This week, the Department for Education published provisional figures for the number of entries for GCSEs, AS and A levels this summer.

The report comes with the proviso that these are not the final entries, but they give us a pretty good indication of the key trends from this year’s exam period that schools will want to know.

Here are the key trends from the data:

1. GCSE entries rocket thanks to population change

The headline stat is that compared with last summer, GCSE entries have increased by 4.8 per cent, from 5,543,840 to 5,811,790.

But that increase should be understood within the context of a population increase.

Specifically, the DfE notes there has been a 5.2 per cent increase in the number of 16-year-olds in England compared with last year, from 663,078 to 697,673 according to the Office for National Statistics.

2. A levels entries also up

There has been a similar, though smaller, population increase in the size of the population aged 18 taking exams, too - rising 1.2 per cent, from 648,066 in 2023 to 655,635 this year.

This goes some way to explaining the 2.4 per cent year-on-year increase in entries for A level, which grew from 806,410 to 825,390.

For both GCSE and A level this marks four years of consecutive increases.

3. AS levels continue to fall

However, as has been the trend in recent years, entries for AS level continue to decrease, falling this year by 4.5 per cent, from 62,785 entries last summer to 59,935 this year.

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The DfE acknowledges this is likely due to the decoupling of AS and A levels that began in 2015 and the latest decline may give schools that still offer these further thought about if they wish to continue to do so.

4. Maths on the rise

Because of the increase in both GCSE and A-level-aged populations, some subjects have seen a significant boost in entry numbers.

Mathematics has seen the highest rise, with entries increasing by 7.1 per cent at GCSE level, from 786,815 last year to 842,595 this year.

Meanwhile, A-level maths cemented its position as the most popular A level with entries rising 11.4 per cent from 90,845 to 101,230.

5. Further maths also on the rise

Meanwhile, further maths showed an even more significant boost, with A-level entries rising 19.8 per cent, from 14,535 to 17,420 - remarkable even in the context of the population increase.

This suggests an increase in the number of students looking to pursue university degrees in maths, although the percentage of those who take maths also taking further maths remains relatively small, at 17.2 per cent.

6. Other STEM subjects grow in popularity, too

Perhaps linked to this was the fact that physics and computing also rose. Most significant was physics, for which entries grew 12.6 per cent, from 35,815 in 2023 to 40,320 in 2024.

Computing, meanwhile, saw an 11.8 per cent increase, from 17,420 to 19,475 entries. However, chemistry (2.1 per cent growth) and biology (0.3 per cent) saw more modest increases.

7. German uptake remains low

But while some subjects are booming, others are faring less well.

Like last year, German remains bottom of the subject list for A-level entries, with just 2,280 students across England taking the language.

Although this is a 3.1 per cent rise on last year when there were 2,210 entries, the overall low total suggests the subject is still struggling to attract students - despite a push from the DfE to improve this.

8. Other languages fare a little better

Languages remain at the least popular end of both the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and A-level subject table, too, although those with more widespread international appeal are more favoured than German at both levels.

French had a 3.2 per cent rise in EBacc entries, from 126,560 last year to 130,650 this year. Spanish’s rise was more significant at 6.8 per cent, from 121,670 to 130,650.

At A level, the appeal of French and Spanish both proved more than three times more appealing than German.

French entries saw a significant 8 per cent increase from 6,510 to 7,035, while Spanish remained more stable year-on-year - with a 2.3 per cent increase - but still more entries, from 7,545 last year to 7,720 this year.

9. Drama, sociology, psychology and more in decline

Despite the opportunity for growth due to higher student numbers, several subjects showed a decline in entries.

At A level, the subject with the largest percentage decrease was sociology, which dropped 6.9 per cent, from 45,730 to 42,575. The subject has been overtaken by history and is now the sixth most popular. Last year it ranked fifth.

The next biggest decrease at A level was drama, for which entries dropped 5.8 per cent, from 8,385 to 7,895. Entries for the non-EBacc subject were down at GCSE too, though by a lesser amount of 0.8 per cent, from 49,825 to 49,410.

Entries for geography A level decreased by 3.9 per cent, from 34,870 to 33,505. Meanwhile, history had a 2.6 per cent drop, from 44,545 to 43,410.

More surprising is the drop in entries for psychology A level, which decreased 2.4 per cent from 78,015 to 76,130. Yet the subject remains the second most popular (after maths), as it has been for the last few years.

Other subjects that saw a small decline in A-level entry numbers included media/film/TV studies, political studies, religious studies, English, physical education and design and technology.

See the graph below for the full A-level subject entry data:

The future will tell

As noted, these figures are provisional. The final data will be available on GCSE and A-level results days in August.

Ellen Peirson-Hagger is senior writer at Tes

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