Following the turbulent grade awarding process, there will, inevitably, be students who want to resit some exams in the upcoming Autumn exam series.
The chance to resit was part of the now infamous ‘triple lock’ promised by Gavin Williamson.
But is this a good option for every student who wants to resit?
The individual contexts of students will be different, but generally, these will fall into similar themes.
1. The students who have to
As has been the case for some time, students who do not achieve a grade 4 or above in English and maths have to resit this qualification during their 16-18 education.
This is a national expectation and post-16 providers will have provision in place to support students to resit these exams, but also provide them with formal teaching and academic support to help them achieve the grade 4. These students have no choice; they have to resit.
What was the algorithm used for the calculated GCSE and A-level grades?
2. Students aspiring to competitive university courses
These students will often be applying for demanding, competitive courses where certain grades at GCSE and A level are a pre-requisite.
These students need to spend some time with experienced staff to make sure they explicitly know the grades required to take them on their desired career path, to make sure that they don’t miss anything in the degree requirements.
They then need to be encouraged and supported with the resits.
This isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. These students have been out of education for some time now, and it is six months since they will have spent any real time with the course content. They will need to be prepared to work hard on recapping the course. They will also need extra support for anything that had not yet been covered when the school closures occurred.
Students will fall into two camps here: those who believe they were robbed of their chance to prove themselves, and those who have a more tainted view and a bitter determination to prove ‘the system’ wrong.
Both of these contexts need careful guidance. For some students, taking the opportunity to prove what they can do will be good for them - it will validate them, in their minds, and allow them to feel proud of their achievements.
That said, it isn’t necessarily the right thing for students to do. If their grades still get them on to their next step, then perhaps the best advice might be to focus on what’s happening now. What’s past is prologue.
For those with a more hostile mindset, offer some careful guidance. Is it really the best thing for them? How will they benefit in the long term from resitting? How will they balance their time between resit preparation and their current education?
If this line of questioning suggests that it may be the right thing for them, we should give them the support that they need to resit the exams. But if it isn’t, it’s worth having those difficult conversations now to prevent students embarking on endeavours which are unlikely to come to fruition in a positive way.
4. Students who want to, but shouldn’t
Some students will receive their results and be disappointed. It may also be the case that, as experienced professionals, we feel that the grades that they have been given are reflective of the performance we’ve seen from them.
This might be the most difficult of all situations. No student should have their achievements capped by others. But we also need to do the right thing, and if students are likely to do worse in any resits, we need to try to guide them in a way that allows them to focus their efforts onto what they’re doing now.
It may well be the case for these students that if they divert their attention to resits, they will end up behind in the course that they’re on currently, especially for those who have just left Year 11 and who will be in a form of education.
Sometimes, helping them to move on and focus their efforts on the current qualification will be the best thing for them. It won’t be easy, but it will be the right thing, and that is what matters most.
Ultimately, it is up to students as to how they proceed, but as a professional, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to support students in the right way.
Amy Forrester is an English teacher and director of pastoral care (key stage 4) at Cockermouth School in Cumbria
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