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When GCSE results are released in August, many students will be looking forward to their next step, whether that be A levels, further vocational education, an apprenticeship or employment.

However, some students may need or want to retake an exam, perhaps to meet a specific course requirement for the next stage of their educational or professional journey.

When are the resits?

Students will have to wait for the next summer series in 2027 to retake most GCSE subjects, but English language and maths can be retaken in November. The provisional dates are below:

Do students have to resit GCSE maths and/or English?

Students who fail to attain at least a grade 4 in English and/or maths will need to resit. This is because a grade 4 in English and maths is expected of all students.

Those who fail to achieve it the first time around must either or take another recognised qualification (see more on alternatives to GCSEs below).

The compulsory retaking of GCSE maths and English is controversial. Speaking to 91���� in response to the results of the November resits in 2024 - which showed a significant drop in candidates passing English language - Tom Middlehurst, then curriculum, assessment and inspection specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “There is clearly an urgent need to rethink the policy of mandatory resits as it obviously isn’t working.”

What is a pass at GCSE?

GCSEs in England have been graded on a 9 to 1 scale since 2017. This replaced the previous A* to G scale.

The Department for Education recognises .

DfE policy states that students who are awarded a grade 3 or below in maths and/or English must be offered support to make progress in the respective subject(s) if continuing to further education.

Those who fail to achieve it the first time around must either resit the GCSE or take another recognised qualification (see more on alternatives to GCSEs below).

A student can also choose to retake any other GCSE subject, but it is not mandatory.

What are the other resit options?

As an alternative to a November resit, many schools will allow Year 12 students to resit GCSE English or maths alongside their A-level or Btec courses.

Some secondary schools also offer the chance to repeat Year 11 for a small number of students, although this is quite uncommon and usually limited to those with extenuating circumstances.

More frequently, students who need to improve several GCSEs will transfer to a further education (FE) college to do a dedicated GCSE resit programme. This is a one-year course focused on GCSE retakes.

Do students have to pay to resit a GCSE?

Typically, if a student is required to take the GCSE resit in English and/or maths because they did not attain a grade 4 pass, they will not be expected to pay.

Conversely, 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 that the student 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 regard to the school performance measure Progress 8 and school 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 .

How can resitting GCSEs affect a student’s options?

Many colleges, apprenticeships and employers require at least a grade 4 in English and maths.

• Colleges and apprenticeships often require grade 4+ in English and maths
• Universities may require grade 4+ in certain subjects, particularly for competitive courses

Resitting and improving a GCSE grade does not negatively affect applications: admissions teams are used to seeing resit grades, and value the determination and resilience that retaking shows.

How many students usually take resits?

• Total GCSE entries in November 2025 increased by 5.8 per cent, from 152,610 in November 2024 to 161,480.
• GCSE English language entries in November 2025 increased by 7.7 per cent, from 77,005 in November 2024 to 82,900.
• GCSE mathematics entries in November 2025 increased by 3.9 per cent, from 75,605 in November 2024 to 78,580.

Are GCSE resits marked in the same way as GCSEs?

For students resitting 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, because the cohort for the autumn resits is made up of a smaller number of students, 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 grade boundaries.

Ofqual says this approach means that it can ensure “it is no easier or harder to achieve a particular grade in any particular exam series”.

For more information about how grade boundaries are decided in resits, see Ofqual’s blog post .

What are the alternatives to GCSEs?

Whatever the grades achieved, there are plenty of routes into higher or further education and the workplace.

Students should discuss the different options with their school or college, or they can get confidential advice via the ��on 0800 100 900 or by webchat.

The government’s explains that 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 instead.” It advises students to check with their school or college whether this option is available to them.

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” - there are no fixed exam dates, and students can take them whenever they feel ready.

and are among the providers offering qualifications in functional skills English and maths.

What if I think there’s something wrong with my results?

There is a rigorous system in place to ensure that exams are marked fairly and accurately.

Students who believe there has been a marking error should first��speak to their school or college for advice.

Find out more about appealing a GCSE or A-level grade.

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