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18 April 2026

Tag: GCSEs

Comparable outcomes explained for college leaders

The first few years of any new qualification are carefully monitored, so your GCSE students haven’t been hurt, says Lesley Davies My overriding priority as a college principal, when I think about my students’ exam results, is that everyone is treated fairly. This year we were all grappling with major changes to most qualifications, particularly […]

English and Maths GCSE resit results 2017

Here are the results for all candidates aged 17 and over in the UK who sat GCSE Maths, English language and English literature in summer 2017. These are the results for the old-style “legacy” GCSEs using the A*-G grading system. Next year, everyone (resits included) will have to sit the reformed Maths and English GCSEs, which […]

Tens of thousands more students will need to resit English GCSEs

Over 40,000 more students may need to resit their English GCSE next year than did this year, after failing to achieve the required grade 4 in the reformed exams. There should be slightly fewer resits overall in maths, however. Just under 160,000 pupils scored below the grade 4 threshold – equivalent to a D or […]

Explaining new GCSE grades and what this means for post-16 resits

By this time on results day, we’re all now aware of the new style of numerical GCSE grading. But if you’re still getting your head around whether a 1 or a 9 is the best grade, or wondering what this means for students starting post-16 courses this September and who will be subject to the […]

GCSE resits 2017: Sharp fall in maths results but English improves

Just under a quarter of the older students resitting their maths GCSEs achieved grades of A* to C this year, a sharp fall of 5.1 percentage points. In English, however, the picture is somewhat rosier: 29 per cent of learners scored a C or above, up 2.1 points from 2016. In total, 149,537 students sat […]

GCSE results week: How FE can leverage digital channels to win learners

Colleges and providers need to get smarter in attracting new learners who’ve just had their GCSE results – here’s how to do it, says Lucy Perkins  Students’ decisions on their future are being made increasingly last-minute: last year, a record one in eight university students found their place through clearing. In today’s rapidly evolving post-16 […]

DfE blasted for flip-flopping on GCSE maths and English resits

The government has been blasted for flip-flopping on its review into GCSE maths and English resits. All 16 to 18-year-old students with a near-pass (previously grade D, now grade three) GCSE in the subjects have since August 2015 had to continue studying and resit them through the rule, alongside FE courses, rather than a level […]

GCSE English and maths retakes are a policy car crash

The new mandatory post-16 resit policy for GCSE English and maths is setting young people up to fail, and government should allow other progression routes, says Graham Taylor. Mandatory English and maths aren’t going away. They are vital and underpin most things we do. But any way you slice it, this year’s GCSE resit results […]