GCSE subject combinations and outcomes



The graphs below show the grade distributions for students taking different combinations of GCSE subjects.

You can select an individual subject or a combination of two or three subjects. You can choose to show the distribution of all grades or to only show data for students who achieved certain grades in the selected subjects.

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The table below shows the most frequent combinations of GCSE subjects.

You can view the most frequent combinations of two or three subjects or select combinations with a particular subject. You can also view the most frequently taken individual subjects.


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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.

This interactive visualisation shows information on subject combinations and grades for GCSE subjects taken by students in England. It covers the years from 2018 to 2024 . You can explore students' grades for different subject combinations and explore the most frequent combinations of subjects.

The 'Grades' tab shows students' grades for different subject combinations. You can select a combination of up to three subjects and explore how students' grades in one subject relates to their grades in other subjects. For example, you can find out:

  • how many students achieved 9 in mathematics and also achieved 9 in biology and chemistry?
  • what grades did students who achieved 4 or above in geography, achieve in history?

The 'Subjects' tab shows the most frequent combinations of subjects. You can choose to see the individual subjects that were most frequently taken or the most frequently taken combinations of two or three subjects. You can also select a subject to see which other subjects were mostly frequently taken together with it. For example, you can find out:

  • which two subjects were most frequently taken together?
  • which subjects were most frequently taken together with physics?

Grading is continuing as normal in summer 2024 following the return to pre-pandemic standards in summer 2023. Further information is avaialble in the Ofqual guide for schools and colleges , the Ofqual student guide 2024 and our news story on summer 2024 grading.

In 2020 and 2021, when GCSE, AS and A level grades were determined by teachers, national outcomes were higher than prior to the pandemic. Outcomes were also higher than pre-pandemic in 2022 when grading was at a midway point between summer 2019 and summer 2021.

The aim of awarding in summer 2023 was to return to pre-pandemic grading. As in any year, grade boundaries were set based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative evidence. The return to pre-pandemic grading means that national results will be lower than summer 2022 and it will be most meaningful to compare 2023 results with 2019, the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic. Further information is available on the Ofqual website , in the Ofqual student guide 2023 , and in our blog 10 things to know about GCSE, AS and A level grades 2023.

Awarding in summer 2022 was at 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 Ofqual student guide to exams and assessments in 2022 , and in our blog post on grades in 2022.

Ahead of summer 2021, the government determined that many exams and assessments could not be held fairly as a result of the disruption students had faced due to the pandemic. Teachers were asked instead to submit grades to the exam boards, based on their assessment of what students have shown they know and can do, enabling progression to the next stage of education, training, or employment. Further information is available in the student guide to awarding in 2021

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 their 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.

In 2020 and 2021, when GCSE, AS and A level grades were determined by teachers, national outcomes were higher than prior to the pandemic. Outcomes were also higher than pre-pandemic in 2022 when grading was at a midway point between summer 2019 and summer 2021.

Schools and colleges in England are included.

Students of all ages from schools and colleges in England who took at least one GCSE exam are included. You can tick the check box 'Filter for students aged 16 only.' to only show the data for students aged 16 . For each combination of subjects, only students who took all of the selected subjects are included.

For each year, GCSE subjects which were taken by at least 2,500 students are included. Only reformed GCSE subjects are included. GCSE subjects were reformed in stages. If a subject is not present in a given year, it may not have been examined in its reformed version in that year.

All grades awarded to students taking the selected subjects are included. The grade 'U' (unclassified) means that a student received a result that is below the standard of achieving a grade 1 or above. In the 'Grades' tab, you can select to show all grades, any particular grade or a range of grades. If a grade is not shown, this is because no student achieved that grade for your combination of grades and subjects.

The data shown here should not be interpreted in terms of differences in grading standards across subject areas. Ofqual's 2015 research programme on inter-subject comparability provides more information on this complex topic.

Subject combinations that have been taken by less than 25 students are not shown. The number of students who achieved each grade in a subjects has been rounded to the nearest 5. If a grade is not shown, this is because no student achieved that grade for your combination of grades and subjects. The total number of students in a subject has been calculated from unrounded values and then been rounded to the nearest 5. It can be slightly different to the sum of rounded numbers of students achieving each grade.

Click the 'Listen to this chart' button to play sounds based on the data shown in the chart. The higher the pitch of the sound, the more students have received a particular grade, starting with A*. A special sound is played for the grade that has been achieved by the most students. 'Listen to this chart' makes the data more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.

Data are supplied to Ofqual by exam 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 day.

We are publishing this data so that students, schools, policy makers and other stakeholders can easily access and explore information on qualifications and outcomes.


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.