Resits in high-stakes examinations: the unusual case of A levels

In contrast to many other high-stakes examinations which test students only at the end of a course, A levels use a modular format where students are allowed to resit past units within the two-year sixth-form course with no limit or penalty.

In contrast to many other high-stakes examinations which test students only at the end of a course, A levels use a modular format where students are allowed to resit past units within the two-year sixth-form course with no limit or penalty. Since resits were introduced ten years ago, A level performance has been improving steadily. Based on the results of a research study which used a student questionnaire and individual interviews of students, teachers and university admissions tutors, this presentation examines how students make resit decisions, how they improve in resits, how resits affect their learning and how the resit policy affects the effectiveness of A levels in certifying and selecting students at the end of sixth-form education. The research findings suggest that, due to a lack of appreciation for the rationale behind the modular system, no control of resits and the highly competitive nature of selection by universities, the resit policy has produced some undesirable effects when it comes to actual practice in sixth-form education.

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