARSON: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/Services/replacement-certificates.html
OCR: https://www.ocr.org.uk/students/replacement-certificates/
WJEC: https://www.wjec.co.uk/home/student-support/replacement-exam-certificates/
