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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Richard Adams Education editor

Compulsory GCSE resits in England harm teenagers’ mental wellbeing, study finds

Students sit their GCSEs.
A study by academics at UCL compared the mental wellbeing of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

Forcing teenagers who fail GCSEs into multiple resits has a negative impact on their mental health, according to research to be published as pupils receive their grades on Thursday.

The study by academics at University College London (UCL) compared the mental wellbeing of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who failed to reach a grade 4 or equivalent in maths or English GCSEs – and found that only those in England, where resits are mandatory, showed significantly lower wellbeing.

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