Retaking Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGS) 2021

How to Retake your Teacher Assessed Grade or Grades (TAGs) 2021

If you are unhappy with one or more of your Teacher Assessed Grades, or TAGs, and you believe they were fairly awarded, then you may choose to retake them. (If you think your school or college made an error of process or judgement, please read our article on the appeals process here.)

The key information on retaking your TAGs, in response to the Ofqual consultation, can be found here.

The main points are as follows:

Who can take exams in the Autumn?

• All students who have been awarded TAGs either for GCSEs or A levels may choose to retake them in the Autumn – a full series will be available for both.
• A levels will be in October and GCSEs in November.
• AS levels will also be offered in, at a minimum, Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, with exam boards to publish if other subjects will be available.
• The Autumn series will only be open to those who were awarded TAGs, with the exception of students who can demonstrate to the exam boards that they would have entered the summer exams had they gone ahead.
• The Autumn series for Maths and English GCSEs will be open as usual to new candidates (so long as the student is 16 or older on 31st August 2021). No other subjects will be available for new candidates.

What will be the Autumn exams be like?

• The Autumn series exams will be in their ‘normal’ i.e. pre-Covid format. The only exams that will be adjusted are those previously amended to reduce content i.e. GCSE English Literature, GCSE History, GCSE Geography and GCSE Modern Foreign Languages.
• Except for art and design, grades will be determined by performance in the exams only – there will be no coursework or non-examined assessment requirements.
• For art and design qualifications, grades will be determined by students’ performance in a task set and marked by the exam board.
• A level science practical endorsements, GCSE English Language and GCSE Modern Foreign Language endorsements can all be carried over. Schools and colleges may offer resits for the endorsements, but there is no requirement to do so.

Will the Autumn exams replace my TAG grades?

• Yes, if they are higher. A replacement certificate will be issued to a student showing the higher of an autumn 2021 or summer 2021 grade if a student requests this.

What are the key dates?

The key dates can be found here.

The main dates are as follows:

• 8th September 2021   –   Deadline for A level entries
• 4th October 2021   –   Deadline for GCSE entries
• 4th-22nd October 2021   –   A level exams
• 1st November- 3rd December   –   GCSE exams
• 16th December 2021   –   A level results
• 13th January 2022   –   GCSE results

Individual exam boards have also published their timetables:

OCR
https://www.ocr.org.uk/administration/general-qualifications/preparation/key-dates-and-timetables/

AQA
https://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/dates-and-timetables

Pearson Edexcel
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/exams/exam-timetables.html

Will I be eligible for extra time or other reasonable adjustments?

Yes, the usual reasonable adjustments and exam access arrangements for candidates with disabilities and/or learning difficulties will apply.
For A levels, centres must process their online applications by 1st October 2021.
For GCSEs, centres must process their online applications by 1st November 2021.

Will appeals and remarking be available?

Yes, the usual process for appeals and remarks will be available.

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