Medicine application retaking year 13 options?
I am currently in year 13 and have applied for medicine and got interviews in January.
My physical health took a turn in October and my attendance is below 70% at the moment. I am considering retaking year 13 so I can focus on physical recovery.
if I got any offers would I be able to carry these forward or will I have to reapply again for 2027 entry.
Or am I better off sitting my a levels and seeing what I get and then retaking.
Yet I know some unis are weird about retakes of a levels would this also apply if I retook year 13 but the actual exams only once ??
My physical health took a turn in October and my attendance is below 70% at the moment. I am considering retaking year 13 so I can focus on physical recovery.
if I got any offers would I be able to carry these forward or will I have to reapply again for 2027 entry.
Or am I better off sitting my a levels and seeing what I get and then retaking.
Yet I know some unis are weird about retakes of a levels would this also apply if I retook year 13 but the actual exams only once ??
Reply 1
Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum.
The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.
Megathreads (Please read the first post before posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work
GANFYD's "Which medical schools accept retake A-Levels" list
2026 Applicants :
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry
Medicine 2026 entry for resit/retake/gap year applicants
International Students for Medicine 2026 Entry (overseas students applying to the UK)
UCAT 2026 Entry Discussions Megathread
GAMSAT Megathread 2026/2027 entry
GAMSAT Megathread 2025/2026 entry
2026 entry A100/ A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2026 entry
Medical Schools Index 2025 entry
UCAS Extra and Clearing:
Medicine UCAS Extra for 2025
Medicine UCAS Clearing for 2025
Other application years:
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2027 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2027 Entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2028 Entry
Current Medical Students and Doctors:
Guidance on posting in this subforum
So, you're going to medical school.... MKII
OSCE Tips and Advice
Increase in the NHS Bursary and expenses for placement
The postgraduate exams thread
Useful Articles:
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
Funding medicine as a second degree
Our Community:
Medicine Community Feedback and Suggestions
Medicine Gap Year Stories
Project: Minimum UCAT Score Trends
If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.
The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.
Megathreads (Please read the first post before posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work
GANFYD's "Which medical schools accept retake A-Levels" list
2026 Applicants :
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry
Medicine 2026 entry for resit/retake/gap year applicants
International Students for Medicine 2026 Entry (overseas students applying to the UK)
UCAT 2026 Entry Discussions Megathread
GAMSAT Megathread 2026/2027 entry
GAMSAT Megathread 2025/2026 entry
2026 entry A100/ A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2026 entry
Medical Schools Index 2025 entry
UCAS Extra and Clearing:
Medicine UCAS Extra for 2025
Medicine UCAS Clearing for 2025
Other application years:
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2027 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2027 Entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2028 Entry
Current Medical Students and Doctors:
Guidance on posting in this subforum
So, you're going to medical school.... MKII
OSCE Tips and Advice
Increase in the NHS Bursary and expenses for placement
The postgraduate exams thread
Useful Articles:
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
Funding medicine as a second degree
Our Community:
Medicine Community Feedback and Suggestions
Medicine Gap Year Stories
Project: Minimum UCAT Score Trends
If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.
Reply 2
6
Any help?
Original post
by Crabster72I am currently in year 13 and have applied for medicine and got interviews in January.
My physical health took a turn in October and my attendance is below 70% at the moment. I am considering retaking year 13 so I can focus on physical recovery.
if I got any offers would I be able to carry these forward or will I have to reapply again for 2027 entry.
Or am I better off sitting my a levels and seeing what I get and then retaking.
Yet I know some unis are weird about retakes of a levels would this also apply if I retook year 13 but the actual exams only once ??
My physical health took a turn in October and my attendance is below 70% at the moment. I am considering retaking year 13 so I can focus on physical recovery.
if I got any offers would I be able to carry these forward or will I have to reapply again for 2027 entry.
Or am I better off sitting my a levels and seeing what I get and then retaking.
Yet I know some unis are weird about retakes of a levels would this also apply if I retook year 13 but the actual exams only once ??
Hi there, sorry to hear about your health
Regrettably, this also puts you in a bit of a bind...I suspect that if you do not sit your A-levels this year, any potential offers would be void and you'd need to reapply. But it would be worth emailing the universities you've applied to and asking them.
Sitting your A-levels this academic year would not be ideal either, as you've missed out a fair bit of school, but it depends on how confident you feel you can self-learn everything you've missed in school and still meet the conditions of your offers. Also worth emailing the universities to explain your situation and ask if this would result in any sort of leniency in your A-level performance. In the end, it would be a judgement call as to how likely do you think you could do well in your A-levels. If you don't think you'll be able to meet the offer requirements, I wouldn't sit them this year. Although admittedly that puts you at a disadvantage because some medical schools don't like people that take 3 years to sit their A-levels. But since you have a health problem, I assume this would be considered an extenuating circumstance and you should be able to reapply anyway. At any rate, it would be a better strategy than the alternative of re-sitting your A-levels, because while you can do that, it would narrow the number of medical schools you could apply to - again, your health problems might count as a valid extenuating circumstances for many universities that generally don't like resits, but this would be a restriction anyway. Many medical schools stipulate that you need to have achieved ABB or something on your first attempt, or they only consider you if you're resitting a single subject, etc etc. So in the end, it's a judgement call... but again, I would email the universities you've applied to enquire about your options in order to be able to make a more informed decision.
Really sorry though, this is not an ideal situation. I hope you get better soon and good luck with your journey into medicine!
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