Appeals

On this page, we provide detailed information about how to apply for an OCR appeal. For full details about the appeals process, please read the JCQ appeals booklet:

Appeals can be submitted by:

• Heads of centre
• Private candidates
  
• Members of staff or third parties who have been subject to malpractice sanctions.

These are referred to as the ‘appellant’. We only communicate with the appellant unless they have provided written authority for us to communicate with someone else. Candidates and/or their parents/carers cannot appeal directly themselves.

We send all confidential information using our secure file transfer system, Kiteworks. 

The first time we contact you, we will send two emails – one notification email and one email with login details and a link to the file transfer system.

You will then receive a separate email notification from Partnerfiles asking you to activate your account and create a password. 

This will allow you to access the correspondence we send to you.

There are three main types of appeals:

• Reviews of results outcomes
• Malpractice decisions and sanctions imposed on candidates/staff/centres
  
• Access arrangements, special consideration and reasonable adjustments
  

Although they do not follow the formal appeal process, you can also request reviews of other administrative decisions such as:

• very late arrival
• missing scripts
• estimated grades
  
• assessment decisions (verified qualifications only).

For full details, please see the JCQ appeals booket.

The appeal process has two stages:

1. The preliminary stage involves an investigation of the case or a review of the original malpractice decision – we aim to complete this within 42 calendar days of receipt of the request.
   
2. The appeal hearing involves a hearing of the case by the independent appeals committee – we aim to complete this within 70 calendar days of receipt.

You must have completed the preliminary stage in order to proceed to an appeal hearing.

More information can be found in the JCQ appeals booket.

For externally verified qualifications

• Appeals against sanctions – for Level 2, 3, 4 or 5 Sanctions imposed on centres delivering externally verified qualifications, you should first request a review of the sanction. How to do this will be detailed in the letter you receive informing you of the sanction imposed, usually following your EQA visit. If you wish to appeal against the outcome of the review you can follow the process for making a request for an appeals hearing. Please get in touch with our team at appeals@ocr.org.uk if you have any questions.
• Appeals against assessment decisions – candidates should follow their centre’s appeals process when appealing against the centre’s assessment. If this does not resolve the matter, the Head of Centre can refer the issue to their OCR external quality assurer (EQA), usually at their next EQA visit. If the centre wishes to appeal against the EQA's assessment decision they should request their EQA to submit their appeal to the Chief Quality Assurer (CQA). Reconsideration of an assessment decision by the CQA will be taken to meet the requirements of a preliminary appeals process (an investigation by a senior member of OCR who has had no previous involvement with the results in question). If this does not resolve the matter, the Head of Centre should follow the process for making a request for an appeals hearing.

How to appeal

To begin the preliminary stage, please email your request to the OCR Appeals team at appeals@ocr.org.uk within:

• 30 calendar days of receiving the outcome of the review of results
• 14 calendar days of receiving the malpractice or assessment decision. 

Your request should clearly set out the grounds for appeal and provide evidence/an explanation to support those grounds.

The JCQ/App1 form in the JCQ appeals booklet can be used to form the basis of the appeal request.

What happens next?

1. We will email an acknowledgement to the appeal request within five working days. Please let us know at appeals@ocr.org.uk if you do not receive an acknowledgement.
2. We will then let you know whether we can carry out the appeal and, if not, provide the reason why. This is based on whether all requirements for an appeal have been met, including grounds for appeal and/or the timescale of the application.
   
3. If we can, we carry out the appeal review. The appeal will either be 'upheld' or 'not upheld' and we will send a report explaining the decision.
   
4. Where the appeal is upheld, we will carry out further work. For example, for a review of results appeal, there may be a change to the grade, or for a malpractice appeal, we may remove or change the sanction. 

How to appeal

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the preliminary stage, you can request an appeal hearing. Please note it is not possible to request an appeal hearing for administrative decisions.

You must make the request for an appeal hearing within 14 calendar days of receiving the preliminary appeal outcome, and send it to appeals@ocr.org.uk. 

The JCQ/App1 form in the JCQ appeals booklet can be used to form the basis of the request.

What happens next?

1. The appeal hearing will be held. This is a formal hearing where both you and OCR representatives present the case to the appeals committee, which is a panel of people who are not directly employed by OCR, and who have had no previous involvement with the case. For details of the appeal hearing format, please see the JCQ appeals booklet. Although we recommend you present the case, for malpractice appeals, the case may be heard on the basis of written evidence.
2. The appeals committee will decide whether the appeal should be 'upheld' or 'not upheld'. We will notify you of the outcome within five working days of the hearing, although we will aim to do this sooner where possible. 
3. We will provide a detailed report of the hearing within 28 calendar days.
4. If the appeal is upheld, the appeals committee may ask for further work to be carried out or for the case to be re-considered.

The appeal hearing concludes your appeal options with OCR. However, if you are unhappy with the outcome of an appeal, in some cases, you can appeal to the Examinations Procedures Review Service (EPRS).

Please see the details of the services available below:

• England – please see the Ofqual website.
  
• Northern Ireland – please see the CCEA website. 
• Wales – please see the Qualification Wales website.

Fees only apply when the outcome of a review is being appealed and, if the appeal is upheld, you will not be charged. This is outlined in our charging policy below.

Details of the fees charged for each stage can be found in the post-results services fees list. We’ll send an invoice when the appeals process is complete.