Need help obtaining lost exam certificate / examining board

jay213

I'm trying to find out how to find out the grades I received for GCSE English. I want to apply for a course that requires it as an entry requirement. I failed GCSE English in school and retook it in college in 1998 or 99.

In GCSE English I did two parts, English Literature and English Language. I got a C for one and an D for the other, I'm really not sure which one I received the C grade for. I read that the English Language grade is the one that determines if you passed GCSE English?(Is that correct)

I previously contacted my old college I took the exams at a few years ago and if I remember correctly they were unable to help me in regards to what examining board may have been used as I think they had many changes since that time period and didn't have records going back that far.

stclair

You can get them see here:

https://www.gov.uk/replacement-exam-certificate

jay213

I'm not sure what examining board I did them with.

On the link it says.

Check with your school or college if you!!!8217;re not sure which exam board holds your results.

My old college was unable to help me with this information. Should I just cold call all of them? I'm not sure if I heard/read that they charge you to do an search.

beckysheffield

Are they asking for proof or are you trying to remember your grade?

I!!!8217;m sure you will get on the course fine, I didn!!!8217;t have to provide my certificates for a levels to be allowed to study my degree so it!!!8217;s automated or whatever.

I wouldn!!!8217;t worry about it, just say you got a C.

jay213

It is to get into teaching/pgce. I have not applied yet but it looks like GCSE English and Maths is a entry requirement that they will check.

emsywoo123

jay213 wrote: »

It is to get into teaching/pgce. I have not applied yet but it looks like GCSE English and Maths is a entry requirement that they will check.

They will. 100%. Please ignore advise that suggests you "just say you got a C"!

Smodlet

jay213 wrote: »

I'm not sure what examining board I did them with.

On the link it says.

Check with your school or college if you!!!8217;re not sure which exam board holds your results.

My old college was unable to help me with this information. Should I just cold call all of them? I'm not sure if I heard/read that they charge you to do an search.

Not sure it would work but I would approach this the same way I would any instance of unsatisfactory customer service: Call them again and go over the head of the obstructive/useless little gatekeeper. I don't care how "nice" they are; if they are not giving you the information you need, they are failing. Escalate your complaint because that is what it is.

If you escalate at least two levels (e.g. admin assistant's manager's manager) and still get nowhere, I would then do as you yourself have suggested and just canvass all providers. Someone somewhere must have your exam results so they need to go and look for them.

This must happen all the time (see recent threads about employers destroying certificates) so make these people do their jobs if you want a result. The default setting in too many low level jobs is to do the least you can get away with or to fob people off.

HTH.

walwyn1978

You can contact all 5 exam boards - however be warned that even if they don't have a record of you because your board was not them they will still charge you the search fee for looking, which is between £45-60, each (and some boards charge twice to search for two subjects)

A cheaper way if it works is if you still have any contact with old college friends to ask them if they have their certificates still and if so what examining board it says. Then use the link above to just contact that board and only pay one set of fees.

DO NOT claim you have C's as THEY WILL check and THEY WILL NOT let you complete the course without seeing the evidence.

Edit: yes, English Language at C is the one you want, it's the standard one FE/HE look at

nimbo

It may be worth trying to see if you can speak to an English tutor at the college. If ones been there long enough they may remember which board they use. Or at least tell you the one they use now and it may be a good starter for 10!

Are there any open days coming up? So you could pop along to ask...

jay213

Smodlet wrote: »

Not sure it would work but I would approach this the same way I would any instance of unsatisfactory customer service: Call them again and go over the head of the obstructive/useless little gatekeeper. I don't care how "nice" they are; if they are not giving you the information you need, they are failing. Escalate your complaint because that is what it is.

If you escalate at least two levels (e.g. admin assistant's manager's manager) and still get nowhere, I would then do as you yourself have suggested and just canvass all providers. Someone somewhere must have your exam results so they need to go and look for them.

This must happen all the time (see recent threads about employers destroying certificates) so make these people do their jobs if you want a result. The default setting in too many low level jobs is to do the least you can get away with or to fob people off.

HTH.

I've contacted the college again and I spoke to a lady from exams. The college merged with another in 2012/13. The lady said that there records didn't go back that far (98). She said the furthest back would be about 2007 and that most things from that time would likely be paper based.

She said the old college(Southgate, where I took exams) used a different system, Capita and that the merged (new)college now use EBS student management system. I asked if there was anybody I could contact, she said not that she could think off, I asked for her manager, but she wasn't available and said that they would say the same.

The lady said that there isn't any old staff in English department going back that far. She said since the college merged they have been using AQA for GCSE English. She also said it could be Pearson(formerly Ed Excel) or OCR, she said less likely to be OCR but that it could be.

Any other suggestions? I might have to take a gamble with AQA.

Smodlet

jay213 wrote: »

I've contacted the college again and I spoke to a lady from exams. The college merged with another in 2012/13. The lady said that there records didn't go back that far (98). She said the furthest back would be about 2007 and that most things from that time would likely be paper based.

She said the old college(Southgate, where I took exams) used a different system, Capita and that the merged (new)college now use EBS student management system. I asked if there was anybody I could contact, she said not that she could think off, I asked for her manager, but she wasn't available and said that they would say the same.

The lady said that there isn't any old staff in English department going back that far. She said since the college merged they have been using AQA for GCSE English. She also said it could be Pearson(formerly Ed Excel) or OCR, she said less likely to be OCR but that it could be.

Any other suggestions? I might have to take a gamble with AQA.

Sorry, I have no idea what you just said but it seems, from the other thread I mentioned possible to contact exam boards directly, as walwyn said. Good luck.