Is it worth retaking your A Levels?

Here is our FAQ

If you’ve recently taken A Levels and haven’t achieved the grades you wanted, then you may be considering resitting them. Yet where do you begin? Should you start from scratch and experiment with online A level courses? Or is retaking them a complete waste of time? No matter where your thoughts currently lie, here are some things to consider:

Why would you want to resit your A levels?

From not getting the grades you needed to get a conditional place at uni, to finding no other suitable courses during clearing, to you simply being determined to go to university; truthfully there are many good reasons to consider retaking your A levels.

Where can you retake them?

Your first option would be to try and retake them at the same school/college that you originally attended. Yet not all schools can offer you this option.

In this situation, you might want to try going to a different educational institution. Alternatively, you can try attending a local college or looking into online options. In fact, there are sites online that can offer you intensive courses where you can then retake the exam at the end.

Who can retake A levels?

Easy – anyone!

Do you need to retake the whole A Level?

Whilst retaking the whole course might be the last thing you want to do, you may find that it works to your advantage.

That is why we strongly suggest speaking to your teacher/an educational institution first. If you were close to passing then they may just recommend that you give the exam another go. Otherwise, they may advise you to retake the whole two-year course.

Since the 2015 reforms, A Levels are linear qualifications – this means you must retake all exam papers for that subject in one exam series. Coursework or non-examined assessments may also need to be redone, depending on the subject and exam board.

When you resit, do you end up with two grades?

No – you don’t hold two official grades. Your UCAS application will show your most recent grade, but universities may still be able to see your full exam history.

When can you retake them?

Unfortunately, A level exams only take place once a year. Now whilst this gives you a whole year to study (from September to May/June), you may find revision alone is harder than simply attending the classes again with a fresh pair of eyes.

How do you go about retaking A levels?

First you should give your local school/college a call and see if it is possible for you to resit them there the following summer. If they don’t take on retake students, you will need to ring around to see who will.

However, should you decide to retake them with a different institution, you will need to supply them with your candidate details from your previous examination centre.

How much do resits cost?

We won’t lie. You’ll likely have to pay a fee. Now the amount you pay will depend on whether you’re just paying for the exam or for the whole course. For this reason, you need to be certain that you definitely want to do this.

Exam entry fees are usually between £100 – £200 per subject. Retaking a full A Level course with tuition can cost £800 – £1,500 or more.

Can you still go to university?

Most universities will accept A level resits. Many admissions teams admire the determination shown by students who try again and see it as a sign of resilience.

However, some highly competitive courses – such as Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, and Oxbridge degrees – may have stricter rules on resits or expect higher grades achieved in a single sitting. Always check entry requirements directly with the university and on UCAS.

Conclusion

Like we mentioned before – deciding to resit an A level requires careful thought; however it is entirely possible to get the grades you want. So if you’re considering doing this, remember to check out your options and see what best fits your circumstances.

For more information on our online A level courses, explore here.