Does your child have one or more resit exams at the end of August? It is a second chance to pass the year and move up to the next class. With good preparation, the summer is often enough to fill the gaps. Here is how these exams work today, and 8 tips to help your child pass them.
What is a resit exam?
In French-speaking secondary schools of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the resit exam (« examen de passage », also called « examen de repêchage » or « seconde session ») allows a student who failed one or more subjects in June to sit them again.
At the end of the year, the class council decides to postpone its decision on the student rather than settle it straight away. It specifies which subjects must be retaken, and often which part of the syllabus. After the exams, it meets again to deliberate and decide whether the student passes the year.
Each school sets its own rules in its study regulations (« règlement des études »): maximum number of subjects to retake, holiday assignments, how the exams are run. This document is the reference for your child.
When do resit exams take place since the school calendar reform?
Since the 2022 reform of the school calendar, no assessment may take place during the holidays. The summer holidays last about seven weeks, and the school year starts at the end of August (on Monday 24 August in 2026).
Resit exams therefore no longer take place during the summer. Depending on the school, they are held:
- in the first days of the new school year, at the end of August, with deliberations a few days later;
- or at the end of June, right after the exam session;
- some schools have also chosen to stop organising them.
The exact calendar, times and rooms are given in the letter handed out with the report card or on the school's website. Write these dates down as soon as the holidays begin: they shape the whole summer schedule.
8 tips to prepare for resit exams
1. Start from the school's instructions
Go over the report card, the teachers' comments and any holiday assignment with your child. They state exactly what will be assessed: the whole year's syllabus or only certain chapters. If something is unclear, it is better to contact the school in July than to discover the answer on the day of the exam.
2. Take a break, then plan
After a tough year, a few days of real rest help to get going again. After that, a realistic schedule makes all the difference:
- regular study slots, preferably in the morning, five days a week;
- time set aside for each subject, in proportion to the amount of material and the difficulties;
- a final week kept for revision and summary exercises;
- some holiday time kept free, which helps to keep going over the long run.
3. Identify the key points and the gaps
Your child goes back over their notes, tests and June exam to see what went wrong. A misunderstanding calls for a different approach than a lack of study: the first needs a new explanation, the second mostly time. These weak points are where your child should focus their energy.
4. Practise with exercises
Rereading is not enough. Redoing exercises from class, solving problems, going back over old tests and the June exam: this is the best preparation for the format of the exam. In maths, science or languages, regular practice counts for more than long reading sessions.
5. Memorise actively
Asking yourself questions, making revision cards, reciting without looking, explaining the material to someone else: these active techniques help you remember far better than simply rereading. Each student finds their own. Our 5 tips to study and pass your exams offer more ideas.
6. Study together, in moderation
If a classmate is preparing the same exam, a few sessions together help them explain the material to each other and stay motivated. The most effective approach is for each to prepare on their own first, then meet to compare and quiz each other.
7. Take care of yourself and manage stress
Sleep, a balanced diet and regular physical activity help to stay focused. While studying, short regular breaks work better than a long day without interruption.
Stress is normal, since the whole year comes down to a few days. A schedule that is kept, successful exercises and a few simple techniques, such as slow breathing, make it more bearable. The evening before the exam, your child rereads their revision cards and goes to bed early rather than studying late.
8. Ask for help in time
Some teachers remain reachable at the start of the summer or offer drop-in sessions: it is worth asking. When a subject has been a struggle for months, outside support helps to rebuild the basics and keep up the pace.
At My Sherpa, an educational advisor chooses a coach for your child who matches the subject and their level. The private lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online, which makes them easier to organise during the holidays.
The role of parents
Your child is the one most concerned, but your support matters. It mainly comes down to a calm and predictable setting:
- a tidy place to work, with no phone within reach;
- study times agreed together and kept to;
- interest in their progress, rather than checking every hour of study;
- encouragement, even when motivation drops in the middle of August.
Failing in June often points to a deeper difficulty: lack of method, an old gap, organisation. The summer is also a chance to build a study method that will serve all through the following year.
What if the result is not the one you hoped for?
After the resit exams, the class council takes the student's whole record into account, not just the exam mark. If it decides that the student should repeat the year or change direction, the school explains why and you can discuss it with them. The school's PMS centre (psycho-medical-social guidance service) can also help you think about what comes next.
With good preparation, resit exams remain a real opportunity to save the year.
