To appeal or not to appeal: When and how to do it
The moment I step out of the exam hall after finishing an exam, I usually feel a mixture of emotions — relief, now that I don't have to worry about exams, and happiness, now that I have some time to do anything other than study. But in addition to those feelings, at times I feel a sense of uncertainty about some of my answers. I'm sure many people would relate to this feeling as well. One way to ease these feelings is to discuss those points with colleagues; but more often than not, we don't necessarily agree on a single solution, or we might be clueless altogether.
When the exam results finally come, looking at the Examiner's Report for the specific questions that were problematic may cause candidates to realize the questions were interpreted in a completely different manner by the CAS. At this point, candidates could believe they had valid points and that their interpretations should be included as a valid answers, too. According to their understanding, this could be a cause for appeal. But what are valid appeals and how can a candidate submit one? And, what are the timeframes associated with submitting an appeal?
An appeal is not a request to get your exam reviewed or re-graded. Candidates cannot simply ask for a revision of their exam or grade without a specific reason. In the appeal, the candidate presents an alternative answer to an exam question that he or she believes should be considered and explains why it should be the case. This can include a different way of approaching or resolving a problem or of interpreting the question. Successful appeals do not require candidates to remember exactly what they wrote on the exam, but it is crucial that they explain the reason why the alternative method is valid.
An appeal such as "I believe my answer to question 5 is correct and should be reviewed" or "I should have received full credit for my solution to question 10 because I wrote that...", are not valid appeals, as the candidates do not specify what the alternative answer they think should be considered is and why it is legitimate. Another example is "Please review my examination, as I believe my score of 5 is wrong," since the candidate does not refer to a specific question in which he thinks an alternative solution should be deemed accurate.
On the other hand, one type of valid appeal would be that a candidate presents an alternative way of solving a question and fully documents why it is correct. Another valid appeal would quote specific parts of the Syllabus that were not considered in the model solutions and use those specific things to demonstrate an alternative answer. Also, a candidate could show that the answer proposed in the Examiner's Report is incorrect and explain an alternative satisfactory answer. It is worth pointing out that the Examiner's Report includes answers that received full credit, but for questions having many possible correct answers, it might not include all solutions that received full credit during grading. Therefore, an appeal listing such an answer would not result in any changes to candidates' scores.
Appeals must be written in a Word document and sent to the CAS Office by fax, mail or email (appeals@casact.org) prior to the deadline. The appeal window opens when the Examiner's Report is published and lasts two weeks. The exact dates appear on the CAS website, along with the Examiner's Report.
When the CAS Office receives an appeal, it first determines if it is valid (i.e., whether it presents an alternative solution). If it is deemed to be so, then the appeal is sent to the Examination Part Chair responsible for that examination, who reviews it and makes recommendations to the CAS Syllabus & Examination Committee (SEC) chairperson. For an appeal to be successful, it must stand on its own: Candidates' answer sheets are not looked at when judging it. Candidates should not assume that their answer sheet will be verified, for example, by referring to language in their solution. The SEC chairperson reviews the appeal based on the appeal document submitted only. If the appeal is determined to be correct, exams are re-graded to identify if any candidates' scores are affected by the alternative solution. All candidates having their score changed from fail to pass are notified.
