Appeals against results

London College of Music Examinations (LCME) prides itself in offering a friendly and encouraging examination experience. It is the responsibility of every LCME examiner to ensure that each candidate is afforded a positive experience.

The report form provided for the candidate’s examination supports and amplifies the marks awarded, and serves as a record of what happened in the exam. It should be both suitable for the type and level of examination taken and aligned with the assessment criteria specified by the given syllabus.

How to make an appeal

If you feel that LCME has fallen short in respect of its mission, and you are dissatisfied with the outcome of an examination, the board will initiate an investigation—an appeal—upon request.

Appeals can only be made by the candidate. Where a candidate is under the age of 18, the parent of the candidate may act on their behalf. Where a candidate has been referred by a booker (for example, a parent, teacher, or centre), the booker may assist the candidate in raising an appeal.

Grounds for an appeal

The academic judgement of an examination, for example, the mark awarded by examiners, is not appealable. Candidates may appeal on one or more of the following grounds:

• procedural error: the original procedural decision was incorrect because of a clerical or administrative error or bias leading to an incorrect exam result; or
• the process leading to the exam result was not conducted in accordance with LCME's policies and procedures.

Candidates may also appeal against the outcome of an Enquiry about a Result.

There are two stages to LCME's appeals process. The process is outlined below.

Please read the following carefully:

Stage 1 appeal

A first stage appeal should be received by LCME within 15 working days of the candidate being notified of the result.

Your Stage 1 Appeal will be allocated to a senior member of the examiner panel, wholly unconnected with the original assessment, who will review the evidence relating to your exam and mark it independently.

The appeal will be acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt. The outcome will be communicated to you within 20 working days.

Importantly, a first stage appeal should be lodged by the candidate (or, where the candidate is under 18, their parent), and the process will not begin until payment for the service is received.

Following the review, your mark may be revised up or down, or may remain unchanged. If the outcome means that your mark falls into a higher attainment band, a new certificate will be issued free of charge, once you have either provided evidence of the destruction of the original or returned it to us.

Submit a Stage 1 appeal here

Further details regarding the appeals procedure process are in the LCME Appeals Against Results Policy document (PDF).

LCME appeals against results policy (PDF)

What happens next?

After submitting your first stage appeal you will be notified in writing with the outcome of the appeal process. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you may request a second stage appeal.

Stage 2 appeal

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the Stage 1 Appeal, you may submit a Stage 2 Appeal within 15 working days of receiving the Stage 1 outcome.

On receiving a Stage 2 Appeal, LCME will appoint a member of the central team to coordinate the investigation, alongside an independent external reviewer who is not an employee of LCME and who has had no involvement in any previous stage of the appeal. The reviewer will assess all available information and the grounds for appeal, and produce a report detailing the outcome and any recommended actions. We aim to conclude the investigation within 20 working days; where it proves more complex, we will report on progress regularly until a conclusion is reached.

The process will not begin until payment for the service is received.

Charges (from April 2026)

Stage 1 Appeal fee

£25 per candidate, capped at £125 for a group of more than 5 candidates.

The fee will be refunded if the appeal is upheld.  This normally means that a re-mark results in a higher attainment band being awarded.

Stage 2 Appeal fee

£50 per candidate, capped at £250 for a group of more than 5 candidates. The fee will be refunded if the appeal is upheld, which normally means that a remark results in a higher attainment band being awarded.

Contacting the regulator

If you remain dissatisfied with how LCME has handled your appeal, you may escalate the matter to the relevant regulator: Ofqual, Qualifications Wales, or CCEA. All internal LCME processes must be exhausted first. Regulators do not deal with individual challenges to assessment decisions or candidates' results, but can review how LCME handled its responsibilities.

LCME Procedural Appeals Policy April 2026

The process above applies only to appeals against exam results.

If you are looking to appeal a decision about a complaint, reasonable adjustment, special consideration, sanction, malpractice investigation, or whistleblowing concern, see the LCME Procedural Appeals Policy April 2026 (PDF) for full details.