Ask what decision the process can change
A score check might investigate a specific administrative or marking concern, if such a service is offered. A selection review considers academic suitability under local rules. An admission appeal decides a dispute about a refused school place.
These processes should not be described as three ways to obtain extra test marks. Read the scope of the procedure before deciding which outcome to request.
A qualification change is not necessarily a score change
Buckinghamshire provides a clear example. A child below 121 who succeeds at Selection Review is treated as qualified for its grammar schools. The practical change is eligibility for consideration, subject to the schools’ allocation rules.
Bexley’s headteacher review similarly concerns the selective decision in exceptional circumstances. Its wording should not be taken as a promise to re-mark papers on a parent’s request.
Save the written outcome and check which schools or route it applies to. An informal assurance that a case “looks promising” is not a changed result.
Understand the effect on a later appeal
A local review may have consequences beyond the immediate result. The DfE’s guidance explains that an appeal panel following a local review may initially consider whether that review was fair, consistent and objective. It does not automatically conduct the whole review again.
Before submitting, read the local review guidance and gather the evidence it actually accepts. If a primary-school statement is required, contact the school early enough for it to prepare one.
Keep other school options active
Submit the CAF by the deadline, following the area’s instructions on naming grammar schools during review. Do not remove realistic alternatives because you expect a successful outcome.
If you suspect a factual error, send the organiser the candidate reference, the incorrect item and the correct information. If your concern is academic underperformance, use the relevant evidence process rather than asking for a speculative score increase.
After a refusal of a school place, the admission appeal route may be available. A successful review does not guarantee an offer at an oversubscribed school, and an unsuccessful review does not justify missing the deadlines for other applications.
A FEW MORE ANSWERS
Still wondering?
Does a successful Buckinghamshire review turn 119 into 121?
The key effect is that the child is treated as qualified, like a child who scored at least 121. Do not assume the original reported score is rewritten.
Is being one mark below enough for a successful review?
No. A small shortfall does not automatically establish a successful case. Read the academic and exceptional-circumstance evidence required by the local process.
Will a successful admission appeal qualify the child for every grammar school?
An admission appeal concerns a particular refused school place. Do not assume its outcome is a transferable qualification across other schools or routes.
Official sources
Checked 28 Sept 2026