Entries for GCSE English and maths resits in November have once again seen a sharp rise, prompting a call from school leaders to “rethink” the support students get with literacy and numeracy.
November GCSE English language entries have gone up by 28 per cent compared with November 2023, while GCSE maths entries have risen by 16 per cent, according to the latest provisional Ofqual data.
Almost all of the entries are from students resitting at post-16.
Huge rises at Year 13
Entries rose particularly among students in Year 13 or above. In English language, these rose by 44 per cent, from 22,075 in 2023 to 31,785 in 2024.
In maths, Year 13 November entries increased by 25 per cent, from 27,965 to 35,095.
Year 12 November entries for English language rose from 38,280 in 2023 to 45,220 in 2024 - an 18 per cent increase. Maths entries from Year 12s rose from 37,275 to 40,505, up 9 per cent.
Fewer than five entries for November English language and maths came from Year 11s or below.
This follows on from the big increase in November resits in 2023. Last year, English language resits were up 29 per cent on 2022; maths resits were up 18 per cent.
This summer’s GCSE results showed the percentage of students achieving pass grades in English and maths had fallen compared with the previous year.
The drop in English and maths pass rates in the summer results was mostly driven by candidates aged 17 or over who were resitting the qualification.
The resit policy, which requires students who do not pass English and maths GCSEs to resit at post-16 until they achieve a pass at grade 4, has been repeatedly criticised.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has previously dubbed the policy “humiliating” and “demotivating”, and called for it to be scrapped, most recently in its response to the ongoing curriculum and assessment review.
The union called for the review to recommend the introduction of alternative literacy and numeracy assessments to address the “forgotten third” of students who struggle to pass GCSE English and maths, and end up in a cycle of retakes.
The majority (96 per cent) of 2024 November GCSE maths entries were for the foundation tier. This is similar to previous years.
Big increases in GCSE resits ‘not surprising’
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL, said it is “not surprising” there has been a big increase in English and maths GCSE resits since the return to pre-pandemic grading standards.
He said the mandatory resit requirement is “an absolutely miserable system” and it is “difficult to imagine anything more damaging to a young person’s confidence in the key skills of English and maths” than having to resit repeatedly.
“The new government has to do better for these young people by scrapping this requirement and rethinking how we support young people to achieve the level of proficiency in literacy and numeracy that both they - and employers - need,” Mr Di’Iasio added.
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
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