Q&A: GCSEs - expert advice 2013

Vicky Coleman of the National Careers Service answers your GCSE questions

What do you do if your grades are different from those you were expecting?

Continuing changes to secondary education mean the situation can be confusing.

With only a few days to secure a sixth-form place or take an alternative path, such as an apprenticeship or vocational college course, getting the right advice is key.

Vicky Coleman, an adviser with the National Careers Service, is offering advice to readers.

YOUR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

My daughter is in year 10 and has received her results today. She is devastated that she got C and D grades in her science exams - and a C in English literature. Can these exams be sat again?

Diane, Gloucestershire

I have a better grade than I have expected, as a result of very hard work. My question is, I want to try better sixth forms than the ones I have got. How do I go about doing this, as I did not apply to these schools originally?

Adannaya, Edmonton

My daughter has received her GCSE results and is disappointed with some of her grades. She had very good course work results and studied hard for the exams but in four subjects in particular she is gutted. These are geography where she was predicted A* and she got a B, English language where she had extra tuition and was expecting an A and got B, history predicted high A got a B and music predicted A and got C. Is there anyway to find out what went wrong?

Mrs Chawner, Stourbridge

My daughter got all A*s apart from in drama where the visiting assessor gave her a B for her GCSE performance. She has a merit at grade eight drama with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. It seems ridiculous. Why are the grade boundaries in drama totally different to any other subject?

Brian, Northwood

Fairly pleased about my results of seven A* grades, five As and one B in English language. However, on my results paper it said that my English coursework was a C, when my English teacher said it was a firm high A? Could there be a mistake with my results?

Natasha, Surrey

My son got nine A* grades and three As in his GCSEs as well as a B and a C in AS-level maths papers. He is having the B remarked as he was one point off an A and will resit the C. In the past he could have resat the exams in January but this is no longer possible. Why are there no longer resits in January? Surely it would be less pressure for students to resit then as they would only have to revise for a couple of exams instead of eight or nine.

Victoria, Upminster

My daughter has received her GCSE results today. The nature of the courses she did over the last two years were modular, and she has just received the marks for the last module giving her an overall mark for all the modules. I understand that this year they are tightening up the marking, making it harder to achieve a higher grade. Are they saying that the modules examined this summer are being marked to stricter guidelines than those taken earlier in the course? Surely, all modules must be marked according to the same standard. You should not be changing the standard for those modules taken at the end of the course.

Allan, Billericay

My son, taking the first of his science GCSE's at end of year 10, achieved two Bs and two Cs for the four papers, with an overall result of 69.75%, yet only got an overall mark of C. His friend also got a C, yet only achieved three Cs and a D. How can they both get the same overall grade? And how can an overall mark of near on 70% only be a C grade?

Russell, Chelmsford