A-Level Chemistry Resits · AQA & OCR
Resitting A-Level Chemistry? Let's turn that grade around.
A disappointing result doesn't erase two years of work — it just means the exam didn't show what you know yet. I'm Dr Jane Power, a PhD chemist and full-time tutor, and I help resit students work out where the marks were lost, rebuild the weaker areas and approach the exam differently next time.
Before you decide
Before you commit to a resit.
A resit is a big commitment, so it's worth understanding exactly where you stand before you decide.
Do the grades actually block you?
Check what your university offers now say and where you stand on UCAS. If you've been accepted somewhere you're genuinely happy with — including through Clearing — a resit might be solving a problem you no longer have.
A few marks off? Ask about a review.
If you're close to a grade boundary, it's worth speaking to your school or college about whether a review of marking is appropriate before committing to a resit.
Know why it went wrong.
Was it gaps in the chemistry, calculations, exam technique, timing — or a mixture of things? A resit works best when we identify what actually cost you marks rather than simply repeating the course.
How I help you resit
Surgical, not a re-run of the whole year.
A good resit year isn't sitting through everything again — it's finding the specific marks you lost and closing those gaps. Here's how we do that:
- Start from the evidence — your papers, mocks and weakest topics, not a generic syllabus.
- Rebuild the hard topics — whether that's energetics, kinetics, equilibria, organic mechanisms or the calculations that keep catching you out. Physical chemistry is also my own PhD specialism.
- Fix exam technique — reading the command words and writing answers the way the mark scheme rewards.
- Build exam practice — timed questions and papers, followed by proper mark-scheme analysis, so the real exam feels familiar.
A resit isn't starting over
It's a second, better-prepared attempt at the grade you're capable of — with the work focused on the areas that will make the biggest difference. I'm Dr Jane Power, a PhD chemist and full-time tutor with 10+ years' experience.
The rules, in plain English
How A-Level Chemistry resits actually work.
You resit the whole subject
Linear A-Levels can't be taken paper by paper, so you re-sit all the written chemistry papers together in one series. The upside: your other A-Levels are untouched — you only redo chemistry.
Your practical endorsement carries over
If you've already achieved a Pass in the Practical Endorsement, this can normally be carried forward when you resit. Check that your exam centre enters the carry-forward correctly.
You can switch board — carefully
Moving between AQA and OCR is allowed, but the specs and paper styles differ. It's only worth it with a clear reason, and we'd walk through the new specification together before you commit.
Private candidate? That's fine
You don't need to be at school. You can sit as a private candidate at an approved exam centre — find one early (Sept–Oct), and I'll teach you one-to-one online in the meantime, wherever you are in the UK.
Your resit year
A clear plan from results day to the exam.
A-Levels are linear, so there isn't an autumn or January resit series. For most students receiving results in August 2026, the next opportunity is the summer 2027 series. That gives us time to diagnose what went wrong, rebuild weaker topics and prepare properly rather than rushing.
The year at a glance
- Autumn 2026 — if you're entering privately, find an exam centre early.
- Autumn–spring — diagnose gaps, rebuild topics and increase exam practice.
- Spring 2027 — confirm your exam entry and arrangements with your centre.
- May–June 2027 — sit the examinations.
- August 2027 — results.
Exact entry deadlines are set by the boards and your centre — I'll help you keep on track.
Who I help
Resit students, with all sorts of goals.
Medicine, dentistry & veterinary
If Chemistry is holding back an application to a competitive course, we can work towards the grade you need while keeping the focus firmly on the areas costing you marks.
Reapplying to university
Resitting during a gap year or preparing to reapply? We can build Chemistry tuition around your application year and target the grade you need.
Just short of your target
An A that needed to be an A*, or a B that needed an A. We tighten the gaps and the exam technique that make that final grade.
Coming back as a private candidate
Returning to chemistry after time away, or self-studying the resit? Online one-to-one lessons fit around work and life.
Ready to turn that grade around?
Arrange a free, no-pressure consultation. Tell me your board, your grade and your target, and I'll tell you honestly how I can help — and whether a resit is your best move.
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