Retaking maths GCSE when you passed it?

[Biscuitsneeded]

DS got a 5 in his maths GCSE last week. This is a problem because he was hoping to do two science A levels and they require a 6 in maths. We have a guidance meeting with the 6th form college this week, and he says he is willing to retake maths in November (he's supposed to be able to achieve a 7 so we're not flogging a dead horse, he just didn't do well in May for whatever reason), if they will consider letting him start the science A levels. We haven't discussed this with them yet so I'm just wondering if retaking to improve the grade is a common thing, and how 6th forms generally view it?

I've not heard of that one. I think our Sixth was pretty strict but I could be very wrong. Ours is a fairly strict Sixth though. Unnecessarily so at times.

The school I work in would let a student start on the science A levels and redo maths in November if they agreed that they ought to have been capable of the higher grade.

I don't know whether it would be different with a college who don't already know the student though - could you get a letter from his school confirming that they expected him to be capable of a 7 ?

@PollyannaWhittier that's a good idea. We can try. I'm not sure he's ever given them reason to think he WOULD achieve the 7, as he's a distractible and rather immature boy, but in theory he's capable. I absolutely believe that with a tutor and nowhere to hide he could at least get the 6 he needs - whether his old teacher would see it that way is another matter. He absolutely accepts (belatedly) that he didn't do enough revision. Why are boys such muppets? He's made his own life so much harder than it needed to be!