Seeking Advice on Retaking A-Level and AS-Level Exams as a Private Candidate

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I’m currently in a situation where I need some guidance on the best way to proceed with retaking my A-Level exams, and I would appreciate any advice or insights from this community.

My Situation:

I sat for my AS-Level Economics exam in the May/June 2023 series and then completed the full A-Level in Economics, Law, and Mathematics in the May/June 2024 series.
Unfortunately, I did not achieve the grades I was hoping for in my A-Levels, and my college does not allow resits, so I’m planning to retake the exams as a private candidate through CAIE.
Inquiries Sent to Universities:

I have also reached out to several universities where I plan to apply for the LLB program, explaining my situation. Here’s what I’ve asked them:

Retaking A-Level Components: Should I retake my entire A-Level exams this November, or would it be acceptable to resit just the AS-Level components in November and then complete the remaining A-Level components in the May/June 2025 series?

Application Process Without Predicted Grades: Since I will be resitting as a private candidate, I won’t have access to predicted grades. I’ve asked the universities how this will affect the evaluation of my application and if they have any specific guidance for applicants in my situation.

Additional Questions for CAIE:

Retaking AS-Level Only: Can I retake only the AS-Level components in the October/November 2024 series for my subjects, or will I need to retake the full A-Level exams for all these subjects?

New Registration for AS-Level: If I’m not allowed to retake just the AS-Level components, can I make a new registration solely for the AS-Level components in the October/November 2024 series and then complete the remaining A-Level components in the May/June 2025 series?

Request for Advice:

I’m reaching out to this forum because I’m unsure of the best approach to improve my A-Level results. I want to avoid any unnecessary complications and ensure that I’m following the correct procedure as a private candidate. If anyone has been in a similar situation or has knowledge of the CAIE retake process, I would greatly appreciate your advice.

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Best regards,
Muhammad Ahmad Chattha

Reply 1

strong-pedestria

Original post by chaudhrychattha

Hello everyone,
I hope you're all doing well. I’m currently in a situation where I need some guidance on the best way to proceed with retaking my A-Level exams, and I would appreciate any advice or insights from this community.
My Situation:
I sat for my AS-Level Economics exam in the May/June 2023 series and then completed the full A-Level in Economics, Law, and Mathematics in the May/June 2024 series.
Unfortunately, I did not achieve the grades I was hoping for in my A-Levels, and my college does not allow resits, so I’m planning to retake the exams as a private candidate through CAIE.
Inquiries Sent to Universities:
I have also reached out to several universities where I plan to apply for the LLB program, explaining my situation. Here’s what I’ve asked them:
Retaking A-Level Components: Should I retake my entire A-Level exams this November, or would it be acceptable to resit just the AS-Level components in November and then complete the remaining A-Level components in the May/June 2025 series?
Application Process Without Predicted Grades: Since I will be resitting as a private candidate, I won’t have access to predicted grades. I’ve asked the universities how this will affect the evaluation of my application and if they have any specific guidance for applicants in my situation.
Additional Questions for CAIE:
Retaking AS-Level Only: Can I retake only the AS-Level components in the October/November 2024 series for my subjects, or will I need to retake the full A-Level exams for all these subjects?
New Registration for AS-Level: If I’m not allowed to retake just the AS-Level components, can I make a new registration solely for the AS-Level components in the October/November 2024 series and then complete the remaining A-Level components in the May/June 2025 series?
Request for Advice:
I’m reaching out to this forum because I’m unsure of the best approach to improve my A-Level results. I want to avoid any unnecessary complications and ensure that I’m following the correct procedure as a private candidate. If anyone has been in a similar situation or has knowledge of the CAIE retake process, I would greatly appreciate your advice.
Thank you all in advance for your help!
Best regards,
Muhammad Ahmad Chattha

Hello! I will share a link to another conversation in which I helped someone who is also looking to improve in maths among the other subjects they take. Please do check it out as I feel it will be of benefit. There are some links I posted there which have folders for each A-Level subject including the textbooks and revision guides for them. Here is the link:

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7514458&p=99822813&page=1#post99822813

Do let me know if there is an issue or if there are any more questions you have. Good luck!