The national picture since 2014

28.5% of entries were awarded A*–A this summer (+0.2pp on last year) and the pass rate held at 97.5%. The 2020–21 bump is the two years grades were awarded without exams, not a change in the exams themselves.

Where an A* is hardest

Share of entries awarded A* in 2026, every subject with 1,000 or more entries.

Health & social care (single award) 0.8%Accounting 1.4%Statistics 1.6%Media studies 2.0%English language 2.5%Film studies 2.7%English language and literature 3.7%Business studies 4.2%Environmental science 4.2%Law 4.8%Classical civilisation 5.0%Sociology 5.5%Philosophy 5.6%Physical education 5.8%Design and technology 5.9%Geography 5.9%History 5.9%Psychology 6.0%Religious studies 6.0%Computing 6.3%Drama 6.3%Music 7.5%Economics 7.7%Performing/expressive arts 7.8%Political studies 8.1%Biology 9.3%English literature 9.3%Chemistry 9.4%Spanish 10.2%ICT 10.9%French 11.5%Physics 11.5%German 15.8%Art and design subjects 16.5%Mathematics 17.7%Further mathematics 29.0%

Each row links to that subject's page, with its full trend and gender split.

Maths and further maths between them account for 30% of all the A* grades awarded this summer.

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The gender gap, subject by subject

The percentage-point gap in the A*–A rate between male and female entries in 2026, for subjects with at least 500 entries of each sex. Nationally the headline reads 28.9% for male entries against 28% for female entries. Subject by subject, male entries had the higher A* rate in 10 of 32 subjects. Both figures are true at once because male entries are concentrated in the subjects with the highest A* rates, maths and further maths.

female ahead ← → male ahead

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Biggest moves on 2025

Change in each subject's A*–A rate against last year, for subjects with 1,000 or more entries in both years.

Risers

Physical education +1.5pp Philosophy +0.8pp Mathematics +0.8pp Drama +0.8pp Psychology +0.7pp Further mathematics +0.7pp

Fallers

Statistics −2.4pp German −1.9pp Accounting −1.4pp Spanish −1.2pp Classical civilisation −0.8pp Film studies −0.6pp

Where grades sit against 2019

Top grades rose sharply when exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021, then were stepped back down over the following two summers. They did not land evenly. Nationally the A*–A rate is 3pp above 2019, and 27 of 28 subjects remain above their pre-pandemic rate.

Furthest above 2019

ICT +11.4pp Computing +7.6pp Art and design subjects +7.4pp Music +5.8pp Further mathematics +5.4pp Drama +5.0pp German +4.7pp Physical education +4.7pp

Closest to 2019

Spanish −0.4pp Law +0.6pp Sociology +0.7pp English literature +0.8pp

The most-entered subjects

Entries for the twelve biggest A-levels this summer, with each one's movement on 2025.

1 Mathematics 115,380 +2.9% –2 Psychology 79,201 +4.3% –3 Biology 73,925 +3.5% –4 Chemistry 65,541 +3.2% –5 Economics 47,157 +10.5% ↑5 6 Business studies 46,977 +3.9% ↓1 7 History 46,960 +5% –8 Physics 45,800 +1.9% ↓2 9 Sociology 43,562 −0.7% ↓1 10 Art and design subjects 42,620 −1.2% ↓1 11 English literature 36,196 −4.6% –12 Geography 34,128 −0.6% –

Entries, change on last year, and places moved in the ranking.

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About the data

Source: JCQ joint results tables, © JCQCIC. Figures are provisional June-series results for the UK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), all ages, as published at 9:30am each results day. Subjects with under 1,000 entries are not listed. Percentages are cumulative, so "A*–A" means the share of entries graded A* or A. Scotland sits outside these tables: its qualifications are graded A to D on a separate scale, published earlier in August.

Our charts and computed statistics are free to reuse with credit to Tutorperch and JCQ. GCSE results follow on 20 August and will appear here the same morning.

A-level results 2026, subject by subject