So, you failed your A level exams. Don’t worry! The point of an exam is to be a challenge, and as with all challenges, they have to be difficult, and that means that sometimes you will fail.
Be it through your own preparation, difficulties with exam technique, or sometimes just getting really unlucky with the question, failing A-levels is certainly not an uncommon thing.
There’s no shame in it, and after all, that’s why A level resits exist. Resitting A-levels is a straightforward way to get yourself the grades you know you want, deserve, and absolutely can get.
So don’t be intimidated!
Can you retake A-levels?
Yes! Every single A level offered by every single exam board offers the option to retake the exams at a later date. A level retakes are something that a huge number of students end up doing for one reason or another.
Fortunately, in the long run, they carry just as much credibility to them as an A level taken during the regular examination period.
Can you resit A-levels even if you pass them?
The answer to this one is also yes! Retaking A-levels to get a better mark is also commonplace, and actually one of the main reasons people will resit A-levels. While a C grade is generally considered a passing grade for most subjects, some universities will ask for a higher grade than this in order to take on a program of study with them.
For this reason, a lot of students will choose to retake an A level they already passed in order to get the grade required to make it to their university of choice.
Can I retake my A-levels with my school?
Indeed, you can, and in fact taking your A-levels with the same establishment you originally took them can be a good idea, if for no other reason than familiarity. Comfort and familiarity can play a big part in being able to perform academically for some people, so if that sounds like you, then it may well be wise.
Resitting A-levels with the same institution that you already know well can make the whole experience a little less daunting, especially if you are doing it immediately following your first attempt.
Can you retake A-levels without going back to school?
On the flip side of things, the inverse is also possible. Some people don’t want to go back to school for whatever reason, and may instead prefer to attempt their A-level resit exams elsewhere. The option to resit A-levels privately can allow you to avoid any parts of your school environment that may hinder your chance of success.
Of course, for those retaking A-levels longer after leaving school, this option is usually preferred. If you are going back to retake your A-levels later in life, chances are you don’t have a connection to an academic institute, let alone one you would want to go back to sit the exams.
Can I resit my A-levels at any age?
Contrary to what public perception may have you believe, there is actually no A level age limit. You can choose to resit your A-levels age eighty just as easily as you can choose to resit them age eighteen.
And for those of you wondering can you take A-levels at any age even if you never attempted them in the first place, the answer to this is also yes.
Can you resit A-levels in November?
Yes, you can, and this is the usual time for most students to resit their A-levels if they failed them during their first standard examination period. Can you redo A-levels outside this period if you failed the first time?
Sure you can, but for most students who worked for their A-levels initially and only feel they failed due to unusual circumstances or minor knowledge gaps, the November period is the most highly recommended one.
Can you retake A-levels in November, not as a returning student?
The world of a working adult can be stressful and much more difficult to schedule than that of a student or someone not working.
It might just be that if you are resitting your exam as a full time member of the workforce who isn’t going straight back to the exams after failing the summer prior, the November timeslot is the only practically possible one for you.
Fortunately, there’s no difference in terms of the quality of qualification from each A-levels retake period.
How much does it cost to resit A-levels?
The exact price of the exam you are resitting is not set in stone, and can vary depending on the centre you take it with and which exam you are resitting. Exam resits tend to cost around £175 on average, but can easily cost up to £400 at some exam venues for some courses.
To this end, it’s worth the time to do adequate research on your options for venues near you, as you could save a considerable amount of money through smart choices on this.
How much does it cost to retake A-levels later in life?
There is no difference in terms of the fees that exam centres will charge to returning students by comparison to those who have been out of education for a while. If all you want from the exam centre is somewhere to take the exam and officiate it, the fee will be the same either way.
However, should you want your chosen centre to also provide you with lessons and academic support, the fee will be much higher, as at this point you are basically paying for partial private education. In general, while this is an option, it is not considered the best answer to the problem of how to pass A-levels.
Private tutoring tends to be a much higher quality way to approach this type of education.
What changes when you resit an exam?
The biggest worry many people have regarding A level retake exams is that it will be different in some way to the first time they did it. Fortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth in almost every way.
The purpose of a resit is to be as similar to the first exam as possible, while also not giving an advantage to anyone who has previously sat the exam that couldn’t also be gained from past papers.
Otherwise, everyone would be working out how to retake A-levels, so they could just use the actual one to get an insight into the question paper, and get 100% on their resit! However, the paper will often be similar in terms of format, even if the questions are different, meaning familiarity with this is a valuable thing.
Does retaking A-levels look bad?
This is one of the most crucial questions of them all. However, you can breathe a sigh of relief if this has been bugging you the whole time since you got your results the first time. I’ll say it clearly, there is absolutely nothing problematic about your A level results coming from a resit.
Universities and employers will be able to see that you retook your exams, but in an ironic way this is often seen as more of a positive than a negative. It portrays a great strength of character that you persevered, which many employers will see as more favourable than whatever your actual results were.
So don’t stress it, the fact you’re retaking them will most certainly not have a negative effect on your future prospects, and will usually be the opposite in practise.
How many A-levels can I take as resits?
There is no upper limit on how many of your A-levels you can resit. If you were the type of person that sat 5 A-levels, and you want to retake all 5 to improve your grades, you can do so.
If, on the other hand, you just missed the grade you needed on a single paper, you can resit just that subject as well, leaving your others as they were.
There’s no single defined way of how to resit A-levels when it comes to the spread of subjects, only the way that gives you the results you want.
How long do A-levels take to resit?
This answer is a complicated and a simple one at the same time. The reality of it is that this one entirely depends on how long it takes you to prepare for your resit.
If you don’t need to do much more preparation, it’s as simple as shoring up the gaps in your knowledge then going to the exam room and sitting the paper, which will probably take a few hours in most cases.
If, however, you need to fully reteach yourself the course content, it isn’t impossible that it could take half a year or even a full year of preparation to be properly ready. It all just depends on what you want to get out of your resit.
Are there any Unis that accept 2 A-levels?
The short answer to this one is technically yes there are. The real and slightly longer answer is there are a few, but almost every uni will require you to have at least 3 A-levels. However, they will not always require you to do well in all 3 A-levels, although a pass will usually be requested.
However, it’s possible for a university to give you an offer that only requires you to have a D in a subject you are taking at A level that they deem not relevant to the course you are applying for.
While this hopefully answers some of your potential questions about resitting A-levels, the simple answer is that A level resits will be just as hard as the original exams were. This is where Superprof can step in. It has been repeatedly proven that the very best way to pass your A level exams is through tutoring, as having a person specifically explain to you the areas you are struggling with is invaluable beyond measure.
Superprof tutoring is one of the most sure fire ways you will ever come across to bring you the results you need out of your A level resits. They’re stressful enough as it is, so having someone on your side to get you ready for them can be just what you need to make them seem manageable.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
