Should you retake A-level Chemistry?

If you have your heart set on to going to university but have missed out on both your first and second choice places, there are three options open to you:

1. Go through clearing
2. Resit the final year at school
3. Resit the exams but study independently

The outlook for students who retake a few A-levels is positive overall, with over 40% improving by one or more grades (see the chart below). There are, however, still some instances where resits might not be the best option.

Clearing through UCAS

As a rule-of-thumb, if you are looking to improve by more than two grades for two or more A-levels, or retaking three A-levels, you would probably be better off going through clearing or perhaps returning to school.

I get students coming to me each year wanting to resit three A levels. My standard advice to them would be to go back to school and resit the final year or take whatever is offered through clearing. Retaking three A levels is a serious full time effort it is best not to attempt this without considerable support from your sixth form and also perhaps a tutor.

More information on clearing

If you do decide to go through clearing you are not alone - some fifty thousand students, around 6%, go through clearing each year. This is in contrast to the 7% of the cohort who retake A-level Chemistry and should be viewed as an equally-viable option. There is a lot of useful information about the clearing process on the UCAS website.

There are two dates to remember when you make your decision: The last day for clearing which is the 19th of October 2026 for this year and the possible start date of your course which is usually around the last week of September. So all things considered, you probably want to make your decision on clearing by mid-September.

How much could you improve if you resat your A-level Chemistry exam?

Here is a chart linking how likely a student is to improve their grade after a resit, adapted from publicaly available information [1]:

A few points of interest from the data:

• More than 40% of students who retake their Chemistry A-level improve by one or more grades, with the figure rising to more than two-thirds for those who scored a D on their first attempt.
• Students who want to improve more than two grades in Chemistry are unlikely to succeed. The likelihood of improving by three grades in one of the most difficult A-level topics is quite low.
• Those aiming to progress from an A to an A* are more likely to stay at an A (~60%).

At first look, these figures appear to indicate that retaking the A-level test is an excellent alternative for students who receive grades B through D. Some contextual information is naturally lost in the charts, such as whether some of those who improved by two grades did so just because they received assistance, or whether the student fared poorly the first time because they were out from school for an extended period. I suspect that quite a few of those who improved had good reasons for their underperformance the first time around.

Each year, I help students who are retaking their A-level Chemistry exams, it is actually one of the most popular A-levels for retakes! Most students resit one or two A-levels and they are typically looking to improve by one to two grades. They often need those grades to study medicine, engineering, dentistry or one of the sciences at a Russell Group university. For these guys, the prospect of significantly better career options is very much worth the additional year of study. Whilst it might seem to be a bit of a gamble, I am delighted to say that so far they have all improved by at least one grade and gone on to study their chosen subject at university.

If we assume similar student numbers to 2025 [2] and retake percentages in 2026, around four thousand students could be retaking their A-level Chemistry exams in 2026-27, with many more ‘pre-exam’ students resitting their first or final year whilst still at sixth form. You will certainly not be the only one making this decision, just make sure your choice is informed by both your available options and a dose of reality!

A few basic checks to make before deciding to resit your exam

The outlook for students who retake a few A-levels is positive overall, but there are still some instances where resits might not be the best option. These are:

• When you could improve with a remark
• When your choice of university course stipulates that all your A-levels must be sat in the same year
• If you need to improve by more than two grades and haven’t worked at your desired grade at any point so far in any of your A-levels
• If you are studying OCR-B (the final examination for this course is 2027, so resits are impossible in 2028!)

First, the easy bit - if you are only a few marks from your required grade (and if you are certain that your first choice university has rejected your application), I suggest getting the papers sent to your school to see if it is worthwhile having one or more papers remarked. Fingers crossed, it will all work out for you, no resits will be necessary.

Some university courses, such as a few Medicine and Veterinary Medicine degrees, require all three exams to be sat in the same year. Those at Oxford, St Andrews, and the University of Edinburgh all currently make that stipulation, so please check this before deciding what to do.

Finally, it is important to be realistic about your chances. Retaking your A-levels reqires self-discipline and a relentless focus on being a better student than last time around. I would expect that the 60% who retake and don’t improve their grades include a fair few who don’t change how they study. In my opinion, it would be fair to aim for the best grade you achieved in tests and mock exams the first time around, but even then you will need to improve your skills. This is something I can help you with, so please feel free to get in touch and discuss the options available to you. If you do decide to resit your exam, please review the hints and tips below.

Some advice on improving your Chemistry grade during resits

1. Research your options for retakes at school or at a separate exam centre
2. Consider the international Oxford AQA syllabus if you studied AQA the first time around - Oxford AQA is modular and it might suit you better
3. Ensure you reapply well-ahead of the UCAS deadline
4. Ensure that either you or your school have entered you for the exams before the deadline - this is late February most years
5. Choose your resources wisely - no CGP guides or dodgy Youtube videos this time!
6. Work on your study skills, perhaps with the help of a tutor
7. Maintain or improve study habits
8. Keep up your hobbies, interests, sports, and freindship groups - try to achieve a balance, perhaps read some books about your subjects to maintain your interest

References

[1] Sutch, T, and Wilson, F. Reaching for the A*: Exploring the extent and effect of resitting at A level Research Matters. Cambridge Assesment 16[2013], 40-48.

[2] Government statistics for 2025