Subjects, schools and gender – what the latest A-level data shows
There is also evidence that the gap in performance between private and state schools is narrowing, but there remains a sharp gender imbalance among key subjects.
Here the PA news agency takes a look at some of the long-term trends in the latest exam data.
– Most popular subjects: What's up and what's down?
While there was no change this year in the top choices for A-levels, with maths, psychology, biology and chemistry once again occupying the first four spots, there were big changes further down the chart.
Business studies appears in the top five for the first time, up from sixth place in 2024.
The subject has gained steadily in popularity in recent years, rising from 13th in the rankings in 2015 to 10th in 2020, eighth in 2022, then climbing one place in each successive year.
Last year's fifth most popular subject, history, has dropped to seventh place, while physics has leaped from ninth to sixth.
It is the first time since at least 2000 – the earliest available archive data – that no arts or humanities subjects have appeared in the top five.
As in previous years, the top subject choices vary by gender.
For boys, the most popular A-levels this year were maths, physics, economics, chemistry and business studies; for girls, it was psychology, biology, maths, chemistry and sociology.
– French resumes its decline
The number of French A-level entries has resumed its long-term decline, more than reversing last year's unexpected rise and suggesting the long-term future of the subject is grim.
There were 6,858 entries in 2025, down from 7,544 in 2024 and the lowest figure since current data began.
Entries have fallen 34% in the past 10 years and 53% in the last two decades.
German has also resumed its descent after a small increase in 2024, with just 2,224 entries this year, down year on year from 2,431 and another new low.
Entries for German have dropped 45% in the past decade and 62% since 2005.
The one piece of positive news for the 'big three' foreign languages is a slight rise in entries for Spanish, with 8,325 in 2025, up from 8,238 in 2024, though below the recent peak of 9,139 in 2021.
Among the smaller modern languages, the most popular were Chinese (1,624 entries, down from 1,643 in 2024) and Russian (1,118, up from 1,044).
– State v private gap narrows
The gap between the proportion of A-level entries at private schools receiving top grades and those at state schools has narrowed slightly.
Some 48.5% of entries at independent schools – including city training colleges – were awarded A or A* this year, compared with 25.4% of entries at state-funded schools – a gap of 23.1 percentage points.
This is down from 23.9 points last year, when the figures were 48.6% for independent schools and 24.7% for state schools.
But it is larger than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when the gap stood at 21.3 points (43.9% for independent schools, 22.6% for state schools).
During the pandemic the gap widened considerably, peaking at 30.0 points in 2021.
– Gender imbalance persists
Computing recorded the biggest gender imbalance towards males for the sixth year in a row, with boys making up 81% of entries and girls 19% – a slight narrowing on last year, when the figures were 83% and 17%.
Physics (76% boys, 24% girls), accounting (73% and 27%) and further maths (also 73% and 27%) were the other subjects skewed most heavily towards males.
The biggest imbalance towards females was in the subject of health and social care, as has been the case each year since 2021.
In the double award for this subject, girls made up 96% of entries and boys just 4%, while in the single award the figures were 89% and 11%.
Performing/expressive arts (92% girls, 8% boys) and English literature (80% girls, 20% boys) were other subjects with predominantly female entries.
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