Disadvantaged students are, on average, one-fifth of a grade
behind in English and one-eighth of a grade behind in maths when
resitting GCSEs, according to new research from the Education
Policy Institute (EPI).
Introduced in 2014, the resit requirement aims to boost literacy
and numeracy so that young people are better prepared for work
and further study. Today's report, funded by Pearson, “English and Maths
Resits: Drivers of Success” examines what helps – and hinders –
the roughly one-third of students in England who must retake
English and maths each year. The report finds that:
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There is a cluster of top-performing institutions in
the North West of England. The English and maths
resit results of students in the North West are 0.1 grades
higher than the average for students with similar Key Stage 4
results students across England. Conversely, the South West
is the worst-performing region overall, recording
below-average results in both subjects.
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Motivation, engagement, and attendance are critical
for resit outcomes. Unauthorised absences in Year 11
strongly predict poorer resit attainment, indicating that the
factors driving absences before age 16 persist post-16 and
continue to affect academic performance.
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Resitting too soon can harm attainment, if not well
targeted. While November resits can be beneficial
for individual students, providers that enter more students
for November achieve lower progress on average. This likely
reflects a drop in motivation for those who don't pass the
November exams.
Building on previous work highlighting the
urgent need for additional funding for students aged 16–19,
“English and Maths Resits: Drivers of Success” proposes the
following key recommendations:
David Robinson, the Education Policy Institute's Director
for Post 16 and Skills said:
“We welcome the curriculum and assessment review's commitment to
ensure that English and maths resits will be a central feature of
its final report and recommendations. The importance of improving
the effectiveness of this policy is clear from the finding of
today's report. The benefits of securing core numeracy and
literacy skills are obvious, but so too is the impact on
motivation for students who feel trapped on the resit
treadmill.
“Re-examining the policy in light of the new evidence we have
uncovered should enable policymakers to take more informed,
targeted decisions about the future of resits. Our analysis shows
there is considerable scope to improve outcomes within the
existing framework.”
Roberta Thomson, Education Policy and Product Director
for Pearson Qualifications, said:
“It is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to resits does not
work for students. The findings of this important research
provide significant food for thought as we work with partners to
push for immediate changes that would improve the resit
experience for our current learners.
“But, while short-term changes within the current GCSE framework
could make a significant difference, incremental adjustments can
only go so far. In the longer term, we must go further by
introducing a post-16 GCSE English and maths route designed with
post-16 students in mind, providing an alternative but still
rigorous qualification, alongside a more flexible approach to
assessment.”
