Exam Feedback & Appeals
RIAM examiners and administration are here to ensure that you have a positive experience at your exam. We hope that you will perform to your very best on the day.
We realise that there may be times that your experience may not be as happy as it could be. We welcome feedback and have a system in place to deal with exam delivery, venue or assessment concerns.
In relation to any appeal or request for feedback, please note the following:
- For ‘live’ exams marks cannot be changed retrospectively (except for computational errors) because there is no objective means of re-assessment once the examination has taken place.
- For ‘recorded’ exams these performances can be reviewed and independently reassessed. Marks may be altered in these circumstances.
- Theory and Harmony written papers can be reviewed and independently reassessed. Marks may be altered in these circumstances.
We categorise two different types of feedback, complaint or appeal:
- Informal feedback/complaint about either;
- The exam day – examiner, venue, facilities, or;
- Feedback/complaint about general examination experience not related to exam day.
- Formal appeal of exam marks
Please note, there is no charge for submitting an appeal, or for lodging feedback with RIAM.
Informal feedback/complaint about the exam day – examiner, venue, or facilities
If you wish to let us know about issues that occurred on examination day, or your general experience with RIAM Exams, please contact exam.feedback@riam.ie . If it is in regard to the exam day, you should contact us no later than 7 days after the exam. We will aim to respond to you within 40 days.
The information should include:
- Name of correspondent and relationship to candidate (parent/teacher/other)
- Name of candidate
- Candidate Number, or date of birth
- Exam venue
- Nature of the feedback/complaint (up to 150 characters)
Formal Appeal of Exam Marks
A formal appeal of marks involves a detailed investigation into the outcome of an exam by an experienced examiner. We will aim to respond to your appeal within 40 working days. If we need to take longer, for example if it is a complicated appeal, we will let you know when we will send you our full response.
In order to submit an appeal please follow these steps;
- Click on the Exam Appeals Submission form, which will require:
- Name of correspondent and relationship to candidate (parent/teacher/other)
- Name of candidate
- Exam/application number
- Exam venue (note 'Online' for video exams)
- Reason for appeal (up to 150 characters)
- After completing the form, please respond to the automatic email by forwarding a .jpg or .pdf attachment to the Exam Appeals email address
Please note that the application is not complete until the Candidate Mark Sheet has been received by email. Please do not forward any originals via post.
For ‘Live’ Exams the investigation will involve:
- An analysis of the examiner’s work to date including marking statistics across previous years and within the particular session
- Review of the mark form to ensure that the comments match the marking criteria
- Any other pertinent information available
Where appropriate, the appeal assessment may ask for a direct response from examiner, which may or may not be provided to the appellant
The outcome of the appeal may result in either:
- The original result is supported and the appeal is not upheld.
- The appeal is upheld and the equivalent original exam fee is awarded towards an exam within a year of issue, or towards part payment of a higher exam. Alternatively, a refund of the original exam fee may be issued instead of the equivalent fee towards a future exam.
For ‘Recorded’ Exams the investigation will involve:
- A review of the exam recording and assessment by a senior examiner.
- A review of the original result sheet. Where appropriate, the appeal assessment may engage in discussion with the examiner, which may or may not be provided to the appellant.
The outcome of the appeal may result in either:
- The original result sheet is supported and the appeal is not upheld.
- The appeal is upheld and revised marks are issued to the candidate.
We ask that all appeals are received by RIAM as soon as possible, and no later than 21 days after the candidate result sheet(s) have been received. Any correspondence received after this will be investigated as part of our internal Quality Assurance processes but we cannot guarantee to provide a response in these circumstances.
Exam Appeal Submission Form
Exam Appeal Submission Form