Assessment results enquiries and appeals
AAT has robust quality assurance procedures in place to ensure that results issued to students are correct and are an accurate reflection of their performance.
However, you (or your training provider or employer acting on your behalf) can use AAT’s enquiries and appeals procedure in certain circumstances.
When to use this process
You can use this process if you:
- believe the result and/or percentage score for an assessment, or the overall grade and/or percentage score for a graded qualification or apprenticeship End Point Assessment (EPA), is incorrect
- disagree with decisions made regarding reasonable adjustments or special considerations for an assessment you've taken (where an application has been made to AAT)
- disagree with a result of an assessment carried out by your training provider
- believe the marks for the tasks used to calculate your estimated results are incorrect
- need more detailed feedback on your performance per task
- want to appeal a Malpractice Review Panel (MRP) decision, regarding actions to be taken against you following an investigation into malpractice or maladministration.
You can't use this process for:
- reporting a suspected error in an assessment. Either you or your assessment centre should instead email the details to customersupport@aat.org.uk, or the centre should submit an incident report form
- applications for special consideration: if you'd like your assessment to be granted special consideration because of illness, a traumatic accident or a major and unpredictable life event (for example the death of a close relative) at or shortly before the time of assessment, see the Reasonable adjustments and special consideration for assessments page
- querying the method of calculating estimated results.
How we carry out our checks
AAT will carry out various checks to determine whether your result is correct. If we find any errors related to the application of marking or calculation of marks, we'll correct them, and refund any fees you've paid as part of the enquiries and appeals procedure. However, it's important to note that marks or grades can go down as well as up.
Enquiries will only lead to a mark adjustment where an error is found in the calculation of the awarded marks, or if the original marking was incorrectly applied. An enquiry cannot give further compensation for any impact that an assessment issue might have had on the student during the assessment.
We won't provide copies of or extracts from assessment scripts at any stage of the process, as it could compromise the security of our assessments.
Stage 1: an enquiry
Request a detailed review of your assessment, which will include detailed feedback on your performance in each task. Human-marked tasks taken as part of an assessment will be reviewed by a subject matter expert who was not involved in the original marking.
Submitting your enquiry or appeal
For each stage, you must email the application form to assessment.operations@aat.org.uk so we receive it within 10 business days of:
- for enquiries, the publication of your result or grade
- for appeals, your notification of the enquiry outcome or MRP decision.
Appealing decisions by assessment centres
We recommend to assessment centres that an assessment shouldn't take place if you're uncomfortable with a reasonable adjustment applied, or the lack of one.
Similarly, we recommend that if you notify the centre of a special consideration requirement immediately before the assessment, it may be more appropriate to sit it later.
You have the right to appeal a decision if the assessment centre:
- rejects or doesn't apply a reasonable adjustment that it's able to apply
- doesn't submit a reasonable adjustment or special consideration request that requires approval from AAT
- grants your request, but you believe it's insufficient and leaves you disadvantaged compared to other students.
Submitting on students' behalf
Training providers or employers that submit an enquiry on behalf of a student or group of students, or an appeal on behalf of a student, are responsible for ensuring students give consent to complete and sign the application form on their behalf, and that all students are aware of the procedure and timelines.
Fees
These fees will be refunded if your enquiry leads to an error being found in the calculation of the awarded marks, or if the original marking was incorrectly applied, or if the outcome of your appeal is in your favour.
- Stage 1: Enquiry: £39 per student, per assessment
- Stage 2: Individual Appeal (for Stage 1 or MRP decision): £132 per student, per assessment
Payment is required before your application can be processed. Payment can be made using bank transfer or card:
- through the Pay outstanding fees service online, once we've invoiced you
- by contacting our Customer Services team on +44 (0)20 3735 2468.
If you want to make a bank transfer please state this on your form. Once we've received your form a member of the Assessment Operations team will email to confirm when an invoice has been placed on your MyAAT account. You'll then have ten business days to make this payment.
See how to raise an enquiry, and how long it takes.
See how to appeal the outcome of an enquiry or Malpractice Review Panel decision, and how long it takes.
If you're unsatisfied with the appeal outcome
If you've exhausted this process and you're unsatisfied with the outcome of your appeal, you can refer your complaint to the relevant regulatory authority.
Disclaimer: regulatory authorities do not have the power to overturn assessment decisions. This can only be done by the awarding organisation.
