GCSE and Diploma

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Thursday 27 August 2009

Did you get your Diploma or GCSE results today? Find out what your options are.

Also coming up on n2k this week

Staying on in education

Results

It’s not just about GCSEs today – the Diploma results are out as well. No matter what you received, whether you passed or could have done a little bit better, contact Connexions for more advice.

You’ll get to chat advisers about further qualifications and potential careers paths. They can also fill you in on how to fund your studies for the next few years.

Coping with the outcome

If you didn’t do as well as you expected then don’t worry, it's not the end of the world! Here’s some ways to cope with the results.

Diploma Q&A

I don’t understand how my Diploma has been graded.

Your final grade is made up of a combination of all the learning you've done in the classroom for your chosen Diploma and an assessment of the skills you've learned in the workplace. You are also marked on your Functional Skills which covers how well you did in the core areas of English, maths and ICT.

If you're still confused then take a look at your transcript. This shows you all the individual qualifications that make up your Diploma.

Can I retake my Diploma?

You can ask you tutors and teachers about retaking, but the final decision lies with your school or college. If they don’t think it’s a good idea for you to retake then you can always look at other colleges or schools nearby to see if they’re willing to take you.

GCSE Q&A

Can I retake an exam?

Yes. Also, if the GCSE is made up of different units then you can choose to retake individual exams and leave the rest as they are. The markers will then count the highest grade (between the original and retake exam) to your final grade.

Remember, retaking isn’t as easy as it sounds. It can be quite time consuming and could interfere with other plans you may have. Also there’s no sure fire way to make sure that you’ll get a higher grade the second time round. However, if you feel that you can organise your time and that it would be beneficial for you then go for it!

I don’t think my exam was marked correctly. How do I get it remarked?

You’ll have to speak to your teachers or tutors if you think your exam wasn’t marked correctly. They will make an enquiry about results (EAR) on your behalf, which is the first step to getting your exam paper reviewed. There are three possible outcomes – your grade could end up being raised, confirmed or lowered.