If your A Level result wasn’t what you expected, you have two real options: request a review of marking, or plan a resit. They solve different problems — a review corrects a possible marking error on the paper you already sat; a resit gives you a genuinely fresh attempt. Here’s exactly how each works across AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC in 2026, and how to decide.

The Review of Marking Process

All four boards run this under the same JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) framework, submitted by your school or college — you can’t apply individually.

• Access to Scripts (ATS) — free for all boards. Lets your school view your marked script before deciding whether a paid review is worth requesting. Use this first.
• Service 1 (clerical re-check) — confirms marks were added and transferred correctly. No re-marking against the mark scheme.
• Service 2 (review of marking) — checks the original mark scheme was applied correctly. This is what most people mean by “a remark.”
• Priority Service (2P) — the same review, expedited, for cases where a university or college place depends on the outcome.

Deadlines for Summer 2026

Service	Deadline
Priority review of marking	20 August 2026 — 7 days after A Level results day
Standard review of marking	24 September 2026

Priority reviews are aimed at completion within around 20 calendar days; standard reviews can take up to six weeks. If a Clearing decision hinges on the outcome, the priority deadline is the one that matters — and it comes round fast, so raise it with your exams officer the day you get your results, not later that week.

Fees by Board (Summer 2026)

Board	Standard review	Priority review
AQA	£51.95 per component	£61.70 per component
OCR	£67.75	£83.50
Pearson (Edexcel)	£57.00	£68.00
WJEC	£51.00	£60.00

These are list prices per component reviewed — your school pays the board and typically passes the cost to you, so confirm the exact figure with your exams officer rather than assuming. If the review changes your final qualification grade, the fee is refunded.

Your Grade Can Go Down, Not Just Up

A review of marking checks the marking against the standard, not only in your favour. All boards require your written acknowledgement of this risk before submitting a Service 2 review — a small number of reviews do result in a lower grade. This is exactly why Access to Scripts, which costs nothing, is worth using first: seeing the script often makes it obvious whether a review is likely to help.

Resits: The Next Sitting Is June 2027

Unlike GCSE Maths and English Language, A Levels don’t have a November resit series — every subject resits at the next standard sitting.

• Next opportunity: the May/June 2027 series
• Entries are typically made through your school or a private exam centre from autumn 2026 onward — check deadlines with wherever you plan to sit
• There’s no limit on how many times you can resit an A Level, and universities generally consider your final result regardless of how many attempts it took, though some competitive courses do ask about resits directly — check individual course entry requirements if this applies to you

So: Review, Resit, or Both?

• Request a review (or at least Access to Scripts) when: your grade sits close to a boundary and your exam performance felt stronger than the result suggests — especially if it doesn’t match your mock or predicted grade
• Plan a resit when: the gap between your result and your target is bigger than a marking review is realistically going to close, or you weren’t confident in your exam performance to begin with
• Consider both: Access to Scripts costs nothing and removes the guesswork — check the script first, then decide whether a paid review, a resit, or neither makes sense. Don’t wait on a review outcome before starting resit preparation if the June 2027 series is even a possibility; the review can run in parallel.

Get Your Fees, Deadlines and a Recommendation Instantly

Rather than working through the tables above manually, the Remark or Resit Decision Tool does it for your specific board — enter how close your grade was and get a personalised recommendation, fee and deadline. Add the deadline to your calendar with the Resit & Remark Deadline Countdown.

Preparing for a Resit

A resit is a genuine second chance, not a repeat of the same revision — the goal is to close the specific gap that cost marks the first time, not to redo the whole syllabus.

Tutopiya helps students prepare for A Level resits through expert one-to-one online tutoring, built around exactly this kind of targeted, exam-technique-focused revision, alongside the world’s largest AI-powered A Level resources bank. Book a free trial with an A Level tutor to build a plan around your actual gap, not a generic syllabus re-run.

Ready to Excel in Your Studies?

Get personalised help from Tutopiya's expert tutors. Whether it's IGCSE, IB, A-Levels, or any other curriculum — we match you with the perfect tutor and your first session is free.

Book Your Free Trial