How to Resit A Level English Language

If you’re thinking about resitting your A Level English Language exam, you’re likely frustrated with the results you got last time. Don’t worry. With the right information, we’re sure you’ll feel more in control of your studies and get ready to take the next step forwards on your academic path. . 

Key Takeaways

• You can resit any or all of your A Level English Language exam papers in the next exam series, usually in May or June

• You’ll book your resit at an approved exam centre or through your school or college

• Universities will need to know about your plans

• You might need to resubmit coursework, although most exam boards allow you to carry forward original marks

  • If you do need to redo it, the new tasks will be on the same texts

Can You Resit A Level English Language?

Each year, thousands of A Level English Language students resit their exams for all sorts of reasons. You can resit as many or as few exams as you like, as many times as you want. In fact, resitting your exams shows resilience and commitment. This means you’re a great candidate for further study, even if you might not feel that way right now. 

You can resit your A Level English Language exam at school or college, or as a private candidate. The process is relatively simple. 

When Can You Resit?

You’ll be able to resit your A Level English Language exams next summer in May or June. The A Level English Language course is a linear qualification, so exams aren’t offered in autumn. 

It might seem like this is a long time to wait, but there are things you can do now to make sure you’re ready. 

1. Check which A Level exam board you’ve been taking your A Level English Language qualification with

   • You’ll need to know this when you register to resit

2. Register early to set your mind at ease and make sure you get a place

   • Generally, the deadline for registration is January or February 

   • It’s best to check specific entry deadline and resit dates, as exam boards differ

How to Resit A Level English Language

The way you’ll resit your A Level English Language exams depends on whether you’re going to retake them through a school or college, or as a private candidate

If you want to resit your exams at your school or college, you can ask the exams office at your current school or college about it. You could also apply to another college or independent school. 

You can also study independently and register to resit with an approved exam centre local to you. 

If You're Still at School or Sixth Form

If you’re planning on resitting your English Language A Level through your old school or college, your teachers and exam officers will help you with all the details. 

They’ll be able to give you all the relevant information specific to you, such as: 

• If there are any application forms to complete

• The costs for resitting an exam

• The kinds of support, revision materials or resit lessons you may be able to access

• Any changes in exam format or syllabus that may come into effect next year

Whether you’ll need to redo any coursework depends on the exam board you’re taking your A Level English Language with. Most exam boards allow you to resubmit your coursework or NEA (non-examined assessment). It’s a good idea to check on the website. Maybe you’re resitting with:

• AQA (opens in a new tab)

• Edexcel Pearson (opens in a new tab)

• OCR (opens in a new tab)

• Cambridge International (opens in a new tab)

If You're a Private Candidate

If you’re doing your A Levels independently, either with a tutor, an online school, or from home, you’ll need to register with an approved exam centre. It’s best to call up early as places are limited. It’s also a good idea to call a few exam centres so you can compare costs and check if they offer exams with the exam board you’re working with. 

You’ll find an exam centre local to you:

• On the JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications (opens in a new tab) website 

• Exam board websites: 

  • AQA  (opens in a new tab)

  • Edexcel Pearson (opens in a new tab)

  • OCR (opens in a new tab)

  • Cambridge International (opens in a new tab)

Perhaps you’d like to resit your exam with an independent school or further education college near you. Some accept private candidate exam entries, for example: London Brookes College (opens in a new tab) and David Game College (opens in a new tab). 

Make sure you have proof of identification and the exam board you’re resitting through when you contact them. Exam centres are very busy. 

How to Prepare for Your English Language Resit

To best prepare for your A level English Language resit, find out how to revise A Level English Language so that your revision works for you. 

You should focus on:

• Feedback from recent exams

• Exam structure

  • Practise with our Save My Exams past paper selection

• Become familiar with mark schemes 

  • This way, you’ll see where you may have lost marks before

• English Language A Levels assess skills, so brush up by:

  • Reading a wide variety of text types

  • Improving your vocabulary to better articulate your thoughts

  • Revising key terms and critical theory

Look for interesting examples of language use in everyday life. Paying close attention to newspaper articles, reviews, and speeches can provide you with a range of case studies that will improve your analysis. 

Focus on Feedback

Remember, you probably did well on some questions, but needed to improve on others. The best way to improve on your next A Level English Language exam is to use feedback from teacher or tutors

Once you know which skills you need to work on or which topics you’re less confident with, you can prioritise. 

Make sure you understand how each question, or paper, tests different skills. Perhaps you need to learn better ways to analyse unseen non-fiction texts, or maybe you could learn how to plan creative writing better.

You could ask teachers or tutors to mark any practice you do, or you can self-assess by cross-referencing your answers with the mark scheme.

Use Past Papers Strategically

When you work with past papers, focus on the questions before writing your answers. Students often lose marks because they haven’t considered the question carefully enough.

Planning is a crucial skill, so make sure your planning process is effective. For example, planning usually means thinking about your answer, not jotting down quotes or quickly scribbling down all the theories you know. 

In my many years as an A Level English Language teacher, I’ve noticed students spending too long on certain questions and rushing through the last few because they run out of time. Check the weightings and number of marks on each question. This is guidance on how much to write. 

Use Effective Revision Resources

It may be that you need to revise key theorists, linguists, or English Language A Level terms and techniques. Look for quality A Level English Language revision materials and resources. 

Use past papers alongside A Level revision notes, expert tips, and model answers.

Rebuild Your Confidence

By taking control of your revision, understanding what may have happened last time, and accepting that everyone makes mistakes, you’ll be on your way to feeling better about resitting your A Level English Language exams.

• Set yourself small goals

  • You probably won’t need to relearn the entire course, so work on targets one by one

  • For instance, you’ve already started to rebuild your academic confidence by finding out what to do next

• Be patient with yourself

  • Allow yourself time to acknowledge your feelings, and take a break to recover if you need to

  • Get support from friends and family

Remember, it’s completely normal to feel disappointed when things don’t work out the way we’d hoped, so be kind to yourself.

What Happens with Your Grade?

Resitting an exam shows that you’re a committed and resilient learner. Having a good approach to your studies is a key factor in university applications. If you’re worried about not improving on your grade next time, you’ll be relieved to know that the highest grade you achieve will be used in university or further education admissions. 

Let your prospective university or college know why you’re resitting the exam, and how it will help you to achieve academic or career goals. It’s a good idea to show them you know how you plan to improve and what kind of support you’ll get. 

For competitive courses, resitting may delay your start and you might need to reapply next year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to resit A Level English Language?

The cost of resitting an exam varies across the exam boards and exam centres and depends how many papers you wish to resit. Generally, the fee to resit varies between £95 to £175 (opens in a new tab) per subject. 

Can I just retake the exam without redoing coursework?

Confirm this with the relevant exam board. If you’re resitting your A Level English Language with a school or college you may be able to ‘carry forward’ your coursework. As a private candidate, you may need to resubmit new coursework on the same texts. 

Will universities know I resat an A Level?

Yes, universities receive your academic results through UCAS as part of your application. It’s best to be honest about your decision to resit your exam. 

When is The Deadline for A Level English Language Resits?

The deadline for entries for summer exams is around February each year. Check with the relevant exam board for exact dates.