Is there a 'resit crisis'? Key takeaways from 2025's GCSE results

Is there a 'resit crisis'? Key takeaways from 2025's GCSE results

This year’s GCSE results have delivered significant insights as over 600,000 teenagers eagerly opened their results on Thursday, marking the completion of their secondary school journey that commenced in 2020 within Covid “bubbles”. Notably, a growing number of students receiving results are older, having opted to retake the English or maths GCSEs to improve their grades. Many of these individuals initially took their exams when grades were intentionally reduced to combat grade inflation during the pandemic.

The first key takeaway is the drop in the overall pass rate for GCSEs, with 67.4% of all grades in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland at 4/C and above, slightly lower than last year’s 67.6%. Despite expectations for similar results compared to the previous year due to the pandemic’s impact, there has been an increase in competition for places at sixth form colleges following a slight rise in the percentage of top grades.

Another significant finding is the increase in resit numbers, with nearly a quarter of maths and English GCSEs undertaken by individuals aged 17 and older this year. While some are mature students attempting the exams for the first time, a majority consists of young people retaking papers. The pass rate for resits remains considerably lower compared to Year 11 students, prompting calls for fundamental reforms in the education sector to provide better support for those needing to retake exams.

The regional gap, although reduced this year, remains wider than pre-pandemic levels. London continues to have

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