Is the SEAG remarking process really worth it for your child?

SEAG remarking isn’t a topic that will be on many parents’ minds at the minute. But for some SEAG remarking is a topic you might want to know more about. Results day can make you and your child feel all different emotions. Feelings of accomplishment, feeling proud, excited, nervous and maybe a bit anxious. So if your child does not get the result they hoped or expected, remarking might be an option that you would like to find a bit more about. So today let’s talk about the SEAG remarking process!

If you have received your child’s result and feel a bit confused about what it all means, I feel you! SEAG have not made their results process the easiest thing to understand! That’s why I created a short course, SEAG Results Explained. In this course, I go through everything you need to know about the SEAG exam results, grammar school admissions and what happens next! So if you would like more information on what your child’s transfer test actually means, get signed up for my course here!

What is re-marking?

So before we get started on what happens in the remarking process, let’s talk about what remarking is. Remarking is when the SEAG assessors will mark your child’s SEAG papers again from scratch. They can remark Paper 1 or Paper 2 or they can remark both papers, depending on your preference. However, if you are going through the hassle of getting the papers remarked, you may as well get both done. During the remarking process, SEAG assessors will mark the papers by hand, going through each question carefully one by one.

SEAG remarking is when the assessors will mark your child's transfer test papers from scratch to see if any mistakes have been made.

When can you get your child’s SEAG papers remarked?

A handy thing about SEAG is that everything is completed through your SEAG dashboard. Your child’s application is submitted here, their results are displayed here and this is also where the remarking application is made. Once the SEAG results are released, there will be a set date when remarking can take place. SEAG have announced that the dates for this year’s remarking applications are between Monday the 27th of January 2025 at 8 am and Wednesday the 5th of February 2025 at 5 pm. Once these dates have passed, the option to get your child’s paper is not possible.

SEAG remarking applications are open from Monday the 27th of January until Wednesday the 5th of February.

Remarking Results Date

With the post-primary applications portal opening on Tuesday the 28th of January 2025 and closing on Thursday the 20th of February 2025, you want to get those remarking applications as soon as possible. However, SEAG has said that all re-mark outcomes will be available before the post-primary applications portal closes.

The SEAG remarking results will be available before the EA Post-Primary admissions portal closes on the 20th of February. The remark results will be available before then.

How do you make a SEAG remarking application?

To submit your child’s SEAG transfer tests for remarking, you need to log into your SEAG dashboard. So this is where you made your child’s transfer test application and received their results. There will be a remark button on the dashboard which will lead you to a form. On this form, you will submit your child’s full name, date of birth and Unique Pupil Number (UPN). You can find this on your child’s Statement of Outcomes and their SEAG dashboard. Make sure all of this information matches the information you used during the original application process.

There is also a box where you can identify why you would like your child’s paper to be remarked. Do you feel like they made an error placing their answers in the boxes? Did your child rub out an answer and not mark their new answer boldly enough? Do you feel like the computer might have missed it? If you have a comment to type in the box, this is where to do it. Leave this box blank if you feel like your child should have got a higher score.

You will make a SEAG remarking application via your child's SEAG dashboard. You need to include your child's details and identify if you want Paper 1, 2 or both papers remarked.

SEAG Tests Remarking Fees

You will then be able to decide if you want Paper 1, Paper 2 or both papers remarked. SEAG does charge a fee for the remarking process. It costs £20 per paper so if you decide you want both papers remarked it will cost £40 in total. All parents do have to pay this fee. Unlike the SEAG application, there will be no payment exemption for Free School Meals (FSM). If your child’s score does not change after the remarking, you will not receive any money back. However, if their score does change, by going up or down, you will receive a full refund.

There are fees for the SEAG remarking. It costs £20 for each paper, so if you get both papers remarked it will cost £40.

What are the chances of your child’s score changing?

SEAG seem to be very confident that students’ scores will not change, as the marking system is so accurate. The SEAG answer sheets’ multiple-choice sections are read by a computer. On occasions if the computer cannot read one or more of the answers, a SEAG assessor will mark that question by hand. The open-response questions are not marked by a computer, they are marked by two different assessors.

Judging by SEAG’s findings from last year’s remarking, changes to a student’s original Outcomes were very rare. So be prepared that your child’s results can stay the same.

SEAG are very confident with the accuracy of their marking system. So chances are your child's score will stay the same during the SEAG remarking process.

What can happen to your child’s score?

When submitting your child’s SEAG assessment for remarking, you do need to be prepared for a few things. Option 1, your child’s score could stay exactly the same and for this, you will not receive a refund. Option 2, your child’s score could go up. This means they will get a new Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS), which could result in a new Band as well. Option 3, your child’s score could go down. This means they could possibly get a lower TSAS or Band. If options 2 or 3 occur, then you will receive a full refund for the remarking process.

There are 3 possible outcomes of the SEAG remarking process. Option 1, your child's score stays the same. Option 2, your child's score goes up. Option 3, your child's score goes down.

If your child’s score is lower than the original score, can you just keep the original mark?

This is why you need to consider if remarking is the best option, because if your child’s score goes down resulting in a lower TSAS and possibly a lower Band, then this is now their new mark. Your child’s original Statement of Outcomes will be invalid and you cannot submit this in the post-primary applications. You need to use the remark Statement of Outcomes. The same goes for a higher TSAS or Band, the original Statement of Outcomes will be void and you need to submit the Statement of Outcomes with the new higher mark, which I am sure you will happily do anyway.

If the SEAG remarking process discover that your child's score should be lower, then this is now their new score. You cannot go back to the original score.

Should you get a remark if your child thinks they put some of the answers in the wrong boxes?

This is something that I have seen happen with my students when completing SEAG practice papers. It is an easy mistake to make as those boxes are so tiny. I’ve had students finishing the English section who notice that they have a spare box or the same thing happening in the Maths section. When you are sitting at home or in your classroom completing SEAG practice papers, yes it’s frustrating and annoying but it’s not that big of a deal. But if this happens in the real tests, it can cause your child to become panicked and flustered. If your child ran out of time or realises afterwards that this has happened, you should definitely submit their SEAG exam for remarking.

In the box where you can type comments, you need to explain to SEAG what your child thinks has happened. However, SEAG states that you do need to tell them in as much detail as you can about where you think the error has occurred. Here is an example taken from the SEAG transfer test website.

If you think your child has put their answers in the wrong boxes, it may be worth going through the SEAG remarking process.

Answers in wrong boxes example:

Your child thinks that in Paper 2, during the comprehension section, they may have got their answers in the wrong order. As they continued throughout the paper, they noticed that for Question 22, the box was already filled in. When you are completing the remark application, you need to identify the area where your child thinks the mistake happened. Try and be as specific as possible as to where your child made the mistake.

Here is an example of a student putting the wrong answers in the boxes. You will need to identify the area that your child thinks they made the mistake and submit this with the SEAG remarking application.

A SEAG assessor will remark the paper and when they get to the section you specified on the form, they discover that your child has left Question 17 blank. When they check the answers that your child recorded for Questions 18 to 22 (B, C, D, E, A), they see that they only got 1 of these answers correct. The assessor will check the answers given to Questions 17 to 21 (B, C, D, E, A). The answers are in the same order and if your child had put them in the correct boxes they would have got 3 marks instead of 1.

During the SEAG remarking process, the assessor will look at the area where your child think they made the mistake.

As you were clear and specific on the remarking form as to where your child thinks the error occurred and the assessor found evidence to support this, your child would be awarded the 2 extra marks which will give them a higher TSAS and possibly a higher band.

As you were specific in your SEAG remarking application, the assessor has evidence of the mistake and if your child has the answers in the wrong boxes, they will be awarded the marks.

Top tips for remarking

If you have decided to get your child’s SEAG NI transfer test remarked, I would highly recommend that you do not tell your child that you are doing this. You don’t want to get their hopes up or make them feel like they didn’t do a good enough job the first time around. So maybe keep it a secret until you get the results back. If their score stays the same, then there’s nothing to tell them. If it goes down, then they won’t be disappointed. But if it goes up, then definitely tell them and celebrate by shouting it from the rooftops!

Please remember, that your child’s score can go down as well as up. You will need to submit the new lower result to the post-primary schools so don’t make the decision lightly to get your child’s papers remarked.

If you start the SEAG remarking process, I recommend not telling your child. You don't want them to get their hopes up or think they haven't done well enough.

More information on SEAG remarking

SEAG Resources

Your child’s transfer test results explained. What does your child’s result mean?

SEAG Special Circumstances & Special Provision

5 Fantastic Tips for Navigating Post Primary Admissions Northern Ireland

I hope this blog post has helped you understand the SEAG NI remark process a bit better. Think it over carefully and make whatever decision is best for your child. Whether that’s to leave the results as they are or making the decision to take part in the SEAG remarking process.