You might think fondly of your time as a student, even if you didn’t have much in your student bank account, but we’re sure you haven’t forgotten about the stress before big exams. We unpacked the statistics to get the lowdown on GCSE and A-level exams and results.
GCSE and A-level statistics: Highlights
The total GCSE entries in 2024 were 5,811,790, up 4.8% from 2023.
21.7% of GCSE results in 2024 were at grade 7 or above.
The UK GCSE pass rate was 77% in 2024.
History was the most popular non-core GCSE subject in 2024, with 312,415 entries.
There were 825,390 A-level entries in 2024, up 2.4% from 2023.
The most popular subject studied at A-level in 2024 was mathematics (101,230 students).
How many people take GCSEs each year?
The total entries for GCSEs in 2024 were at 5,811,790, this is an increase of 4.8% compared to 2023 (5,543,840 entries). This number has been steadily increasing for the past 5 years.
More than a fifth of GCSE results (21.7%) in England were grade 7 or higher in 2024 (which is the equivalent of a grade A in the old system). Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of GCSE results (67.4%) were grade 4 or higher, which is known as a standard pass and equivalent to a grade C in the old system.
In Wales, 61.7% of GCSE results were grade 4 or above (a standard pass), while in Northern Ireland, 82% of GCSE results were grade 4 or above.
There were 825,390 total A-level entries in 2024, up 2.4% from 806,410 in 2023. This number has been increasing year-on-year since 2020.
Which A-level subject is the most popular?
The most popular subject studied at A-level in 2024 was mathematics, studied by 101,230 students. This was followed by psychology with 76,130 students and biology with 69,045 students. The least popular subjects were German, with just 2,280 entries, and music, with 5,005 entries.
Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio
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Matthew has written 284 Finder guides across topics including:
Helping first-time buyers apply for a mortgage
Comparing bank accounts and highlighting useful features
Sophie Barber is a content marketing manager for Finder in the UK after previously working as a content manager at a digital marketing agency. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative online articles for a variety of websites. See full bio
Sophie's expertise
Sophie has written 81 Finder guides across topics including:
Publishing original personal finance research
Creating data-led statistics pages to highlight industry trends
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