Improving Statistics and Engineering GCSEs

GCSE exams in statistics and engineering have seen a surge in popularity this year, while fewer students are taking citizenship and performing arts.

At the same time, entries increased for further A-levels in maths, physics and computer science, but fell in sociology and drama.

Exams regulator Ofqual has published provisional entry statistics for GCSEs and A levels this summer.

GCSE enrollments increased by 4.8%, from 5,543,840 in summer 2023 to 5,811,790 in summer 2024. However, over the same period, the population of 16-year-olds grew by 5.2%.

But A-level entries rose at twice the rate of growth in 18-year-olds (2.4 per cent versus 1.2 per cent).

The biggest jumps at GCSE were in statistics (20.3%) and engineering (17.4%).

But there were declines in entries in citizenship (3.9 per cent), performing/expressive arts (3.1 per cent) and theater (0.8 per cent).

Boost for modern languages

All EBacc subjects saw an increase in entries except Ancient Languages ​​which saw a 1% decrease.

The biggest increases in EBacc entries were in other modern languages ​​(8.1 per cent), maths (7.1 per cent) and English (7 per cent).

This year there was a reduction in the proportion of enrollments for higher level exams in a number of subjects.

For example, the proportion of higher-level entries in statistics fell by 5 percentage points and in French, German and Spanish by 4 percentage points.

This followed an increase in higher level entries across all subjects in 2021, the second year in which physical exams did not take place. Entries to higher-level papers have declined since then.

At A level, enrollments in maths increased by 19.8%, physics by 12.6%, calculus by 11.8% and maths by 11.4%.

Sociology entries fell by 6.9%, drama by 5.8% and geography by 3.9%.

Final entry fees will be confirmed later in the year.