The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word RESIT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
R
E
S
I
T
More clues leading to the result RESIT
- Meet at end of scripture exam — again
- Relax about initiation of important exam
- Relax about one’s further examination
- Relax about start of Italian exam
- Exam I entered among others
- Lunatic tries to take exam again
- I'll interrupt break to take over?
- One interrupts holiday to do test again
- Take a break about one in second test
- Son in row over repeated test
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "exam after failure" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case exam after failure = resit.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does RESIT mean?
RESIT noun- An examination taken a second time.
- To take an examination a second time.