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Do universities allow gcse English language resits?

I want to know if universities allow you to retake eng lang. Basically I just finished year 13 and didn't get into medicine so I'm taking a gap year and reapplying this October for 2022 entry. I retook english language and I'm also doing ukcat and have a confirmed A*AA for a levels. I have 998877765 at gcse but I retook english language (the one I got 5 in) this year and will get a 7 or higher probably. So can anyone also tell me what universities I should avoid/cant apply to too and what universities would be best to apply to?

Reply 1

SyedN

21

You can still apply to med schools just avoid GCSE heavy med schools like Oxford, Leeds or Cardiff. Once you have sat your UCAT you should post all your stats in the thread below and you will receive the best advice as to what med schools you should apply to:

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5678544

Hope this helped!

Reply 2

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by musab_101

I want to know if universities allow you to retake eng lang. Basically I just finished year 13 and didn't get into medicine so I'm taking a gap year and reapplying this October for 2022 entry. I retook english language and I'm also doing ukcat and have a confirmed A*AA for a levels. I have 998877765 at gcse but I retook english language (the one I got 5 in) this year and will get a 7 or higher probably. So can anyone also tell me what universities I should avoid/cant apply to too and what universities would be best to apply to?

I'm not aware of any uni's where a GCSE retake would put you at a disadvantage, (other than those looking at your overall GCSE profile). They would only possibly be concerned about AL retakes, and then only for the more competitive courses.

Edit: This is general guidance for undergrad courses and is not specific to medicine programmes. The post below is excellent.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 3

GANFYD

18

Original post by musab_101

I want to know if universities allow you to retake eng lang. Basically I just finished year 13 and didn't get into medicine so I'm taking a gap year and reapplying this October for 2022 entry. I retook english language and I'm also doing ukcat and have a confirmed A*AA for a levels. I have 998877765 at gcse but I retook english language (the one I got 5 in) this year and will get a 7 or higher probably. So can anyone also tell me what universities I should avoid/cant apply to too and what universities would be best to apply to?

The below applies to a typical year:
Leicester allow English and maths, nil else, and look like they will only score first sitting, even if resat, so essentially, only useful to meet minimum requirements.
Nottingham (and Lincoln), Edinburgh and Birmingham do not accept GCSE resits. It looks like Aberdeen do not.
Imperial, UCL, SGUL, Sheffield, Manchester, HYMS, Edge Hill, UEA, ARU, St Andrews OK with resits. Bristol allow 1 resit of any exam at GCSE. Cardiff are if done within a year of originals
Aston did accept resits for 2021 entry, not prior to that, and i would guess they will for 2022, too.

So unless you have a fantastic UCAT, Leicester may well not be competitive and avoid Nottingham, Lincoln, Birmingham, Aberdeen and Cardiff. I would double check for any you are interested in, as it would be a shame to miss out on shortlisting due to not reading/checking small print, especially as this may all change as most applicants this year will have CAG GCSEs, so any resits may be accepted without prejudice

Reply 4

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by GANFYD

The below applies to a typical year:
Leicester allow English and maths, nil else, and look like they will only score first sitting, even if resat, so essentially, only useful to meet minimum requirements.
Nottingham (and Lincoln), Edinburgh and Birmingham do not accept GCSE resits. It looks like Aberdeen do not.
Imperial, UCL, SGUL, Sheffield, Manchester, HYMS, Edge Hill, UEA, ARU, St Andrews OK with resits. Bristol allow 1 resit of any exam at GCSE. Cardiff are if done within a year of originals
Aston did accept resits for 2021 entry, not prior to that, and i would guess they will for 2022, too.

So unless you have a fantastic UCAT, Leicester may well not be competitive and avoid Nottingham, Lincoln, Birmingham, Aberdeen and Cardiff. I would double check for any you are interested in, as it would be a shame to miss out on shortlisting due to not reading/checking small print, especially as this may all change as most applicants this year will have CAG GCSEs, so any resits may be accepted without prejudice

A much better researched and more informative post than mine :wink:

Reply 5

username5159474

OP

11

Original post by GANFYD

The below applies to a typical year:
Leicester allow English and maths, nil else, and look like they will only score first sitting, even if resat, so essentially, only useful to meet minimum requirements.
Nottingham (and Lincoln), Edinburgh and Birmingham do not accept GCSE resits. It looks like Aberdeen do not.
Imperial, UCL, SGUL, Sheffield, Manchester, HYMS, Edge Hill, UEA, ARU, St Andrews OK with resits. Bristol allow 1 resit of any exam at GCSE. Cardiff are if done within a year of originals
Aston did accept resits for 2021 entry, not prior to that, and i would guess they will for 2022, too.

So unless you have a fantastic UCAT, Leicester may well not be competitive and avoid Nottingham, Lincoln, Birmingham, Aberdeen and Cardiff. I would double check for any you are interested in, as it would be a shame to miss out on shortlisting due to not reading/checking small print, especially as this may all change as most applicants this year will have CAG GCSEs, so any resits may be accepted without prejudice

Hi I actually went in to further detail about cardiff, and they allow only English language to be retaken even if it is longer than a year of the original resit.
Also when you say leicster may well not be competitive do you mean that as a good thing? Also my gsces aren't CAG so will I have an advantage over other applicants?

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 6

SyedN

21

Original post by musab_101

Hi I actually went in to further detail about cardiff, and they allow only English language to be retaken even if it is longer than a year of the original resit.
Also when you say leicster may well not be competitive do you mean that as a good thing? Also my gsces aren't CAG so will I have an advantage over other applicants?

No, they mean you should avoid Leicester if your UCAT isn't high as you won't have a competitive application. Also, I believe it will have no impact on whether you have an advantage or not, I'm sure @GANFYD can correct me if I'm wrong.

Reply 7

username5159474

OP

11

My GCSES aren't assessed, it was the last year before could took over, so will that give me an advantage over applicants with assessed grades?

Reply 8

GANFYD

18

Original post by musab_101

My GCSES aren't assessed, it was the last year before could took over, so will that give me an advantage over applicants with assessed grades?

No. All GCSE results will be treated equally, whether sat it CAG/TAG

Reply 9

Ghostface6001

17

Original post by musab_101

I want to know if universities allow you to retake eng lang. Basically I just finished year 13 and didn't get into medicine so I'm taking a gap year and reapplying this October for 2022 entry. I retook english language and I'm also doing ukcat and have a confirmed A*AA for a levels. I have 998877765 at gcse but I retook english language (the one I got 5 in) this year and will get a 7 or higher probably. So can anyone also tell me what universities I should avoid/cant apply to too and what universities would be best to apply to?