Resits - Making the decision

Without venturing into a debate of whether exam resits are a good idea or not, the fact is, students who do have the opportunity to take resits will have to make their decision quite quickly. Many students may have fallen sick at exam time or simply could not cope with the stress at the end of the year; others may have been struggling through the whole year with a certain subject and wish to higher their grade.

Keep in mind that all kinds of people who have made a success of their lives didn't necessarily excel in exams, so remember there are always alternative options for you to explore, think carefully before making a hasty decision.

If you do decide to resit some of your exams, talk to your old school or your local sixth form college first. If you are contemplating resitting exams predominantly in order to get into a specific university or course, contact the institution to check that they will accept candidates with grades from exam re-takes. It's also a good idea to ask about their offers.

Remember, too, that the modular system for A-levels means that by re-taking individual exam modules, you might be able to boost your overall grade.

Think carefully about whether a resit is likely to improve results. If the outlook looks grim, there are plenty of alternative paths towards achieving the qualifications you need for a decent job.

If you are still not sure which path to take, why not consider finding a private tutor who can asses your abilities, talk through your exam results with you and detect which areas of a subject need considerable improvement. Statistics reveal that many students improve their grades after receiving one to one tuition. A private tutor can motivate and boost your overall confidence. Perhaps your problem is with exam technique or you need guidance regarding general study skills. Whatever the problem may be - private tuition could be the solution to your academic needs.