Because IGCSE subjects are entered and graded separately, a student can resit one subject in a later series without touching any of the others. There is no need to redo a whole year, and no aggregate to protect.
The old grade is kept, not replaced
This is the part most people get wrong. A resit does not overwrite the earlier result. If the second attempt is lower, the student simply holds two results and two certificates for that subject, and presents whichever one they choose.
Certificates are issued per series and describe only that series. They do not show how many attempts were made, and they do not show marks. So a resit carries very little downside on paper — the cost is the fee, the entry deadline, and the time spent preparing for it instead of something else.
Coursework does not always have to be redone
Where a syllabus includes internally assessed coursework, the marks can often be carried forward to a later series rather than produced again. The rules are specific:
- within thirteen months of the original sitting;
- once only, for IGCSE;
- the same syllabus, with marks held for every paper in that component;
- and the centre has to confirm eligibility — Cambridge does not check it automatically.
The practical effect is that a student can resit the written papers alone and keep the coursework mark already earned. It is worth raising with the centre at the point of entry, because nobody will offer it unasked.
Changing tier or syllabus
Moving between Core and Extended, or between syllabus codes such as 0511 and 0500, is an entry decision. It has to be made before the entry deadline for the series in question, and it depends on the school teaching the syllabus being moved to. After the deadline nothing moves until the following series.
When a resit is worth it
- A named requirement is missed. A course asks for a grade in a specific subject and the student is one grade short. This is the clearest case.
- Something identifiable went wrong. Illness on the day, a misjudged tier, a topic never covered. A resit fixes a cause; it does not fix "I want a better grade".
- There is time to prepare properly. The next series is months away, and the preparation competes with whatever course the student has already started.
A resit is less useful when it chases a grade nobody has asked for. Admissions read the grades that matter to their course, and time spent lifting an already-adequate grade is time taken from the year in progress.
Two things to check first
The entry deadline for the series being aimed at, and whether the syllabus has changed since the first attempt — a subject that has moved to a new code is a different syllabus, and old preparation may not fit it.
由于 IGCSE 各科分开报考、分开评级，学生可以在之后的考期只重考某一科，不必动到其他科目。既不必重读一整年，也没有总分需要保护。
旧成绩会保留，不会被取代
这是多数人误解的地方。重考不会覆盖先前的成绩。若第二次考得较差，学生只是同时持有该科的两份成绩与两张证书，可自行选择呈交哪一份。
证书按考期发出，只描述该考期的情况，不会显示考了几次，也不会显示分数。因此重考在纸面上的风险很小——代价是费用、报名截止日期，以及原本可用在其他事情上的准备时间。
课业分数未必要重做
若考纲含校内评量的课业部分，其分数往往可以结转到之后的考期，不必重做。规则很具体：
- 须在首次应考后十三个月内；
- IGCSE 只能结转一次；
- 必须是同一份考纲，且该部分所有试卷的分数都在；
- 并由考场确认资格——剑桥不会自动核对。
实际效果是：学生可以只重考笔试卷，保留已取得的课业分数。报名时值得主动向考场提出，因为没有人会替你想到。
更换层级或考纲
在 Core 与 Extended 之间转换，或在 0511 与 0500 等考纲编号之间转换，属于报名时的决定。必须在该考期的报名截止日期前处理，也取决于学校是否开设要转去的那一门。截止之后，只能等下一个考期。
什么时候值得重考
- 差在一项明确的要求上。课程指明某一科要达到某个等级，而学生刚好差一级。这是最清楚的情况。
- 有可指认的原因。考试当天生病、层级报错、某个课题没教过。重考解决的是原因，而不是“我想要更好看的成绩”。
- 有时间好好准备。下一个考期在数月之后，而这段准备时间要和学生已经开始的新课程竞争。
如果只是去追一个没有人要求的等级，重考的意义就不大。录取方看的是与该课程相关的科目等级；把时间花在提升一个本来已经够用的成绩，等于从正在进行的这一年里扣掉时间。
先确认两件事
目标考期的报名截止日期；以及该科自上次应考以来考纲有没有更换——已改用新编号的科目是另一份考纲，旧的准备材料未必适用。
More in this section本部分其他文章
IGCSE剑桥 IGCSE
- What is IGCSE, and who runs it?什么是 IGCSE？由谁主办？
- How is IGCSE graded?IGCSE 如何评分？
- What do Core and Extended mean?Core 与 Extended 是什么意思？
- How many subjects, and how are they grouped?要考几科？科目怎么组合？
- Which subjects make up the pure science group?纯理科包含哪些科目？
- Which subjects make up the commerce group?商科包含哪些科目？
- Which English subject is which?三科英文，哪一科是哪一科？
- When are the exams, and can I sit as a private candidate?考期在什么时候？可以以自修生身份报考吗？
Next step下一步
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