THOUSANDS of pupils returned to school last Thursday to open their long-awaited GCSE results.
The proportion of entries getting at least a 4 or a C grade – considered a “standard pass” – has fallen to the same levels as 2019.
Many school kids may face resits in English Language and Maths after receiving their GCSE results last Thursday Credit: Alamy
It slumped from 67.4% in 2025 to 67.3% this year – a drop of 0.1 percentage points.
In England, students who do not pass both English Language and Maths with at least a grade 4 are typically expected to retake the subject.
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Students are able to resit GCSE English and Maths in the upcoming autumn term, with all boards scheduling the exams between November 3 and 9.
For English Language, Paper 1 will take place on the morning of November 3, 2026, and Paper 2 on the morning of November 5, 2026.
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Maths resits are also scheduled at the beginning of November, with all three papers for Foundation and Higher taking place between November 4 and November 9 for AQA, Edexcel and OCR.
Although it is not compulsory, pupils wanting to resit any other GCSEs, including Science, English Literature and History, will have to wait until the summer exam period in May or June 2027.
The government says: “You’ll need to continue studying GCSE English, GCSE mathematics, or both if you’re on a 16 to 19 study programme and do not have a grade 4 or above in one or both of these subjects.
“You’re not required to resit the exam, but you can if you and your institution think you’re ready.”
If a pupil believes they may have received an unjustifiably low mark, or there has been a marking error, a school can apply for an Ofqual remark on behalf of the student.
However, appeals can become pricey, costing between £44 and £68 per paper depending on the exam board.
Reports in The Observer have suggested that thousands of kids may have to take their English Language GCSE again because of the examiner with around 39,000 pupils predicted to have achieved higher.
Full list of English Language and Maths GCSE resit dates
AQA GCSE English Language Resit Dates
Paper 1 – November 3, 2026 (morning)
Paper 2 – November 5, 2026 (morning)
Edexcel (Pearson) GCSE English Language Resit Dates
Paper 1 – November 3, 2026 (morning)
Paper 2 – November 5, 2026 (morning)
OCR GCSE English Language Resit Dates
Paper 1 – November 3, 2026 (morning)
Paper 2 – November 5, 2026 (morning)
WJEC/Eduqas GCSE English Language Resit Dates
Component 1 – November 3, 2026 (morning) – Eduqas
Unit 2 – November 4, 2026 (morning) – WJEC
Component 2 – November 5, 2026 (morning) – Eduqas
Unit 3 – November 10, 2026 (morning) – WJEC
AQA GCSE Maths Resit Dates
Paper 1 (Foundation & Higher) – November 4, 2026 (morning)
Paper 2 (Foundation & Higher) – November 6, 2026 (morning)
Paper 3 (Foundation & Higher) – November 9, 2026 (morning)
Edexcel (Pearson) GCSE Maths Resit Dates
Paper 1 (Foundation & Higher) – November 4, 2026 (morning)
Paper 2 (Foundation & Higher) – November 6, 2026 (morning)
Paper 3 (Foundation & Higher) – November 9, 2026 (morning)
OCR GCSE Maths Resit Dates
Paper 1 (Foundation) – November 4, 2026 (morning)
Paper 4 (Higher) – November 4, 2026 (morning)
Paper 2 (Foundation) – November 6, 2026 (morning)
Paper 5 (Higher) – November 6, 2026 (morning)
Paper 3 (Foundation) – November 9, 2026 (morning)
Paper 6 (Higher) – November 9, 2026 (morning)
WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Maths Resit Dates (England & Wales)
Numeracy Unit 1 (Foundation & Higher) – November 3, 2026 (morning)
Component 1 (Foundation & Higher) – November 4, 2026 (morning) – Eduqas
Unit 1 (Foundation, Intermediate & Higher) – November 5, 2026 (morning) – WJEC
Numeracy Unit 2 (Foundation & Higher) – November 6, 2026 (morning)
Component 2 (Foundation & Higher) – November 6, 2026 (morning) – Eduqas
Unit 2 (Foundation, Intermediate & Higher) – November 9, 2026 (morning) – WJEC
Numeracy Unit 3 (Foundation & Higher) – November 11, 2026
It is expected around 30% of GCSE students face resits in English and Maths having not passed.
While papers can be re-marked if there is any question of marking error, this does not include differing opinions between examiners.
