Revised Grading: Can modifications be made to projected grades once they've been issued?
In the world of International Baccalaureate (IB), students may question whether they can improve their predicted grades after they have been sent to universities. While it's not a common occurrence, there are circumstances where changes can be made, but it depends heavily on the school's policies and the universities' admissions procedures.
If students demonstrate significant improvement, such as much better mock exam results, some schools may allow updates to predicted grades. This is more common before crucial application deadlines or in systems with rolling admissions, like some US or Canadian universities. However, many schools have strict deadlines for submitting predicted grades, especially for UCAS applications in the UK. After these deadlines, teachers usually will not revise predicted grades, and universities may not accept updated predictions.
Universities worldwide use predicted grades to assess a student's academic potential before final IB results are available. In the UK, predicted grades are crucial for conditional offers via UCAS, while in Canada, they are important for early admission decisions. In Australia and Asia, predicted grades are often used to determine equivalency or eligibility.
If a student's final IB results substantially exceed their predicted grades, universities sometimes have processes like "adjustment" or "clearing" to reconsider offers based on final results rather than predicted grades. On the other hand, if final grades are lower, students might discuss the possibility of remarking their exams or submitting new Internal Assessments with their IB coordinator to try improving their results, which can indirectly affect university acceptances.
To attempt changing predicted grades after submission, students should:
1. Contact their IB coordinator or teachers immediately to understand their school’s policy. 2. Reach out to universities or admission offices directly to check if they accept updated predicted grades or consider new information prior to offers being finalized. 3. Be aware that once grades are submitted through formal systems like UCAS, changes are often not possible or accepted.
In summary, changing predicted grades after submission is possible but uncommon and limited to special cases like demonstrated major improvement and depends on school and university policies. Early communication and coordination with your school and the universities involved is essential.
It's important to note that while predicted grades are considered in many places, they are not the be-all and end-all of a student's academic journey. Universities care about a student's entire academic journey, and one set of predictions won't define their future. A student's effort, consistency, and final results are more important than predicted grades in determining their future. In the US, for example, predicted grades are considered, but they are less critical in a holistic review.
In conclusion, while changing predicted grades can be challenging, open communication with your school and universities can help navigate this process. Always remember that your best performance is what is aimed to be reflected in your predicted grades, and your effort and final results will ultimately determine your future.
Engaging in mock exams can be an effective way to improve learning and potentially lead to updates in predicted grades, especially within the context of education-and-self-development and online-education. Additionally, demonstrating a significant improvement in mock exam results could increase the chances of schools revising their predicted grades, which can have a indirect impact on university acceptances.
