Can You Retake Your GCSEs at Any Age?

It is no secret that GCSEs are difficult and have much stress and anxiety come along with them. It is therefore no surprise that about 35.6% of students in England don’t manage to get a grade 4 in GCSE English Language and GCSE Maths. There is no shame in this, which is why the government has made it possible for you to retake your exams. But if you want to move on from your GCSEs and retake them years later, can you?

In short, yes you can retake your GCSEs at any age. You can even retake your GCSEs as many times as you want. For GCSE Maths and English, it is compulsory to retake if you do not get a pass grade. This is a grade 4 in the new 9-1 grading system.

If you are interested in learning more about retaking your GCSEs and all the rules and requirements for them then you should read on.

Can you retake your GCSEs as a 16-year-old?

You can definitely retake your GCSEs as a 16-year-old! In fact, this is often encouraged, if you happen to have failed the core subjects. It is a legal requirement for students who have failed GCSE Maths and GCSE English Language to keep on taking these GCSEs until they do pass, or turn 18, whichever comes first.

You may not even have to wait till the summer to retake these subjects! Most exam boards actually allow resits for GCSE Maths and GCSE English Language to take place in November. You can find out more about when you can resit these GCSE subjects and how this can be arranged, if you check out this article from the National Careers Service.

If you want to find out more about compulsory GCSE subjects, check out this article from Think Student. GCSE Maths and GCSE English Language are the only subjects which are compulsory to retake if you fail them the first time. However, it is true that some students may want to retake other subjects that are not compulsory.

For example, most schools require students to get at least a 6 in their GCSE Science exams if they wish to do a science at A-Level. As a result, students who want to do a science subject at A-Level may choose to retake their science GCSEs if they just missed that grade 6.

This is not compulsory; however, it is a good option. If you want to discover more about retaking GCSEs, check out this complete guide from ICS Learn.

What happens if you fail your GCSEs as an adult?

It is true that many individuals choose to retake certain GCSEs as an adult! This may be because they have realised that they may want to have a more academic job or their lack of GCSEs is holding them back. After all, many jobs require candidates to have a good set of GCSEs, especially GCSE English Language and GCSE Maths.

You should definitely not be embarrassed if you are retaking your GCSEs as an adult! After all, you are trying to improve how you look to employers, so this should be admired.

If you do fail your GCSEs as an adult, all you need to do is apply to resit them again. There is no limit on how many times you are able to do this. However, you need to be aware that this could become quite expensive, as you will most likely have to pay to resit.

Regardless, there is lots of support out there for helping adults pass their GCSEs, so don’t be scared about giving them a go! If you want to discover more about failing your GCSEs as an adult, check out this article from Oxbridge Home Learning.

How many times can you retake your GCSEs?

Fortunately, there seems to be no actual limit for how many times you are allowed to retake your GCSEs. This is true for every single subject. If you happen to fail GCSE English Language or GCSE Maths, you will have to keep retaking these GCSEs until you are 18 (or pass), as this is a legal requirement.

Even after you have turned 18, you can still keep retaking these exams until you pass! This is also the case with other subjects, especially if you need to pass a specific subject for university.

You can find out more about how many times you are able to retake GCSEs if you check out this article from Think Student.

Do you have to retake your GCSEs if you fail?

If you fail many of your GCSEs, don’t panic! You are not actually required to retake all of them. The government has only made it compulsory for students younger than 18 to retake GCSE Maths and GCSE English Language if they fail.

This is because they are seen as core subjects for the world of work. You would have to keep retaking these GCSEs until you pass, or until you turn 18. You can find out more about GCSE resits and how the government is hoping to improve students’ maths and English abilities, if you check out this article from the government website.

If you have failed many of your GCSEs, remember that there are a few things that you can do. If you want to discover what these are, check out this article from Think Student.

Does it cost money to retake your GCSEs?

If you have failed GCSE Maths and GCSE English Language and are retaking these GCSEs before you turn 18, these resits cost absolutely nothing! This is because this has been made a legal requirement by the government.

However, if you are over 18 or want to retake a GCSE which is not compulsory, sadly this is likely to cost you money. If you want to discover more about entry fees for the AQA exam board, check out this article from the AQA website. Alternatively, if you want to discover the fees for the Pearson exam board, check out this page from their website.

As well as these entry fees, the exam centre you are taking the exam at may charge an administration fee. This varies between centres, but is usually a relatively low cost. Check out this helpful Think Student article on all costs associated with resitting GCSEs as a private candidate.

Why should you retake your GCSEs?

There are a number of different reasons why you should retake your GCSEs if you have failed them or may not have got as high a grade as you had been expecting. The main reason that you should retake your GCSEs is: to get a good job.

Nowadays, most jobs require candidates to have a good set of GCSEs. Nearly all jobs require you to at least have GCSE Maths and GCSE English Language! If you don’t have some GCSEs, you would be shutting a lot of doors for yourself, as many employers wouldn’t think to hire you.

GCSEs are not only required for jobs. They are also required for future education! To get into a sixth form, or later on, a university or an advanced apprenticeship, you will need to show that you have GCSE qualifications.

If you want to find out more about retaking GCSEs and the benefits of retaking them, check out this article from Online Learning College.

If you want to retake them, then do it! Show everybody that you are capable, whilst opening yourself up to a range of different careers.

How can you retake your GCSEs?

First of all, you have to decide how you want to retake your GCSEs. Do you want to retake your GCSEs at a local college or the school you already went to? You can also study for them privately online. Both options have their own benefits, and it is important that you find the best option for you.

If you are under the age of 18 and you didn’t get a grade 4 in either GCSE English or Maths, then you will have to retake these compulsory qualifications at school or college. 

If you attend a sixth form or college and are studying for a level 3 qualification (A-levels or BTECs) alongside your GCSE retakes, then you will be able to re-sit your exams at your sixth form college, click here to find out more at studential.com. You may also be able to take evening classes or other options to make re-studying for your exams more flexible. This can be especially beneficial if you work during the day.

You also have the option to re-sit your exams privately. This can be done as a private candidate. To find out more about sitting your exams privately check out this Think Student article.

In both cases, you will have to do the exams in person at the same time as all other students (May and June or re-sit exams in November and January). If you are a private candidate, then you will have to arrange this by yourself. You will also have to pay exam fees as a private candidate, but these will vary depending on the exam centre. For more information, check out the article linked above.