Our A-level retake courses begin in September, with exams in Summer 2027. Our applications for 2026 entry are now open.
We reteach the full course in just one year. You won’t just be revising subjects again, but re-learning them in full. Fill gaps in your knowledge, rebuild your confidence, and learn exam techniques that actually work.
The environment is mature and supportive. No uniform, no formal assemblies, no pressure — just space to restart your academics as yourself, treated as an individual in a friendly, inclusive setting.
If you are thinking about where to retake your A-levels, RIC offers a different approach to achieving your best:
Resitting your A-levels at RIC is not like going back to school - it’s a stepping-stone between sixth form and university. We’ve offered A-level resit courses since 1984 and on average students improve by two grades in a year, potentially taking Bs to A*s or Cs to As.
Many students arrive at RIC each year having missed their offers, then leave with three top grades and a first choice university place – even for subjects like Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, Physiotherapy, Maths and Law.
We help students turn a difficult results day into a launchpad for success. Our A-level retakes are designed not just to improve grades, but to rebuild confidence, strengthen study skills, and open doors to courses you thought were out of reach.
"Many students transfer here after poor progress at A level and the effect can be dramatic. It’s a sound investment- among the retakers all got into university and three-quarters won Russell Group places."
Students at RIC have an exciting range of options for A-level retake subjects, which can also be combined with new subjects through our one year fast track courses. Browse your options below or enquire whether a subject is available for resits or fast-tracking.
You can absolutely decide to try again and resit A-levels – before or after starting university. Students usually decide to retake before they try a university course but sometimes the decision comes after a disappointing start in higher education.
Students underperform in A-level examinations for many reasons: lack of confidence, lack of commitment and illness are a few of the most common. The disappointment on results day often leads to the most important step on the road to improvement – which is an absolute determination to turn things around.
Many universities accept retakes. The one thing to remember is that retaking A-levels does not diminish your chances of attending a top university. The effect of a retake course can be truly transformative and open up new paths.
For many students, retaking actually improves their future academic prospects – students leave Rochester Independent College to start degree programmes they initially thought beyond their reach before joining us. This includes the UK’s top universities, like King’s London, Durham, Edinburgh and UCL.
What sets RIC's retake programme apart is the sense of community. It's a place where many are on the same journey, even if they are heading in different directions. Lois, RIC Alumnus said:
"As a retake student, RIC really helped me change the mistakes I'd previously made when applying to university. I found a new passion for film at RIC that I wanted to explore further at university along with English literature."
Many of our students leave at the end of the year saying it was the best choice they made in education. It can be both reassuring and stimulating to join A-Level classes with those in the same position who have also moved schools. With expert guidance, another year in the Sixth Form is likely to open up far more possibilities both for university and beyond. For many, it is also the best year of their academic life.
Small classes and the easy accessibility of staff ensure that students receive a great deal of individual help and attention. Regular tests under examination conditions are designed to help those who suffer from ‘examination nerves’ and our highly experienced staff help students develop their examination technique.
The retake year is positively approached as a university preparation course. We’re keen to ensure students leave us with the academic and organisational skills that will help them get the most from their university life.
I would like to thank you and your staff for enabling Hannah to get the grades she needed for university. You took a girl in pieces after the disappointment of her A level results and turned her into a confident and successful young woman. She has now been accepted to study zoology at Bristol in September, her dream university."
Maia from Colfe’s School originally joined RIC as a boarder to retake A-Levels for Medicine but swiftly decided to switch, opting for one-year courses in Fine Art and English Literature alongside resitting Chemistry and winning a place at UCL’s Slade School of Fine Art.
Rochester Independent College is a non-traditional independent school offering private education for A-level resists and fast track A-level studies, alongside full A-level courses.
At RIC students often combine retaking with fresh one year courses to target their first choice university and make their academic gap year more engaging. RIC offers full UCAS support for students retaking A-levels to ensure that their new application is carefully put together. It is usual for students retaking A-levels at RIC to receive Russell Group university offers.
Class sizes are extremely small on A-level resit courses, usually numbering around six to eight which means that every student has individual attention. With a team of expert tutors all of which are skilled at delivering intensive resit courses you’ll be in safe hands. Whether you need a pep talk before an exam or a shoulder to lean on when the going gets tough, RIC's got your back.
Improvements of five or six grades are by no means unheard of even on an A-level resit course, however, improvements of two or three grades are more common.
You can apply for our resit programmes if you have previously taken your exams with the AQA exam board.
A-level retakes are available in the summer only. Students will need to sit the entire exam again during the May/June examination period. Unfortunately, January resits are no longer an option.
For students receiving A-level results in August 2026, retake study courses begin in September 2026, and exams take place in Summer 2027.
We offer a range of one year A-level courses that can be successfully combined with A-level resits. Our fast-track A-level courses allow you to take a completely new subject in one year instead of two.
Many students add at least one new subject after realising their original A-levels weren’t quite right for them. Studying something new also keeps your resit year fresh and stimulating.
Before you start, we'll look at what didn't work last time and what you actually need — whether that's different subjects that suit you better, or different support. It's entirely achievable to get top grades this way; we have students doing it every year.
Yes, you can change direction during your course — as long as you do it early enough to complete your new subjects properly. If you realise your original subject choices aren't right for you shortly after starting your course, you can swap subjects, drop them, or take new ones alongside your resits.
Yes. You don't need to return to sixth form or a traditional school environment to resit A-levels. At RIC, you study in small groups with a relaxed, respectful culture — no uniform, no hierarchy, just focused learning with proper support. Many students find this a better fit for getting the grades they need.
You can apply to resit as soon as you get your results, starting the academic year in September. You'll study through the year and sit your exams the following summer. We accept students up till the age of 21.
Our very small, tutorial style classes (average 8 students) ensure that each student is treated as an individual. In addition to the highly experienced subjects teachers, academic progress and personal welfare are also closely monitored by Directors of Studies. All students have fortnightly individually timetabled meetings with their allocated DoS to discuss progress.
Yes, one year A-Level retake courses allow students to be comprehensively retaught. Exam practice is regular and students are kept on target. Individualised help is plentiful. Our engaging tutors help students towards their academic destinations with precision and flair.
Yes, weekly tests under exam conditions take place in the school hall which are marked and detailed feedback is given. This helps build student confidence and 'normalises' exam taking.
Some students on A-Level resit courses have missed periods of school in the past due to illness. Some have struggled with exam technique, organisation or knowing how to study and revise independently. Others have not flourished in previous schools or simply not worked hard enough before! At Rochester Independent College, all benefit from our supportive Directors of Studies and university application expertise.
Yes, the small, tutorial style classes (average 8 students) ensure that there's no 'back of the class'. Each student is treated as an individual. Academic progress and personal welfare is closely monitored by Directors of Studies. All students have fortnightly individually timetabled meetings with their tutor to discuss progress.
We see retakes as a new chapter and many students find that retakes are a turning point, offering a second chance to reach goals like going to medical school or to a top-tier university.
Yes, we are able to offer places in our on campus halls of residence to students on A-level resit courses. We group such older, university aged students together in boarding. The atmosphere is closer to a university halls of residence than a traditional boarding school but with more structure and support.
Yes but this can be subject specific. Every year our retake students secure offers from highly competitive courses such as Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science and Law and our highly experienced Directors of Studies have highly specialised knowledge in this area.
This year our retakers have offers from universities like King’s London, Durham, Edinburgh and UCL. What often gives Rochester Independent College’s A-level retake students the competitive edge when reapplying for university is if they add one or more new A-level subjects to their resits. This prepares them for their chosen course of study and demonstrates their academic potential as the full course is taken in only one year.
Year 13 at former schools was unlucky for some but many students turned things around by opting for an extra year of sixth form in RIC’s year 14, taking a mixture of one year A-level and retake courses. Freddy from The Judd School, Tonbridge improved his grades from BBC to A*A*A and now has a place at Bristol University for Aerospace Engineering. He’ll be joined there by another Freddy from King’s Canterbury who improved his A-levels from CDE to A*A*A and will study Engineering Mathematics.
Erin switched from Holcombe Grammar with DEE to retake and upgraded these results to A*A*A*A and will read Anthropology at UCL. Erin said that ‘It was the best decision I made to come to RIC during my A-levels. The teachers gave me back both the confidence and the grades I needed. I do not know any other school that cares like RIC does.’
It is always a shock not to receive the grades you wanted, but it need not be the end of high aspirations. Joel achieved grades ABB at The Judd School but this was not enough for the course he was aiming at. Joel retook two subjects and added English Literature, winning a place at Exeter University. He says: "I really enjoyed English and was so pleased with my A* result, especially since it was my only B at GCSE. Social and political protest writing linked well with Politics and Economics. RIC has been a stepping stone between school and university. Weekly boarding meant that I could get my creature comforts at home yet have a social life at college, living with people the same age as me. Taking control of my own education ensured I had the motivation to succeed."
Underperforming in public exams is a painful experience. Disappointment in the faces of your parents, family and teachers, coupled with your own sense of regret (the ‘could haves’, ‘would haves’, ‘what ifs’ of revision and exam taking, time invested in your facebook newsfeed rather than your copy of ‘The Great Gatsby’) all contribute to a sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach. It was hard for me. Harder still was accepting that these grades truly reflected my academic capabilities. As difficult as it was, I can truly say that, certainly for me and other students in a similar position, failing proved a blessing despite the initial feeling of “the end of my life”.
I was in a far stronger position to take my exams the second time around. I fully understood the gravity of the exams. These were the labels with which universities and society labelled us, and the fear that the grades of my first attempt were permanent, motivated me to perform to a level which did me justice at the second attempt. This degree of pressure was healthy enough as it provided the spark which was missing the first time around as I coasted aimlessly to my inexorable fate of bad grades. I wanted to succeed.
Retaking A-levels provides you with valuable experience with the application process to universities. A degree of my initial failure can be attributed to the fact that I was not convinced as to what I wanted to study and where. This uncertainty was reflected in my work ethic as I did not commit myself to any subject or to any goal. So I missed my grades. During the retake year however, I was in a far stronger position to apply to university: I was familiar with the UCAS process and I had had enough time to commit to an academic pathway. The fact that my friends were enjoying their university life further fuelled my drive to achieve my grades.
Many people claim that universities do not give out offers to retake students. This fear-mongering should not be heeded. The new found focus delivered by the extra year in education is reflected in the personal statement and the reference by your teachers. For the majority of the other retake students I knew and myself, university offers were being given regardless of the fact we were retaking.
I can claim confidently that retaking your exams will produce a higher grade the second time around. The lingering scars of disappointment from last summer’s results day provide the motivation, the extra year of maturity provides the work ethic and the experience of the UCAS system ensures you have a goal to which you focus your studies. For many of my friends, going from very disappointing grades, they now see themselves at highly competitive universities studying well-respected degrees. And you always have the confidence that if you underperform in your retake (maybe your sleep was interrupted by an earthquake in Folkestone measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, or you could not concentrate because your train driver was on ‘strike’ against the scarce 3G coverage between Ebbsfleet and Stratford) you get to keep your grade from the previous year.
Idris joined RIC from King's Canterbury and went on to study Architectural Engineering at Bath
I joined RIC in 2019 to resit my A-levels. I remember the stress of not getting into university and trying to plan what to do next, and all I can say is that I am so relieved I made the decision I did. The teachers here are so different to any others from my previous schools, they are inspiring. It’s a whole different experience being taught by people who are so passionate about their subjects. I came to RIC with B C D grades in maths biology and chemistry, and left after only one year with A* A* A respectively. I am so grateful for the welcoming and safe environment the school provided me with, and I can say with completely confidence that it was solely due to the teachers and staff at RIC that I was able to do as well as I did, and I thank them for helping me to reach my full potential. I knew from reading the website myself before I joined that resit students at RIC often come out with a huge improvement but it seemed unbelievable that I could achieve the same. I can tell you honestly that this school has changed my life, not only academically, and I am only sorry to be leaving so soon.
Daisy moved on to study Medicine at Sheffield.
I came to Rochester with CDD grades, but I still had a desire to do medicine. My tutor helped me through the entire application process. I’ve learnt the value of hard work and dedication.
Dillon joined RIC from Caterham school and won a place to study Medicine at Sunderland.
I could have gone to university with the grades I had last year and that makes it even harder when you know all your friends are settled on degree courses. But I knew I could do better. It is particularly hard at first when all your mates are already at university but I have matured a lot this year and appreciate the need for hard work much more than I did before.
Charlie joined RIC from St Olave's Grammar and went on to study Economics and Politics at Bristol
