How can I revise for my GCSE English resits?

It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to GCSE exam revision, whether you’re sitting them for the first time or having another go.

Thousands of people resit GCSE exams every year. If you’re resitting English Language or English Literature soon, and you’re looking for practical advice or revision resources, BBC Bitesize has you covered.

The guides and materials below are suitable for learners preparing for resits in every UK nation, at any age – no matter if you’re still at school or college, making a career change or revisiting education later in life.

You can retake a GCSE subject as many times as you like, and there's no age limit - anyone can do it.

However, you can only take resits at certain times of the year - the autumn series (November) and the summer series (May/June). Resits for GCSE Maths and English Language are held during both series. The deadline for November entry is usually late September to early October, while for summer it’s generally late February to early March.

You can only resit other subjects, including English Literature, in the summer. The way you register for resits will depend on if you're still at school or college, or if you're a private candidate – meaning you’re not enrolled as a student.

Exams officers should be able to enter current students, but private candidates will need to speak to a local school or college - known as an exam centre - that accepts independent entries.

It's important to make sure you're entered for the correct exam board. This may sound obvious, but AQA, Pearson Edexcel, Cambridge OCR and WJEC Eduqas all offer resits in Maths, English Language and English Literature. You don't have to resit with the same exam board you originally used.

Not all resits are free, but whether you'll have to pay - and how much - depends on the subject, the grade you got before and whether you're still at school.

Maths and English Language resits are free for students aged 16-18 who didn't pass the first time around. These are statutory resits, because it's mandatory for people in this age group to keep taking these subjects until they achieve a grade 4 or higher.

But if you've already passed and you're retaking your exams to get a higher grade, or you're resitting any other subject, you'll have to pay regardless of whether you're a student or a private candidate. These are known as voluntary resits. They usually cost about £75-100 for current students, but it can be more for private candidates.

If you receive a lower grade in your resit than in your original exam, don’t worry – the higher grade remains valid, so there’s no risk you’ll lose out if you resit.

For statutory resits, achieving a lower grade than before simply means you’ll continue resitting the subject until you achieve a grade 4 or above, or you turn 18. However, if you’re resitting voluntarily, you will still have to pay the entry and centre fees.

BBC Bitesize has all the information and resources you’ll need for your English Language and Literature GCSEs, whether you’re resitting them or taking them for the first time.

And if you’re looking for an alternative, you could check out our post-16 section. There are resources for Functional Skills (England), Core Skills (Scotland) and Essential Skills (Wales), as well as maths and English content you can apply in the real world.

There’s no standard answer to this, because the number of marks needed for a grade 4 – or any grade – depends on the grade boundaries and the specific exam board.

Grade boundaries are set after exams are marked, to adjust for if the paper was harder or easier than previous years. If lots of people found the exam particularly difficult, boundaries will be dropped to reflect this.

Generally, you’ll need about 45-50% of the marks to achieve a grade 4 in English Language and English Literature. A grade 4 is a standard pass, while a grade 5 is considered a strong pass.

GCSE English Language is generally split up into two written exam papers, each worth 50% of your grade, and a separate Spoken Language component.

What exactly each paper assesses will vary slightly by exam board, but Paper 1 tends to focus on fiction and creative writing, while Paper 2 looks at non-fiction and comparing texts.

Our guide to studying for your English language exams explains step-by-step how to approach revision. There are links to guides on analysing fiction, non-fiction and comparing texts for every exam board.

If you learn best by listening, we’ve got a series of exam skills podcasts that cover everything from understanding the question to analysing structure and writing creatively. There are also video playlists that explain topics like spoken language, writing skills and spelling, punctuation and grammar.

If you want to test out your exam technique and measure your progress, we’ve got a selection of past papers and mark schemes for each exam board.

After a revision break? IYKYK: The Facts has articles and quizzes on language-related topics, so that you can take a brain break while still learning something new.

Like these everyday objects you never knew the names of and five words that used to mean something different. You could also test your knowledge with the deviously difficult dead words quiz, the ridiculously difficult rare words quiz and the gruelling grammar quiz.

As with English Language, the exact structure and assessment criteria for English Literature exams will vary by exam board.

However, the subject is usually split into two exams. Paper 1 generally tests your knowledge of a Shakespeare play and a 19th century novel, while Paper 2 asks you to analyse a modern text, an anthology of poetry and an unseen poem. These are closed-book exams, meaning you can’t take the texts into the room with you.

But don’t worry – our guide to studying for your English Literature exams is here to help. It’s got links to revision guides, quizzes and sample exam questions on texts like Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Great Expectations, Frankenstein, An Inspector Calls and Animal Farm, broken down by exam board.

If flashcards are your thing, we’ve got interactive sets covering quotations, concepts and key terms, all written by subject experts. And if you’re more of an audio learner, there’s a series of Bitesize podcasts covering some of the most popular set texts as well as poetry and exam skills.

We’ve also got video playlists, including a series of social media parodies that explore key texts in an accessible way. We bet you’ve never seen Pride and Prejudice quite like this before…

After all of that, you can test out your exam technique and measure your progress with our selection of past papers and mark schemes for each exam board, and our guide to using them effectively.

After a break from revision? IYKYK: The Facts has literature-related articles and quizzes, so that you can take a brain break while still learning something new.

Ever wondered who the Bennet sisters are? Or which fictional locations were inspired by real places? You can also find out which Bronte sister you are or test your knowledge of classic novel opening lines and Lord of the Rings.