The graphs below show the grade distributions of GCSE subjects.
You can select either an individual subject or a combination of two or three subjects. Selecting a grade range of the first and second subject will filter the candidates shown in the remaining graphs.
For example, selecting 'grade 4 or above' in subject 1 results in only the candidates who were awarded a grade 4 or higher in subject 1 appearing in the graphs for subject 2 and subject 3.
For any feedback on these graphs or tables, please contact [email protected].
Return to the Ofqual Analytics home page.
If you need an accessible version of this information to meet specific accessibility requirements, please email [email protected] with details of your request.
1. What do these interactive graphs show?
These graphs allow you to see grade distributions for all full course GCSE 9 to 1 subjects for students in schools and colleges in England. You can select a combination of three subjects, which shows how performance on one GCSE relates to performance on other GCSEs.
Some examples of information you can find out:
- for students who attained a grade 7 and above in geography, how many also attained a grade 7 and above in history
- how many students achieved a grade 9 in mathematics, English language and English literature
- how many people taking French also took German
The number of grades have been rounded to the nearest 5. Values between 1 to 4 are represented as 0~ and 0 represents zero values. In some instances the total number of candidates reported may be slightly different to the sum of these individual rounded values because it has been calculated using the original unrounded values.
The percentage of grades have been round to the nearest 0.1%.
Where a student receives a 'U' this means 'unclassified' - below the standard required for a grade 1 or above.
If there are grades not present in the tables it is because no student achieved that particular grade for your combination of grades and subjects.
2. Which students grades are included in these graphs?
The graphs are based upon the grades of students of all ages from schools and colleges in England who took at least one full course GCSE (9 to 1).
In each combination of plots, only students who took all of the subjects selected are shown.
As students of all ages are included, English language and mathematics include a higher proportion of older students compared to other subjects.
3. What subjects are included?
The subjects presented are GCSE subjects which were taken by at least 2,500 students in each summer.
4. Why are only some subjects included in certain years?
GCSEs were reformed in stages. If a subject is not present in a certain year, it was not reformed at that time.
5. How were grades awarded in summer 2022?
The aim of awarding in summer 2022 was to seek a midway point between summer 2019 and summer 2021. As in any year, grade boundaries were set based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Further information is available on the Ofqual website, in the student guide to exams and formal assessments in 2021 to 2022, and in our blog.
6. How were grades awarded in summer 2021 and summer 2020?
In 2021, the government determined that many exams and assessments could not be held fairly as a result of the disruption students faced due to the pandemic. Teachers were asked instead to submit grades to the exam boards, based on their assessment of what students had shown they know and could do, enabling progression to the next stage of education, training, or employment. The student guide to awarding in summer 2021 gives further information.
The summer 2020 exam series was cancelled due to the measures put in place in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Students were awarded either the centre assessment grade or the calculated grade, whichever was the higher. Further information about the alternative arrangements for awarding in summer 2020 is available on the Ofqual website.
7. Where do these data come from?
Data are supplied to Ofqual by examination boards near to results day. At the point in time Ofqual receive the data, all certificates and entries may not have been fully processed. Additionally, the data do not reflect changes to grades that may occur after results.
8. Why are we publishing this data?
We are publishing this data in the interests of openness and transparency and so that schools, policymakers and other stakeholders can access this data in an interactive manner and explore the grade distributions in GCSE subjects.
For any feedback on these graphs or tables, please contact [email protected].
Return to the Ofqual Analytics home page.
If you need an accessible version of this information to meet specific accessibility requirements, please email [email protected] with details of your request.