C6.9 Dealing with Failed Modules

What to Do If You Fail a Course in the UK? What to Do If You Fail a Language Course, Undergraduate Course, Postgraduate Course, or Foundation Course?

Failing a Language Course

When studying a language course in the UK, some universities offer their own language programs, while others outsource them to external institutions. Therefore, the specific steps to take if you fail a language course vary, so you need to clarify the details with your university before starting the course.

Generally, the following options are available if you fail a language course while studying in the UK:

Resit the exam

Retake the course

Study the required language course alongside your main program

Appeal the result

Take the IELTS test

Transfer to another university

In my opinion, if you do fail, the third and fifth options are the best. If you fail the resit (option 1), you will have to retake the course, return to your home country, or transfer universities. Retaking the language course (option 2) involves additional time and tuition fees, and there is a risk of failing the exam again. More importantly, your application for a language visa may be rejected. Appealing the result (option 4) has a very low success rate, and most universities do not accept appeals for language course results—though a small number do, so you can check with your university in advance and submit an appeal if it is permitted. Transferring to another university (option 6) requires advance applications, and the receiving university must accept your situation and issue you a CAS within the validity of your language visa. For example, two of my friends originally planned to study for an undergraduate degree at our university but failed their language courses. That year, the university stopped offering resits for failed language courses, so one transferred to a university with a lower ranking, and the other returned to their home country. The third option is offered by some UK universities, especially if they have not filled their enrollment quotas or if you have special circumstances. The fifth option is to take the IELTS test while studying your language course. For instance, a classmate of mine took the IELTS test alongside her language course—she failed the language course exam but scored 6.5 in IELTS, allowing her to enroll successfully.

Failing a Foundation Course

Foundation courses include undergraduate foundation and postgraduate foundation programs. Most foundation courses are run in collaboration with educational institutions and universities, while some are offered directly by universities themselves. The pass rate for foundation courses varies. If you achieve a high grade in your foundation course and it is recognized by universities, you can apply to top-ranked universities, even the G5.

What to do if you fail a foundation course?

Resit the exam

Retake the course

Take the internal test

Take the IELTS test

Transfer to another university

For the first option, resitting the exam is available for most foundation programs offered by education groups—remember to confirm this with your university beforehand. The second option is to retake the course. The third option is to take the internal test. For example, if you fail your foundation course but still want to enroll in an undergraduate program in the UK, you may need to meet the language requirements for an International Year One program. In this case, you will need to take the internal test; if you fail the internal test, you will still have to study a language course. The fourth option is to take the IELTS test—yes, you read that right, passing IELTS is the most reliable way. I recommend taking the IELTS test in your spare time while in the UK, as it is generally more advantageous to take it there. The fifth option is to transfer to another university, using your foundation course results to apply to other institutions that accept your grades.

Failing Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses

Generally, failing an undergraduate or postgraduate course falls into several categories: 1) failing a dissertation/thesis, 2) failing an exam, 3) failing a presentation, and 4) failing a specific assessment required by the university (e.g., a mock interview).

What should you do if you encounter any of the four failure scenarios above?

Failing a dissertation/thesis: You will usually be given one chance to rewrite it if you fail. If you still fail the rewrite, you will need to retake the course. Some universities, however, require a pass on the first attempt—failure means you have to repeat the course. Therefore, before taking a module, check with your module tutor, as requirements vary across different modules and programs.

Failing an exam: Similar to dissertations/theses, you will generally be offered one resit opportunity. If you fail the resit, you will need to retake the module. Again, this depends on the specific module and program, so confirm the details in advance.

Failing a presentation: Similar to the above two, but presentations typically do not offer a retake if failed. However, presentations usually carry a small weighting in the overall module grade, so you can compensate with other components. For example, if a presentation accounts for 20% of the total mark, you can still pass the module by achieving a sufficiently high score in the remaining assessments.

Failing a specific university-required assessment (e.g., a mock interview): There is usually no retake for such failures, but they have a relatively minor impact on graduation. Your tutor will advise you on the next steps, such as how to improve through regular class participation.

Important reminder: First, never miss any exams or assessments during your studies in the UK—missing them will result in the loss of resit or rewrite opportunities. Even if you anticipate failing, you must attend the assessment unless you have unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances (e.g., illness or an emergency). Otherwise, the university will revoke your resit eligibility. Second, at most UK universities, during undergraduate and postgraduate taught programs, you can appeal the results of dissertations/theses and exams—this means you have one additional chance to have your result revised to a pass.