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.
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.
| Year | Number of GCSE entries |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5,281,745 |
| 2021 | 5,301,075 |
| 2022 | 5,349,250 |
| 2023 | 5,543,840 |
| 2024 | 5,811,790 |
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.
| Year | Percentage at grade 4 or above | Percentage below grade 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 66.1% | 43.9% |
| 2018 | 66.6% | 43.4% |
| 2019 | 67.1% | 42.9% |
| 2020 | 75.9% | 24.1% |
| 2021 | 76.9% | 23.1% |
| 2022 | 73% | 27% |
| 2023 | 67.8% | 32.2% |
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.
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.
| Year | GCSE pass rate C/4 grade and above (%) |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 57.10% |
| 2002 | 57.90% |
| 2003 | 58.10% |
| 2004 | 59.20% |
| 2005 | 61.20% |
| 2006 | 62.40% |
| 2007 | 63.30% |
| 2008 | 65.70% |
| 2009 | 67.10% |
| 2010 | 69.10% |
| 2011 | 69.80% |
| 2012 | 69.40% |
| 2013 | 68.10% |
| 2014 | 68.80% |
| 2015 | 69% |
| 2016 | 66.90% |
| 2017 | 66.40% |
| 2018 | 66.90% |
| 2019 | 67.30% |
| 2020 | 76.30% |
| 2021 | 77.10% |
Matt Mckenna
UK Head of Communications
T: +44 20 8191 8806
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