AS and A level students can still resit legacy exams, Ofqual assures

Ofqual has declared that students taking legacy AS and A levels will have the opportunity to resit them if they want to improve on their results.

In addition, students taking legacy GCSEs will have the chance to resit English, English language, mathematics and in GCSE science and additional science qualifications boards currently offer. Ofqual said it will allow exam regulators to decide whether to provide resit opportunities in all other legacy GCSE subjects.

The move means that those taking legacy exams during the period of reform will not be forced to study for reformed qualifications should their original test results not go to plan.

For AS and A level students, resits will take place in May or June the following year, while for GCSE, exam boards must provide two resit opportunities for legacy English, English language and mathematics; one in November 2016 and one in Summer 2017.

Julie Swan, acting executive director for General Qualifications at Ofqual, said: “I am pleased that we can ensure that no student taking AS or A levels will have to effectively study for a new qualification if things don’t go to plan the first time around.

“We are also requiring exam boards to offer resits in those GCSEs that are crucial in allowing students to progress. This is essential to maintain fairness between cohorts, particularly at such a pivotal point in students’ academic careers. We came to these decisions after our consultation showed overwhelming support for them.

“We are placing restrictions on who can take these resits. These are to ensure that only those students who need to access a resit take them and those that we expect to take a reformed GCSE, AS or A level qualification do that instead.”