GCSE resits: What you need to know about retaking English or maths exams in November series

• All students in England under the age of 18 need to study English and maths.
• This means that if you don’t pass your GCSE exams in these subjects, you’ll need to sit them again.
• There are special ‘make up’ exams held each November for these core GCSEs.
• But there are alternatives available for some pupils.

Literacy and numeracy are important skills, and it is essential young learners have a good grasp of them.

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:

Who are resit exams for, and do you have to take them?

If you or a young person in your life hasn’t passed one of their GCSEs - or hasn’t done as well as they had hoped - they can resit them.

According to the government’s National Careers Service guidance, you can usually retake any exam you want. But the November exam resits are only for GCSE English and maths. For all other exams, you'll need to take them next year during the summer exam period.

English and maths are required subjects, which all students in England under the age of 18 must pass with a grade of at least 4 - considered a ‘standard pass’ under the new 9 to 1 grading system for GCSEs. This means that you will have to retake GCSE English and maths if you're under 18 and did not get at least a grade of 4.

In some special circumstances, you might be able to take a functional skills qualification in English or maths instead. This is an equivalent to a GCSE, the National Careers Service says, and allows you to prove you can apply English or maths concepts in real life. You can check with your school or college if this option is available to you.

How do I sign up for a resit - and how much does it cost?

If you’d like to resit your exam or any other assessment, you should also speak to your school. They will be able to arrange the resit for you at the next available opportunity, however it is worth noting that it is most likely too late to register for the November resits now.

Retaking your exam may be free in many cases, including for students who did not pass their English or maths GCSE. If you’re retaking an exam purely to try for a higher grade, however, you will likely have to pay again. Just how much this is can differ by school or college.

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What are resits like?

Essentially, resits will be structured just like regular GCSE examinations - so they shouldn’t prove particularly novel or challenging to students giving them another go. Exam etiquette will be the same, and you’ll be advised in advance whether you will be able to use calculators or special resources for any particular part of the exam.

In a blog post, Ofqual says that even though new exam papers will be used, “it is no easier or harder to achieve a particular grade in November as it is in the summer series”. This ensures that the system is fair to all students, while maintaining the value of the qualification.

What is this year’s schedule for resits?

According to AQA, one of England’s biggest exam boards, this year’s resits take place on these dates.

• Tuesday, 5 November: English language paper 1 (functional skills assessments in English reading and writing also take place on this date)
• Wednesday, 6 November: Mathematics paper 1 (functional skills assessments in maths also take place on this date)
• Thursday, 7 November: English language paper 2
• Friday, 8 November: Mathematics paper 2
• Monday, 11 November: Mathematics paper 3

It appears to match across other exam boards, according to education trade magazine TES.

When will results come out?

The results from the 2024 autumn exam series will be sent to schools and colleges electronically on Wednesday, 8 January, 2025.

But students will need to wait an extra day to find out how they did. The results will be available to them on Thursday, 9 January.

The government has issued some advice for parents and carers supporting students as they wait to receive their exam or resit results. This can often be a tense and emotionally fraught time, especially if things haven’t gone as expected. You can check this advice out online here.