Is an GCSE English Language resit worth it for a mathematician?

Definitely re-sit, especially if the 5 was unexpected. English Language is so random- I've known kids get consistent 7s all through Yr 11,incluidng mocks, then come out with a 4 in the summer, only to re-sit back up to a 7.

I would resit, it is only in a few weeks and won’t impact on a level studying later on. It really widens her options for higher education given she is very able in most other domains. Perhaps consider extra tuition twice weekly or similar just for the next month to make sure it is worth it!

Review the paper first. Contact the school to say you want access to scripts; a teacher should be able to look at these and advise. Then request a review, which may only be of one paper. If she is planning to resit, she has nothing to lose by reviewing one or more of the papers. There are some very unusual results this year.

She should resit it.

I teach a humanities subject at an Oxbridge college in which maths is of no direct relevance at all, but we would be very uneasy about admitting someone with a 5 or 6 in Maths. It looks either like very poor exam technique or a lack of general intelligence. Given that DD has a very bright academic future ahead of her, this is an unnecessary but major blot on her school record.

The tenacity required to resit the exam would also impress me, provided she did substantially better next time. In other words I wouldn't resit for a 6 (because that's also a worryingly low grade compared to the other applicants), but for a 7 or more it's a very good idea.

Wait I've just realised you said she'd got a 5, not that she needs a 5. In which case I probably wouldn't worry unless you think she needs to get significantly higher when you take a look at the general entry requirements for her preferred universities.

English Language GCSE is essential for all uni applications and if she wants to do something like teaching after uni, she will need a high enough English Language GCSE to get onto the PGCE. Some grad schemes require it as well.
This really is the most important GCSE alongside maths GCSE, she needs to fix it now or she will have to waste time doing it later to get anywhere with a great many things.

As context, I got a D in GCSE maths (3 marks off a C) and missed the resit, so to go to a good uni, I had to take GCSE maths alongside my A-levels. I got a B, and forever after, whenever application forms need "date passed" it's a year later than the rest of my GCSEs, so it's obvious to anyone and everyone that I didn't get it the first time around.

The requirement for GCSE English and Maths usually isn't stated on the course page on the university's website where you'll see what A-level grades you need, it's mentioned instead in the "general entry requirements" which are often listed separately.

I strongly recommend you take the resit.

Agree with @NotDonna - a 6 in eng lang will carry a lot more weight with Imperial or LSE than a gold DofE.

Nothing wrong with doing DofE if you love that sort of thing; but don't be fooled into thinking that doing it will gain you a university place.

Unis care about A level grades, enthusiasm for and knowledge of proposed subject of study (as evidenced in the PS), reference from the school and GCSE grades. And not all of them care about all of those.

I would look at the requirements are for the universities your DD wants to apply to and take it from there.

Ds got offers for maths at cambridge Warwick Durham Bath and can't remember the 5th with a c in English language

If she was predicted much higher and/or was very close to gaining a grade 6 then a retake could be done without too much work. What are her thoughts?
As an aside - You mention DofE - please don’t assume universities care about extra-curricular. She needs to be doing things like DofE for her own growth, development and enjoyment.

@Bigcoatweather , there is an almost identical thread in the Further Education section where I have posted and added @noblegiraffe's graphs showing the crazy Eng Lang grade allocation this year.
First of all review the papers and enter for a marking review and then book the resit. Your dd isn't the only person in this position, there are many!!!

The thread is called "will GCSE result affect uni application?

How far was she from the next grade, would a review of marking of her paper be a consideration?

@Bigcoatweather It isn't just Oxbridge, lots of top universities want a grade 6 or above in English lang even for STEM courses.

If her result was unusual I don't know why you wouldn't want her to resit it. Do you know why she performed at a grade 5? Has a staff member seen her paper? As all the knowledge is relatively fresh in her head I would get her to resit.

What exam board is it? Past papers online with the mark scheme may help her understand what they can award marks for. The narrative/creative writing she can prepare in advance for, have good descriptors for either people, or locations; Ds's school made them do a room in a house, a forest, a street etc, weather or a season.

You want her uni application to be as competitive as possible. She needs a 6 if they say she needs a 6. Ds follows some chap who got into Cambridge on 4 A stars and even he had to prove he had a 6 in English Lang.

I would encourage a resit

You know your daughter best. If you are confident that the grade 5 doesn’t really fit with her performance at school during year 11 and that she was capable of better, encourage her to resit. What does your daughter think?