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If your child does not get a grade 4 in English

A student who starts a sixth-form or college course without a grade 4 in English carries on studying English alongside it. The rules for 2026 to 2027, the resit dates and what you can do.

Quick guide for parents and carers · 4 minute read

A grade 4 is the standard pass at GCSE. A student aged 16 to 18 who starts a sixth-form or college course without one in English has to keep studying English alongside that course. The Department for Education (DfE) sets out the rule each year in its maths and English condition of funding, and maths works the same way.

The rule covers students on a 16 to 19 study programme or a T Level who did not have a grade 4 by the end of Year 11. For a student with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, it runs up to the age of 25. If your child is starting an apprenticeship, ask the provider what English it expects.

A 4 in either English GCSE counts

In the DfE’s rules for 2026 to 2027, a grade 4 or above in English Language or in English Literature meets the condition for English. A 4 in Literature with a 3 in Language is enough, and your child does not have to keep studying English. The entry requirements for the course itself are separate, so check those too.

What your child will study

Without a 4 in either subject, the English Language grade decides what comes next:

  • Grade 3, full-time course: GCSE English Language. The DfE says these students are the closest to a pass.
  • Grade 3, part-time course: any qualification the DfE has approved for the condition.
  • Grade 2 or below: Functional Skills English at Level 2, or GCSE English Language. A pass in either meets the condition. A sixth form or college may start a student on a Level 1 or Entry Level qualification and build up from there.

Functional Skills English is a separate qualification in reading, writing, and speaking, listening and communicating. It runs from Entry Level 1 up to Level 2.

For a full-time student, the sixth form or college must plan at least 100 hours of English teaching in the year, taught face to face to a whole class. A grade 4 ends the requirement for the rest of the course, and so does a Functional Skills Level 2 pass for a student who started with a grade 2 or below.

Resits in November and June

The resit is GCSE English Language: both exam papers again. AQA’s November exams are intended for resits, and English Language and maths are the only GCSEs available. A student can sit them only if they were at least 16 on the previous 31 August.

In AQA’s November 2026 timetable, Paper 1 is on Tuesday 3 November and Paper 2 on Thursday 5 November, both in the morning. Results come out on Wednesday 13 January 2027. The next chance after that is June 2027: Paper 1 on Monday 24 May and Paper 2 on Tuesday 8 June.

The college or sixth form makes the entry and decides whether your child is ready. The DfE tells sixth forms and colleges that students with a low grade 3 or below typically need more teaching time to consolidate their learning, and that before entering them in November they must look at their readiness, including attendance, engagement and progress. AQA’s deadline for November 2026 entries was 4 October, with a late fee after that, so raise November with the college as soon as results are out.

The spoken language endorsement, the presentation graded separately from the GCSE, can be carried forward from an earlier attempt, even one taken with another exam board.

Changes under discussion

From March to June 2026 the DfE consulted on new Level 1 English and maths qualifications for students aged 16 to 19 with a grade 2 or below, to build the knowledge they need for a grade 4. Under the proposals, students with a grade 3 would keep working towards the GCSE. The DfE’s post-16 implementation plan, last updated in September 2026, says the government will publish its response later in 2026, and the consultation promised an update on possible first teaching dates in that response. The rules above are the ones for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

What you can do

  • If a grade is a mark or two below a boundary, ask the school about a review of marking straight after results. Read Results day, and asking for a review of marking first.
  • Ask the college or sixth form which English qualification your child will take, when the classes are, and whether they are aiming for November or June.
  • Treat the English classes like the rest of the course. Attendance is one of the things the DfE asks sixth forms and colleges to weigh before entering a student with a low grade 3 or below in November.
  • For revision, start with the free guides to Language Paper 1 and Language Paper 2, and the free revision resources we list.

Sources

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