Open College
Can A Levels be Retaken

If your A-Level results weren’t the grades you were hoping for, you may be wondering ‘can A Levels be retaken?’. Thankfully, the answer to this is yes, they absolutely can. Whether you have recently received your results or you took your A Levels years ago, retaking them is an option you can look into. The availability of online A Level courses is actually vast and it’s very easy to sign up to study one.

The key to doing it successfully is planning and preparation before you start. There are key things you need to identify, understand and make note of before beginning and if you do this, you will find retaking your A Levels far simpler than before.

What to Consider when Retaking A Levels

The first thing you need to consider is which of your A Levels you want to retake. Chances are, it’s not all three of your A Levels you need to do. Once you know the subjects you want to retake, you need to decide where and how you’re going to approach retaking them. The options you have available for retaking your A Levels are quite varied, for example:

  • You have the option of attending an evening class in your spare time to top up your knowledge and get yourself ready for examination.
  • You can self study the course again using your old notes and text books.
  • You can hire a tutor to help and support you through your learning of the subject.
  • You can enrol and study the entire course online through an online college like Open College.

As you’re the student who will be doing the studying, only you really know what method of revision and learning is going to work for you. So try and work out which you feel will best suit you. Remember too, if one way isn’t working for you, you always have the option of changing methods to see if that helps.

Reasons to Retake A Levels

Students’ reasons for retaking A Levels vary from person to person. But there are some reasons which commonly come up including:

  • Bad results
  • Illness
  • Missed exams
  • Poor preparation for exams
  • Needing a higher grade in a subject

As you can see from above, people wanting to retake A Levels aren’t alone and there are many students who opt to do just that. There really is no shame in deciding to retake your A Levels.

Online A Levels Courses

So now you know which of your A Levels you want to retake, it’s time to find them or find an alternate course to study. The easiest and arguably simplest option is online A Level courses. They are flexible, specially written for students to self study and they have the option of tutorial support.

When it comes to online A Levels, the range of subjects is almost exactly the same as for a traditional school or college. You can find online A Levels by doing a simple Google search or by asking others who have studied courses online. As an example of the courses you can sign up to study, there are the options of the more popular subjects such as:

But further to the more popular subjects, you can also find other interesting topics of study like:

The above courses are usually less available in schools or colleges due to the lack of demand for them from students. So as you can see, opting for online A Level courses, really can open doors for you.

Are there any Restrictions on Resitting A Levels?

In short, no. It really doesn’t matter if you took your A Levels 10 years ago or just a few months ago. If you want to improve your grades, then you are free to do so. Keep in mind that retaking your A Levels will cost money in one way or another. Whether it’s the fees for your examinations or for the fees of your tutoring and learning, you will have to pay some money towards retaking your subjects.

Obviously, if you took your A Levels not long ago, the bulk of the subject is going to be fresh in your mind and so the work needed to improve your grade is going to be less. But again, if you’re prepared to work hard and put the effort in, then there is no reason why you can’t retake your A Levels and get better grades to help with your career progression.

Can you Fast Track A Levels?

Yes, this really is an option. You can be forgiven for thinking A Levels have to take two years to study, but this isn’t the case. Especially if you are retaking A Levels, you are able to opt to be entered into the next available exam period, instead of waiting two years. One A level takes an average student 350 hours of study time. So, if you have covered the course syllabus already and just need to recap before exams, you’re not going to need long.

Fast track A Levels are basically the process of studying the same syllabus, but in less time. As a general guide, fast track A Levels are covered in one year or less by a student taking them. The qualification you receive at the end of the exams is exactly the same as if you took the usual length of time. The certificate you are issued makes no mention of fast track either.

Do I have to Pay for A levels?

Paying for A Levels all depends on how you decide to retake them. Opting for an online course will usually cost students fees. The fees cover the course material, learning support and tutor. For some A Levels students can get Government funding or Trust backing to help cover the fees. The process for doing this can prove lengthy.

Generally, online A Level course fees are around £400 per course. And you can usually spread payments for the course fees over a payment plan to make it affordable. The exams for the A Level courses are also an additional fee. And they vary greatly from centre to centre, so do your research.

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