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Argues for a redesigned post-16 qualification aligned to essential maths and numeracy needs for everyday life and employment.",{"@graph":14,"@context":66},[15,34,49],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/addressing-gcse-maths-resit-failure-a-new-approach/206838/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"author":36,"headline":10,"publisher":39,"fileFormat":42,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":43,"datePublished":43,"encodingFormat":42,"isAccessibleForFree":44,"interactionStatistic":45},"DigitalDocument",{"name":37,"@type":38},"supergirl","Person",{"url":19,"name":40,"@type":41},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-05",true,{"@type":46,"interactionType":47,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":48},"ViewAction",{"@type":50,"mainEntity":51},"FAQPage",[52,58,62],{"name":53,"@type":54,"acceptedAnswer":55},"How are GCSE maths grades defined for standard and strong passes?","Question",{"text":56,"@type":57},"GCSEs are graded 9 to 1, where grade 4 is a standard pass and grade 5 or above is a strong pass. Foundation tier covers grades 1 to 5, while higher tier targets grades 4 to 9.","Answer",{"name":59,"@type":54,"acceptedAnswer":60},"What happens to students who do not achieve grade 4 or higher in GCSE maths?",{"text":61,"@type":57},"Full-time students aged 16–18 who have not achieved grade 4 or higher must continue studying maths as a condition of funding. Those with grade 3 must retake GCSE, while grade 2 or below can study Functional Skills.",{"name":63,"@type":54,"acceptedAnswer":64},"Why is a new approach to post-16 maths resits proposed?",{"text":65,"@type":57},"Large numbers of capable students still fail by age 19, with widening education gaps. The proposal draws on evidence that success rates remain low and recommends alternatives that assess essential maths and numeracy more directly.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":68,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":40,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":70,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":72,"site_id":7},206838,1788596283,{"code":4,"msg":75,"data":76},"success",[77,81,85,88,93,98,103,108,113,116,120],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":78,"show_sort_weight":79,"slug":80},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":82,"show_sort_weight":83,"slug":84},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},70,"exam",{"id":89,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":90,"show_sort_weight":91,"slug":92},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":94,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":99,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":104,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":114,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":115},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":118,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":119},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":121,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":122,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":123},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":75,"data":125},{"doc_id":72,"user_id":126,"nickname":37,"user_avatar":127,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":128,"file_id":129,"file_url":130,"file_type":131,"file_size":132,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":117,"language":133,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":134,"faqs":135,"seo_title":136,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":73,"read_time":137},962088121634,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","July 2024  \nAddressing GCSE maths resit failure:  \nA new approach  \nAddressing GCSE maths resit failure: A new approach  \nPost-16 GCSE resits  \nEach year over 600,000 state school students take GCSE maths at age 16. As with all GCSEs, the qualification is graded 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest grade. Grade 4 represents a‘standard pass’ and the achievement of a Level 2 qualification, and a grade 5 or above represents a ‘strong pass’. Of 16 year olds taking the qualification annually, 43% study the foundation tier qualification, which covers a subset of  \ntotal content and is limited to grades 1 to 5, with the rest studying higher tier, offering more challenging content designed for grades 4 to 9.  \nAnnually, around 30% of 16 year-olds fail to achieve a standard pass in maths (and the same for English) . This percentage is more or less the same every year and equates to around 180,000 students.  \nFull-time 16 to 18 year-old students who have not achieved grade 4 or higher in GCSE maths and English must continue studying these subjects as a condition of funding. Those who achieve a grade 3 are required to retake the GCSE1. Those with grade 2 or below can study Functional Skills2 at Level 1 or Level 2, but most resit the GCSE.  \n‘English and maths GCSE are fundamental to young people’s employment and education prospects’3 , soit comes as no surprise that most enter the GCSE. But, while there has been improvement in pass rates, still fewer than half of students with a grade 3 at age 16 achieve a GCSE pass in maths by age 19, and just one quarter of all students without a standard pass go on to achieve a GCSE maths qualification.  \n1 Education and Skills Funding Agency (2023) . Guidance: 16 to 19 funding: maths and English condition of funding  \n2 Functional Skills are applied qualifications at level 2 or below widely used in apprenticeships. [https://qips.ucas.com/qip/functional-skills](https://qips.ucas.com/qip/functional-skills)  \n[3](3 Wolf)[ Wolf](3 Wolf) , A. (2011) . Review of Vocational Education – The Wolf Report  \nAddressing GCSE maths resit failure: A new approach  \nSuccess and failure rates  \nSuccess rates by age 19 for students without a standard pass are outlined below4. Grading standards in 2020, 2021 and 2022 were eased due to the Covid-19 pandemic; 2018/19 and 2022/23 therefore present a more typical picture – one of under-achievement in maths. While success rates have improved, they remain low and fall below those of English.  \nSuccess rates in GCSE maths resit for students by prior grade are:  \n\n| Grade at 16 | 20 13-14 | 20 14-15 | 20 15-16 | 20 16-17 | 20 17-18 | 20 18-19 | 20 19-20 | 2020-21 | 202 1-22 | 2022-23 |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 3 | 33% | 35% | 33% | 39% | 42% | 44% | 46% | 56% | 64% | 45% |\n| 2 | 9% | 11% | 12% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 17% | 22% | 24% | 13% |\n| 1 | 2% | 3% | 3% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 5% | 3% |\n| U | 3% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 9% | 6% | 3% |\n\n4  [https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/level-2-and-3-attainment-by-young-people-aged-19](https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/level-2-and-3-attainment-by-young-people-aged-19)  \nAddressing GCSE maths resit failure: A new approach  \nThe case for a new approach  \nLarge numbers of students capable of achieving GCSE maths by age 19 are failing to achieve the qualification, with education gaps widening as a result. The Education Policy Institute (EPI) identified that the ‘absolute gap’ in GCSE performance (the percentage point difference between progress rates of students eligible for FSM5 and non-FSM students in post-16 education) has increased over the period of the policy6. EPI concluded that we need a better alternative.  \nThere have been several calls for a new approach: ASCL’s work on ‘The Forgotten Third’, published in 20197 recommended a competency-based‘Passport’ in maths; and in 2022, MEI proposed a qualification at age 16 to assess t","cbCairl3l4qML33W","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairl3l4qML33W","pdf",5171193,"English","# Post-16 GCSE resits\n## Success and failure rates\n## The case for a new approach\n## A redesigned post-16 maths GCSE qualification","[{\"question\":\"How are GCSE maths grades defined for standard and strong passes?\",\"answer\":\"GCSEs are graded 9 to 1, where grade 4 is a standard pass and grade 5 or above is a strong pass. Foundation tier covers grades 1 to 5, while higher tier targets grades 4 to 9.\"},{\"question\":\"What happens to students who do not achieve grade 4 or higher in GCSE maths?\",\"answer\":\"Full-time students aged 16–18 who have not achieved grade 4 or higher must continue studying maths as a condition of funding. Those with grade 3 must retake GCSE, while grade 2 or below can study Functional Skills.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is a new approach to post-16 maths resits proposed?\",\"answer\":\"Large numbers of capable students still fail by age 19, with widening education gaps. The proposal draws on evidence that success rates remain low and recommends alternatives that assess essential maths and numeracy more directly.\"}]","Addressing GCSE maths resit failure - A new approach | PDF",25]