Although students get a bit more freedom when they take their A Levels, there are several key GCSEs that they have to take; English, maths, and at least one science subject.
You usually need to sit a range of different GCSEs to move onto your A Levels - and potentially on to further education - and it goes without saying that you’ll have to pass to progress on to the next stage.
If you don’t pass, however, it’s not the end of the world. Exam boards offer resit examinations in November for core subjects, namely English and maths.
But do you have them if you’ve failed, and what do they consist of? And when will pupils be able to find out how they did? Here’s what you need to know.
You usually need to sit a range of different GCSEs to move onto your A Levels - and potentially on to further education - and it goes without saying that you’ll have to pass to progress on to the next stage.
If you don’t pass, however, it’s not the end of the world. Exam boards offer resit examinations in November for core subjects, namely English and maths.
But do you have them if you’ve failed, and what do they consist of? And when will pupils be able to find out how they did? Here’s what you need to know.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, my name is Amber Allitt, and I'm a journalist specializing in education.
00:04This week and next, GCSE candidates who unfortunately didn't pass their core exams, or who didn't
00:10do as well as they hoped, are able to give them another go.
00:14Here are a few key things that it's worth knowing about reset exams.
00:18First of all, the November resets are not available for all subjects.
00:22They're usually only available for English and Maths, which are required subjects for
00:26all students in England under the age of 18.
00:29If you've failed any other papers, you can still reset them, but this will usually have
00:33to happen during the following year's main exam period.
00:37Next, you may or may not have to pay for your reset.
00:41If you're retaking your exam again because you haven't achieved at least a standard pass,
00:45it will usually be free.
00:47However, if you retake an exam just to get a higher grade, you will usually have to pay
00:51again.
00:52Finally, even though English and Maths are required GCSEs, and you'll usually be made
00:57to reset them if you don't pass, there are other ways to meet that requirement.
01:02In some special circumstances, you might be able to take a Functional Skills qualification
01:07instead.
01:08This is an equivalent to a GCSE where you prove that you can apply English or Maths
01:12concepts in the real world.
01:14You can check with your school or college if this option might be available to you.