The former chief executive of admissions service Ucas is calling for action over the differing participation rates between girls and boys at A level - and for the quality of the data published on these trends to be improved.

In an analysis for the Higher Education Policy Institute published today, Mary Curnock Cook shows that the proportion of boys’ entries to English is nearly as low as for modern foreign languages, with the male share of entries for A-level English less than half that of females.

She writes: “I remain baffled as to why these inequalities in participation and attainment are not addressed - surely they must indicate fault lines in curriculum and assessment? Participation in English subjects by boys makes it look as if English is a foreign language to them.”

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The analysis of Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) figures on A-level entries carried out by Ms Curnock Cook also highlights that 30,000 fewer boys took A levels this year than girls.

Questions over A-level gender gaps

This translated through to university entry, she points out, with around 30,000 fewer 17- and 18-year-old men than women accepted.  

However, she also highlights girls’ apparent lack of enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.

“Differences between males and females by subject need addressing,” she writes. “Why do girls love biology and hate physics? It matters, as does boys’ allergy to English.”

She adds: “Nearly a third more young men take Stem subjects than young women, leaving the gap stubbornly hovering above 17 per cent, where it has stuck for the past many years.”

The female share of entries for maths was roughly half the male share and the analysis also reveals that boys were four times more likely to choose physics - although girls were 50 per cent more likely to choose biology and only “marginally less likely to choose chemistry”.

Ms Curnock Cook concludes by hitting out at the JCQ for failing to publish “more meaningful data” than “just the raw numbers”.

She adds: “A levels remain the dominant path for young people to get to university and they deserve better data than this. If it isn’t JCQ’s job to provide this, then they should share the data more widely (and in a more usable format than the gruesome pdf file) so others can.”

Overall, the most popular subjects for boys were maths, physics and chemistry and for girls English, psychology and biology.

“Notable changes from last year include the elevation of economics and business studies over history for males, and a nudge up the table for psychology for males, too.

“English and psychology continue to vie for the number one spot for females, and business studies makes its first appearance in the top 10 for females (replacing religious studies).”