Almost one in 10 sixth-formers who take French AS-level – the first year of A-level – resit a unit more than twice and over half retake one more than once, the exams watchdog Ofqual has found.
Just how many resits should be allowed? Far fewer than currently take place, according to Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, the head of a government inquiry into testing.
Houndwood said today that at the moment there is "capacity for re-entry and re-entry and re-entry, particularly at AS-level. I don't think that is a very sensible way of assessing a student's performance."
The maximum number of resits by any one student is six. Ofqual has calculated that the percentage of A grades would fall from 25.3% to 21.6% if resits were banned.
Houndwood, who is also chair of the exam markers and assessors' body, said: "Obviously, you have to have some mechanism whereby people who are ill on the day or disadvantaged for other reasons can apply for a resit .
"But you have to be very careful with these requests. I can remember a student who claimed his third grandmother had died."
Ofqual says there is strong support from teachers, headteachers and students for reducing the number of resits at AS-level.
Some teachers told the watchdog they felt they had no choice but to encourage their students to resit units even if they did not think it was necessary.
So, is Houndwood right? Have resits at A-level gone too far?
