Once GCSE results are released in August, students will be able to make their next steps - be that moving on to A levels, further vocational education, apprenticeships or employment.
If things didn’t go quite as expected, students may find themselves in a position where they need to retake a qualification.
Whether a student needs to resit a GCSE in order to meet a course requirement and facilitate progress to the next stage of their educational journey, or simply because they wish to improve their grade, there are some important points to be aware of.
A student can also choose to retake any other GCSE but it is not a requirement.
Who pays for the resit?
If a student is required to take the GCSE resit in English and/or maths because they did not attain a grade 4 pass, then they will not be expected to pay.
Students who wish to resit English and/or maths to improve their grade but who have already obtained a grade 4 pass or above will be expected to pay.
Students who wish to resit a GCSE in any subject other than English or maths will also be expected to pay, and may have to enter as private candidates.
In all cases, the best approach is to contact the institution the pupil is studying with and ask about payment options.
Will students’ resit grades be included in the school data?
If a student retakes a GCSE and achieves a higher or lower grade, the student can use whichever GCSE grade is higher.
With regards to Progress 8 scores and league table positions, only the first grade awarded to students will count.
What happens if the resit grade is lower than the original?
If a student achieves a lower grade in their resit than in the summer series, this does not mean the student loses their higher grade. Instead, they can choose to use the higher of the two grades.
If a student resits multiple times, the highest of the grades can be used.
How many times can a student resit a GCSE?
There is no limit to the number of times a GCSE can be taken.
However, if a student fails to gain a grade 4 pass in English and/or maths GCSE after retaking the exam, the institution they are studying with may suggest taking another recognised qualification.
Are GCSE resits marked in the same way as GCSEs?
For students sitting exams the following year, they will be marked as normal and judged against that year’s cohort.
For English and maths GCSE resits in the autumn term, although the marking is the same as the summer exams in terms of what is assessed, there is a difference in the method used for setting grade boundaries.
The method changes because, in the summer series, the decision about where the boundaries are set is partly informed by the cohort’s previous key stage 2 data, as this is used to predict how well the cohort should perform in the exam.
However, as the cohort for the autumn resits is made up of a smaller number of pupils without the same ability spread as the summer series, this data is not as useful. Instead, more weight is given to comparing papers against other scripts from the past summer series to form their grade boundaries.
Ofqual says this approach means they can ensure “it is no easier or harder to achieve a particular grade in any particular exam series”.
If you are unsuccessful in achieving a grade 4 pass in English or maths, there is the option of taking another recognised qualification.
The government’s National Careers Service website explains how those under 18 will “have to retake GCSE English and maths” if they do not achieve a grade 4, but adds: “Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible to take functional skills qualifications instead.”
Functional skills English and functional skills maths are online qualifications that can be taken at any age, and exam boards can offer them “on demand”. This means there is no fixed exam date and students can take them whenever they feel ready.
Qualifications in functional skills in English and maths are offered by AQA and Pearson Edexcel.
