How to challenge a result in 2026 - Access to Scripts, reviews of marking, whether a grade can go down, priority reviews, deadlines and appeals. All from official Ofqual, JCQ and exam-board guidance.
If you think a grade is wrong, there is a clear, official process - but it’s important to understand what a review is (a check for errors, not a fresh mark) and that a grade can go down as well as up. Here’s how it works.
The same review-of-marking process applies to vocational and technical qualifications - such as BTEC Applied Generals and Technicals - as it does to A levels and GCSEs.
Start by talking to your school or college. You can ask to see your marked paper through Access to Scripts, and if it looks like something has gone wrong they can request a review of the marking on your behalf. For internal candidates the request must come from the centre, not from you or your parents directly. Source: Ofqual ↗ Source: JCQ ↗
It’s a service that lets your school request a copy of your marked exam paper. Seeing the script and the examiner’s marks helps you and your teachers decide whether a review is worth requesting. Source: Ofqual ↗
A review of marking is not a fresh re-mark from scratch. A trained reviewer who was not involved in the original marking checks that the mark scheme was applied correctly and looks for genuine marking errors or unreasonable marking. That’s the key difference from re-marking: it’s a check for mistakes, not a fresh opinion. AQA describes it as reviewing the paper “to identify genuine marking errors or unreasonable marking”. Source: AQA ↗ Source: OCR ↗
Yes. A review can move your mark and grade up, down, or leave it the same - there is no grade protection. Boards must make this clear before you consent: JCQ states candidates “must be informed that their marks and subject grades could go down as well as up”, and AQA confirms “there is no grade protection”. Source: JCQ ↗ Source: AQA ↗
Yes. You must give written consent before your school requests a clerical re-check or a review of marking, and that consent is given after results are published. (A review of moderation of coursework doesn’t need individual consent, because it can change the marks of every student at the centre.) Source: JCQ ↗ Source: Ofqual ↗
A faster review for students whose university or college place depends on the outcome. It’s generally available for AS and A-levels, with a request deadline of 20 August 2026. Pearson Edexcel also offers a priority service for GCSE (with a later deadline - 27 August 2026 for summer 2026), so check the service and deadline your awarding organisation offers. Boards aim to complete priority reviews by 3 September 2026. Source: Ofqual ↗ Source: AQA ↗ Source: Pearson ↗
It varies by board, but as a guide a standard review of marking typically takes up to 20 calendar days, a priority review up to 15, and a clerical re-check up to 10. Source: AQA ↗ Source: Pearson ↗
For summer 2026, A-level priority review requests close on 20 August 2026 (Pearson Edexcel GCSE priority: 27 August 2026 - check your board), and the final deadline for centres to request standard Reviews of Results is 24 September 2026. Source: JCQ ↗ Source: Pearson ↗
Exam boards may charge for a review if the grade does not change. If the qualification grade changes as a result of the review, there is no fee. Your school can tell you the current fees. Source: Ofqual ↗ Source: OCR ↗
Each board runs these services with its own fees and exact deadlines. See your board’s post-results pages: AQA · Pearson Edexcel · OCR · WJEC/Eduqas. Source: Ofqual ↗ Source: JCQ ↗
Your school can challenge the review outcome through an appeal to the awarding organisation. If you’ve been through the board’s appeal and still have concerns about whether the correct procedures were followed, your centre can ask Ofqual’s Exam Procedures Review Service (EPRS) to look at it - there is no fee for the EPRS. For internal candidates, appeals are made through the head of centre. Source: Ofqual ↗ Source: JCQ ↗
Last checked August 2026. This is a plain-English summary of official guidance; always check the linked Ofqual, JCQ and exam-board pages for the definitive rules, which can change.
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