If you are retaking GCSE English or maths as an adult, the headline national pass rate (67.3% at grade 4 or above across all entries) tells you nothing about your odds. The post-16 numbers are different, and the age breakdown is the part almost nobody publishes. Here it is, with sources.
GCSE resit pass rates by age, summer 2026 (England)
| Age group | Maths: grade 4 or above | English language: grade 4 or above |
|---|---|---|
| 17 year olds (first resit cohort) | 16.4% | 21.0% |
| 18 year olds | 10.4% | 16.1% |
| 19 year olds | 10.3% | 15.6% |
| 20 and over | 32.5% | 29.6% |
| All aged 17 and over | 15.3% (of 219,135 entries) | 19.8% (of 187,558 entries) |
Source: JCQ summer 2026 results, 20 August 2026, as reported by FE Week, Schools Week, TES and FE News.
The trend: 2019 to 2026
| Year | Maths, 17+ grade 4 or above | English language, 17+ grade 4 or above |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 (pre-pandemic) | 21.2% | 30.3% |
| 2025 | 17.1% (206,732 entries) | 20.9% (175,118 entries) |
| 2026 | 15.3% (219,135 entries) | 19.8% (187,558 entries) |
The maths cohort grew by 12,403 learners in a year (6% larger), yet the number actually achieving a grade 4 fell from 35,351 to 33,527. In English the cohort also grew and the number passing rose marginally, from 36,599 to 37,136. Entries from students aged 17 and over now total 500,277 across all GCSE subjects, 8.1% of all entries.
Why adults over 20 pass at double the rate
The age pattern is the most useful fact on this page. The 18 and 19 year old groups are mostly learners resitting because they have to: since 2014, anyone aged 16 to 19 without a grade 4 in English and maths must keep studying the subject as a condition of their college funding. The 20 and over group is almost entirely people who have chosen to come back, usually for a specific job, course or university place.
Choice changes the result. A 32.5% maths pass rate among adults is not a cause for celebration, but it is three times the rate for 19 year olds sitting the same paper.
If you are 19 or over and studying by distance learning, you sit the exam as a private candidate. Our guides cover how to resit GCSEs as an adult, how to sit GCSEs as a private candidate and the cost of resitting GCSEs in 2026.
For context: all-age pass rates, summer 2026
| Measure (all ages, England, Wales and NI unless stated) | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| All GCSE entries at grade 4/C or above | 67.3% | 67.4% |
| All GCSE entries at grade 7/A or above | 22.0% | 21.9% |
| Maths entries at grade 4 or above (all ages) | 57.2% | 58.2% |
| English language entries at grade 4 or above (all ages) | 59.5% | 59.7% |
| 16 year olds in England at grade 4 or above (all subjects) | 70.7% | 70.5% |
The 67.3% grade 4 figure is exactly the 2019 level: the return to pre-pandemic grading is complete.
Resit or Functional Skills?
Two sittings of GCSE English language and maths exist each year: the summer series (results in August) and the November series (results in January). For a learner who has failed twice at 18 and 19, the data above is a fair reason to look at the alternative. Functional Skills Level 2 is accepted as the GCSE grade 4 equivalent by most employers and many universities; our Functional Skills or GCSE resit guide and who accepts Functional Skills Level 2 set out where each route works.
Whichever route you take, adult learning participation is falling, and the group least likely to return is people who left school at 16 without these two qualifications.
What this page does not include
- Pass rates by exam board (AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas) for the post-16 cohort. The boards publish their own statistics; we have not been able to verify a board-level age split from an independent source.
- November 2025 series results by age. JCQ publishes November data separately; we will add it once verified.
- Scotland (National 5 is a different qualification and is not comparable).
Last verified: 15 October 2026. Next update: after the January 2027 November-series results.
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