Legacy GCSE

When making your entries, you must plan carefully, taking the entry, certification and carry forward rules into consideration. You will need to check that:

• Unit combinations are valid by using the entry codes booklet.
• All units have been entered in the same series as certification (the 100% terminal rule has been satisfied)

Following their public consultation, Ofqual published their consultation outcome regarding resits for ‘legacy’ GCSEs that will be expiring as part of the reform of general qualifications.

The consultation put in place requirements for two resit opportunities for GCSEs in English, English Language and Mathematics, as well as one resit opportunity for GCSE Science.

We will not be offering resit opportunities in any other GCSE subjects.

For GCSE and GCSE (Short Course), a 100% terminal rule applies. Candidates must enter for all their units in the series in which the qualification is certificated. 

In specifications with both GCSE and GCSE (Short Course), the two qualifications can be certificated concurrently if all units are taken in the same series. Candidates who have claimed GCSE (Short Course) and decide to move on to the GCSE from the same specification will need to retake all of the GCSE (Short Course) units alongside the additional units required for GCSE. The new results for the units that have been retaken will then be used to calculate the GCSE grade. Any results previously achieved cannot be re-used. 

We strongly advise you make certification entries for your candidates by the final entry deadlines, and before results are released at the latest. However, if you have not made a certification entry, you may use the post-results late certification process up until the closing date for this service.

Candidates may enter for legacy GCSE and GCSE (Short Course) qualifications an unlimited number of times. 

Where a candidate retakes a qualification, all units must be re-entered and all externally assessed units must be retaken in the same series as the qualification is re-certificated. The new results for these units will be used to calculate the new qualification grade. Any results previously achieved cannot be re-used.

Option 1: Retaking controlled assessment

• Where a candidate decides to retake the controlled assessment, the new result will be the one used to calculate the new qualification grade. In this case, any results previously achieved cannot be re-used.

Option 2: Carrying forward a result for controlled assessment

• This option is only available if the controlled assessment unit was used in a previous certification
• Where a candidate decides to carry forward a result for controlled assessment, they must be entered for the controlled assessment unit in the retake series using the entry code for the carry forward option. Note, this will not happen automatically
• Results for controlled assessment units can be carried forward even if the previous certification was entered at a different centre; please make sure the candidate is entered with the same unique candidate identifier (UCI) as before. 

For further details about carrying forward controlled assessment, including examples of permitted combinations, see the following FAQ document: