Top grades in GCSE computing, French and German have leapt by up to 17 per cent after exam boards were instructed to mark the subjects more generously.
The proportion of grade 7s and above has risen in 10 of the 15 most popular subjects for 16-year-olds in England, after they all dropped closer to pre-pandemic levels last year.
Here are the key findings from subject-level data published by the Joint Council for Qualifications today…
1. GCSE computing leapfrogs history into top five
Of the 15 most popular GCSE subjects, chemistry once again had the highest proportion of entries at grade 7, 8 or 9 (44.9 per cent).
Physics came second with 44.1 per cent. The figures for both subjects rose by 1.1 percentage points and 0.9 percentage points respectively.
History fell out of the top five, after being leapfrogged by computing (28.1 per cent).
2. Fewest top grades in double science…again
Like last year, double science had the lowest proportion of top grades (8.8 per cent) among the most popular GCSE subjects.
It was followed by English language (19 per cent), business studies (19.6 per cent), English literature (20.2 per cent) and maths (21.2 per cent).
3. Only two GCSE subjects witness falls
Last year, the proportion of top grades fell in all of the most popular subjects by as much as 31 per cent as they returned to pre-pandemic standards.
But this time, just two witnessed falls. English literature registered the largest reduction of 2.9 per cent, as the proportion of top grades dropped from 20.8 per cent to 20.2 per cent.
The figure also dropped by 1.7 per cent in art and design subjects.
4. Big rises in computing, German and French
Computing saw the biggest increase in top grades among the 15 most popular subjects. The proportion rose 16.1 per cent, from 24.2 per cent in 2023 to 28.1 per cent this year.
French saw the next-highest increase of 7.9 per cent.
Meanwhile German – which is not among the most popular subjects – saw top grades grow 17.2 per cent.
This comes after School Week revealed last month that French, German and computing GCSEs would be marked more generously.
Ofqual said the language changes would being them in line with Spanish. But the proportion of top grades in French (27.2 per cent) and German (30.7 per cent) is now well above Spanish (25.5 per cent).
5. Which subjects are furthest from 2019 levels…
This has meant that both computing and French are now furthest away from pre-pandemic levels.
The percentage difference between 2019 and 2024 for the subjects stands at 31.3 per cent and 18.8 per cent respectively.
Double science has also grades rise to 17.3 per cent above the pre-Covid benchmark.
6. …and which are below pre-pandemic levels?
Just three of the most popular GCSEs have dropped under 2019 standards.
The proportion of top grades for English literature is 2.4 per cent below the figure seen five years ago.
Biology (1.2 per cent) and Spanish (0.8 per cent) also fell under the pre-Covid yardstick.
Meanwhile, geography remained in line with the benchmark for the second year running.
7. How top grades have changed for the 15 most popular GCSEs
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