How many times can you write the OSSLT?

There is no set limit. Ontario policy lets a student who is not yet successful write the OSSLT again at the next sitting, and there are two sittings each school year, one in the fall and one in the spring. After two opportunities with at least one result of not yet successful, the student can also take the literacy course instead.

The rules, from Ontario policy

The Ministry of Education's diploma requirements set out how retakes work. In short:

• Students who do not successfully complete the OSSLT have opportunities to retake it at the next sitting EQAO schedules. The policy sets no maximum number of attempts.

• A student can write in the fall sitting, the spring sitting, or both in the same school year if the first attempt was not successful.

• Once a student is successful, they cannot write the test again.

• A deferral is not counted as an opportunity to write. There is no limit on deferrals, but each one leaves fewer chances to write before graduation, so families are told that when a deferral is granted.

When the literacy course becomes an option

Once a student has had two opportunities to write the OSSLT and has a result of not yet successful at least once, they can enrol in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC, course code OLC4O). A principal can let a student into the course before the second opportunity if it is in the student's best educational interest, and mature students can enrol directly.

Passing the course meets the same literacy requirement as passing the test. It also earns a credit, which can count as the Grade 11 or Grade 12 compulsory English credit. OSSLT vs OSSLC compares the two routes side by side.

The 2026–27 sittings

• Fall: November 3 to 30, 2026. EQAO reports results by the end of January 2027.

• Spring: March 30 to April 19, 2027. EQAO reports results by the end of May 2027.

The school sets the day within each window. OSSLT dates has the full calendar.

How the attempts usually line up

• Grade 10: the first attempt, in the fall or the spring sitting.

• If the result is not yet successful, the next sitting is the second opportunity: the spring of Grade 10 or the fall of Grade 11, depending on when the first attempt was.

• After that, the student can keep writing the test, take the literacy course, or both, with guidance from the school.

• Grade 12 is the deadline that matters, because the diploma needs the literacy requirement. Students in their graduating year who could not meet it through no fault of their own, for example because of illness, may qualify for their board's adjudication process.

Write it again, or take the course?

Both routes work, and the right one depends on the student. Writing again suits a student who was close and wants it done at the next sitting. The course suits a student who wants a full term of teaching and support, and it adds a credit.

A retake needs a different plan from the first attempt. In 2025–26, 49% of previously eligible students in English-language schools were successful, compared with 86% of first-time students, according to EQAO. Practising everything again rarely closes that gap. Practising the specific skills that cost marks the first time usually does. Failed the OSSLT walks through the next steps.

Making the next attempt count

• Read the Individual Student Report with a parent or teacher and pick two or three skills to work on.

• Take a full online practice test early. It is marked when you finish, so you see where you stand and exactly what to work on, months before test day.

• Practise the opinion essay with feedback. It carries a large share of the marks, and the essay grader shows which rubric code each paragraph earns and what would lift it.

• Spread practice over the months before the next sitting rather than the last week. How to prepare for the OSSLT has a four to five month plan.