Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of GCSE resits in improving a) English and b) Maths attainment among students who did not achieve a grade 4 at age 16.

Progress towards and attainment of Level 2 mathematics and English are essential for helping young people seize opportunities in life, learning and work. The department’s 16 to 19 English and mathematics policy gives students this opportunity, requiring those without Level 2 to continue to study English and mathematics and the ability to sit a GCSE or Functional Skills Qualification, when appropriate.

To support this, the department has introduced a 100-hour minimum teaching requirement per subject per academic year. We are introducing new 16 to 19 Level 1 mathematics and English qualifications to give students the time and support they need to consolidate foundational skills and knowledge. We are also revising provider performance measures to better recognise where students make progress.

Attainment has improved since the introduction of the mathematics and English Condition of Funding in 2014. Level 2 mathematics and English achievement by age 19 reached 73.2% in 2024/25, still above pre-COVID pandemic levels. In the 2025/26 academic year, there were 30,226 grade 4 passes in English GCSE and 22,012 grade 4 passes in mathematics GCSE by resit students.