GCSE and A-Level Arts entries and grades 2024
Overview and cohort size
Whilst it remains the case that far fewer Expressive Arts GCSEs and A-Levels are studied across England’s schools in 2024 than in 2015, there has been a small uplift in GCSE take up this year, largely due to an increase in Music GCSE, and to a lesser extent for Art & Design. However whilst there are 250,000 more students taking GCSEs this year, it is concerning that this hasn’t translated into increased numbers of entries across all arts subjects.
The biggest declines are at GCSE Dance (-18.4%) and A-Level Drama (-5.8%). There has been a decline since 2023 in five out of the seven A-Level Arts subjects which the CLA tracks.
Some of the GCSE increases may directly relate to cohort size increases. The total of GCSE entries for all subjects has increased by 4.8% (from 5,543,840 in summer 2023, to 5,811,790 in summer 2024). The total of A-Level entries for all subjects has increased by 2.4% (from 806,410 in summer 2023, to 825,390 in summer 2024).
Despite the increase in numbers of entries, Expressive Arts* subjects continue to suffer, and while the entries to some Arts subjects has increased, these increases remain low in comparison with the rise in numbers for other subjects.
For both GCSEs and A-Levels, the government has stated that grading has continued as normal this summer and standards have been maintained from summer 2023. Here are the headlines for 2024:
GCSE headlines 2024
- Of all GCSE subjects, the only subjects with a reduction in the number of entries are Dance, Drama and Performing/Expressive Arts – and Citizenship Studies
- Dance GCSE has seen a huge drop of -18.4% from 2023 figures
- Music GCSE entries have increased by 8.3% on 2023 figures and now stand at 32,615
- The fall in entries to Expressive Arts subjects at GCSE between 2015 and 2024 now stands at -34%
A-Level headlines 2024
- Drama, Media Film and TV, Design & Technology and Dance have all seen a reduction in the number of A-Level entries from 2023
- Music is the only subject to see a small rise of 1.3% to 5,005 (from 4,945 in 2003) so has increased at A-Level as well as GCSE level, although not as significantly
- The fall in entries to Expressive Arts subjects at A-Level between 2015 and 2024 now stands at -17%
- In addition to the fall in entries Arts subjects – in contrast to GCSEs – a number of other A-Level subjects have seen reductions in entries between 2023 and 2024, including History, Geography, English, Physical Education and Political Studies
GCSEs: Notes on 2024 cohort size, results and the ‘enrichment gap’
GCSE entries have increased by more than 250,000 compared with summer 2023. There has been an increase in the 16-year-old population since 2023, and there are more entries from post-16 students this summer for GCSE English Language and Maths. The changes to the post-16 cohort are reflected in the GCSE English Language and Maths results. Overall GCSE results are similar to 2023. Results at grade 7 and above are 21.7% compared with 21.6% in 2023, and results at grade 4 and above are 67.4% compared with 67.8% in 2023.
The gap between independent schools has grown wider this year which continues to concern organisations like the Sutton Trust. 48.4% of private school entries scored at least a grade 7 compared to 19.4% for comprehensive schools. This represents an attainment gap of 29%. The gap between independent schools and academies stands at 27.2%.
Girls continue to outperform boys with 24.7% female students getting at least a grade 7/A while the figure is 19% for boys. However this gap of 5.7% is the smallest since 2009.
Geographical disparities
For GCSE, the North-South divide attainment gap is wider than pre-pandemic figures. In London the percentage of grades achieving a 4/C grade in English is 71%. Across a number of counties in the north and midlands this falls below 65%. Merseyside is the lowest at 61%.
A-Levels: Notes on 2024 results and the ‘enrichment gap’
Overall, A-Level results in England are similar to 2023. Outcomes at grade A and above are 27.6% compared with 26.5% in 2023, and outcomes at grade C and above are 76.0% compared with 75.4% in 2023. Every year there are small fluctuations in results. This can be due to changes in the cohort of students and changes in course choices over time. Overall AS results in England are similar to 2023. Outcomes at grade A are 23.0% compared with 21.8% in 2023. Entries for AS have fluctuated in recent years, making it much more difficult to interpret any changes.
The attainment gap between independent schools and others has continued to widen. 49% of students in the independent sector achieved a grade A or higher in all their subjects. For comprehensives the figure is 22.3% and for academies 26.5%.
The attainment gap between male and female students gaining an A or A* has narrowed this year to 0.4%. This gap has closed from 4.7% in 2021 to 0.4% in 2024.
Geographical disparities
For A-Levels the picture is more mixed, but the regional attainment gap still persists. For all subjects the highest percentage of A or above are found in London, Surrey and Rutland. In London it is 31.3% and 30.8% across the South East. This compares to 22.5% across the East Midlands and 23.9% in the North East. London’s top grades grew by 1.3% compared to just 0.2 percentage points in the East Midlands.
GCSE Arts Entries 2015-2024 (England only)
| Expressive Arts subjects | 2015 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | % change 2023-24 |
| Art & Design Subjects | 194,637 | 182,204 | 190,725 | 195,578 | 194,040 | 187,710 | 197,505 | 5.2% |
| Dance** | 11,865 | 9,418 | 9,130 | 8,848 | 8,268 | 8,236 | 6,723 | -18.4% |
| Design and Technology | 204,788 | 89,903 | 89,037 | 81,774 | 78,405 | 79,025 | 80,580 | 2.0% |
| Drama | 75,889 | 57,704 | 57,881 | 56,739 | 53,790 | 49,825 | 49,410 | -0.8% |
| Media/Film/TV Studies | 62,452 | 36,437 | 34,711 | 32,528 | 31,635 | 32,905 | 33,910 | 3.0% |
| Music | 48,184 | 34,725 | 34,686 | 35,202 | 34,130 | 30,115 | 32,615 | 8.3% |
| Performing/ Expressive Arts | 20,625 | 9,273 | 8,996 | 8,688 | 8,245 | 6,890 | 6,675 | -3.1% |
| Total | 618,440 | 419,664 | 425,166 | 419,357 | 408,513 | 394,706 | 407,418 | 3.22% |
Of all GCSE subjects, the only ones in decline this year are Drama, Performing/Expressive Arts, and Dance, although the 4.8% increase in cohort size could be one of the reasons for the halt in the decline in the other Expressive Arts subjects, so the increases should be noted with caution. In 2023, five of the seven subjects listed were in decline, with only Media/Film/TV and D&T reflecting small increases.
The numbers taking Dance have now dropped below 7,000 and are 43.3% lower than in 2015. Music numbers have risen, and surprisingly at a level more than the increase in cohort size would suggest. This could in part due to changes in entries for vocational qualifications, which have shown a decline in Arts, media and publishing entries.
In terms of 2015-2024 trends, GCSE decline in Arts subjects from 2015 is -34.1%. This is down from 2023 which was -35%, and probably due to the rise in numbers taking Music and Art & Design, although as we note in our 2024 Report Card the Art & Design uplift is linked to the Design & Technology decline as students migrate to the more design-focused and lower-cost aspects of the Art & Design qualifications (see Commentary section below).
A-Level entries data 2015-2024 (England only)
| Expressive Arts subjects | 2015 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | % change 2023-24 |
| Art & Design Subjects | 41,820 | 39,219 | 38,907 | 39,293 | 42,100 | 40,930 | 40,965 | 0.1% |
| Dance** | 1,875 | 1,102 | 1,116 | 1,203 | 1,198 | 995 | 960 | -1.3% |
| Design & Technology | 11,460 | 9,231 | 9,167 | 8,343 | 9,725 | 9,000 | 8,895 | -0.2% |
| Drama | 11,960 | 9,266 | 8,668 | 8,640 | 8,985 | 8,385 | 7,895 | -5.8% |
| Media/Film/ TV Studies | 26,400 | 19,765 | 19,508 | 18,810 | 20,050 | 21,530 | 21,245 | -1.3% |
| Music | 6,780 | 5,124 | 5,032 | 5,039 | 5,305 | 4,945 | 5,005 | 1.3% |
| Performing/ Expressive Arts | 3,290 | 1,050 | 1,060 | 1,152 | 1,147 | 1,203 | 1,170 | -2.7% |
| Total | 103,585 | 84,757 | 83,458 | 82,480 | 88,510 | 86,988 | 86,135 | -0.1% |
The decline since 2023 evident in five out of the seven A-Level subjects which the CLA tracks is very concerning. Entries to Dance A-Level have declined by 49% since 2015; Drama has declined by 34% since 2015.
In 2023 only Media/Film/TV and Performing/Expressive Arts were reflecting an increase, so the balance has shifted, with Art & Design and Music showing extremely small increases.
It is worth noting that as well as the above, other subjects with a decline on 2023 figures are:
| Subject | % change 2023-24 |
| Psychology | -2.4% |
| History | -2.6% |
| Sociology | -6.9% |
| Geography | -3.9% |
| Political Studies | -1% |
| Religious Studies | -1.5% |
| PE | -1.8% |
In terms of 2015 to 2024 trends, A-Level decline in Arts subject entries from 2015 is -17% (up slightly from 2023 which was -16%).
In terms of A-Level grading, the percentage of A* grades has increased since 2019.
| Subject | 2019 | 2024 |
| Drama | 4.3% | 6% |
| Art & Design | 12.2% | 13.9% |
| Media/Film/TV | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Music | 4.3% | 7% |
This compares with 11% for Physics and 16.7% for Maths in 2024.
Commentary
Entry levels remain more concerning than grades, particularly in Dance, Drama and Design & Technology.
As we explain in our 2024 Report Card, the National Society for Education in Art & Design asserts that the increase in Art & Design take up is directly linked to the decline in Design & Technology: since the introduction of a new GCSE specification for Design & Technology in 2019, there has been a marked increase in entries for GSCE endorsements in Graphic Communication, Textile Design and Three-dimensional Design – and a fall in entries for Fine Art and the general specification. At the same time there has been a significant fall in entries for Design & Technology GCSE and A-Level. Given the increasing number of schools that have merged the two subject areas due to shortage of staff and reduced budgets, it is likely that these Art & Design endorsements are now being offered as an alternative to Design & Technology.
The uplift in Music is positive. It possibly reflects the continued financial investment in this subject under the last government – the lion’s share of Expressive Arts education funding goes to Music, as we reported in our July newsletter, when we featured an op ed on Music Hubs in our ‘Latest Thinking’ section.
A more detailed analysis of these results will be presented in our 2025 Report Card, due for publication in the first quarter of 2025, when we will have all the additional data on Arts teachers and Arts teaching hours, plus progression to Higher Education. Ofqual’s Equalities analysis (to be published in the autumn) will provide us with a clearer picture of disparities in outcomes for pupils based on socioeconomic status, ethnicity, SEND status and other demographic considerations. Our Report Card takes a longer view than this summary, covering time series data from 2010 when the EBacc was introduced.
It is worth noting that the subjects with the biggest increases this year were further Maths, Physics and Computing.
One issue which is likely to prompt increasing discussion across the education sector is the large number of retakes that will now follow due to legislation from the previous government. 176,000 pupils will have to retake their Maths GCSE and 182,000 will have to retake their English GCSE, effectively until they pass the exams or turn eighteen.
We know that exam results will continue to reflect the strategic priorities of the previous government for some time – those taking public exams in 2025 will have taken their exam choices back in 2023. However, it will be important for us to note any policy shifts made by the new government, particularly in relation to the outcome of its curriculum and assessment review – even if they take some time to bear fruit in turning around the decline in Expressive Arts subjects in England’s schools.
Notes
* We define Expressive Arts subjects as Art & Design, Dance, Design & Technology, Drama, Media/Film/TV Studies, Music and Performing/Expressive Arts.
** Dance GCSE and A-Level numbers are from the examining board AQA and are for all the UK, not just England.
Students pick ‘narrower range’ of A-Level subjects
Related to our exam results digest, TES reports that a study commissioned by the British Academy has found that the arts and humanities are suffering, and that students are more likely to choose A-Levels from the same subject group.
According to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), young people in England are studying a “narrower range” of subjects in post-16 education than two decades ago. They are also increasingly choosing all of their A-Levels from a single subject group.
The findings were published as students were due to receive their A-level results on 15 August.
The study suggests that the “decoupling” of AS and A levels in England, where reformed AS Levels no longer count towards a full A-Level, has “likely played a key role” in reducing subject diversity.
The report reveals a sharp reduction in the range of subjects chosen since 2015-16 when the process of separating AS and A-Levels began.
The change has affected the take-up of humanities and arts subjects in post-16 education, which the report says risks “having profound impacts on the future shape of these disciplines”.
The research shows that while 56% of AS or A-Level students studied a humanities subject in 2015-16, only 38% studied a humanities subject in 2021-22. It also reveals that 19% of AS or A-Level students took English literature in 2015-16, but that this had declined to 11% 2021-22. The proportion of students taking History dropped from 21% to 15% in the same period.
The report reveals that more students are choosing to exclusively study AS and A-Levels in the same subject group – such as all STEM subjects, or all social science subjects.
The proportion of students taking AS or A-Levels from a single subject group increased from 21% to 35% between 2015-16 and 2021-22.
It will not be news to our readers that the subject choices available to students have also narrowed over the past two decades.
TES quotes Michael Scott, senior economist at the NFER and lead author of the report: “Students’ post-16 education choices matter. They affect both their short-term learning outcomes, such as the skills they develop, and their long-term outcomes, including wellbeing. Young people are studying a narrower range of subjects, which is probably due, at least in part, to reforms introduced over the last two decades. It is critical that future reforms to the post-16 landscape carefully consider possible impacts on the nature and the range of subjects that students choose.”
Molly Morgan Jones, director of policy at the British Academy, warned that a failure to address a decline in humanities and arts subjects would have “knock-on effects” for the subjects in universities and “on the skills young people take out into the workforce and the wider world”. Morgan Jones asserts that the school curriculum should be “interconnected and equitable, allowing and encouraging all students from all backgrounds to study a range of disciplines. Our students’ skills, and our societal growth, depend on it.”
See our blueprint for an arts-rich education to see how this unwelcome development can be turned around. We know that the new government is relying on its upcoming curriculum and assessment review to transform the outdated curriculum and assessment system, and we welcome this fresh approach to young people’s educational experiences and qualifications which is genuinely broad and balanced and which provides skills for life and for work.
News from the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Last month’s issue was full of news out of the Department for Education. We are now starting to see statements emerging from DCMS which indicate a direction of travel in relation to the arts and cultural learning.
On 31 July the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, delivered her maiden speech to set out her vision for the work of the Department to unlock “growth and opportunity” in the UK’s culture, media and sport sectors.
The speech was delivered at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum to a summit which included representatives from more than 150 “strategically important” organisations, including Arts Council England, the Royal Ballet & Opera, the National Gallery, the Royal Shakespeare Company and CLA. These organisations were invited to work with DCMS to deliver the government’s national mission of economic growth. At numerous points the Secretary of State referenced the importance of opportunities for all children to engage with the arts and sport.
The full speech can be read here, but some of the key points included:
- The Secretary of State said that through “partnerships with our mayors, councils, businesses and charities,” the government would “put rocket boosters under our growing industries – film and theatre, TV, fashion, video games, heritage and tourism – to take the brakes off the economy, create opportunity for every child and to export our incredible talent across the world.”
- The Secretary of State said she hoped the government’s commitment to doing things “differently” could already be seen “through the curriculum review we’ve initiated to put creative and sports opportunities back at the heart of a richer, larger life for every single child.”
- The Secretary of State spoke at length of the history of Manchester and the achievements of the city’s residents, suggesting that sharing an equality of opportunities across all regions of the country would be a priority for the government.
Following the event, Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said:
“Our artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries are among our country’s greatest assets. Their creativity unlocks a world that enables everyone to imagine and experience life beyond the everyday. But they do so much more to increase our national happiness: they bring communities together, help people maintain their mental health, provide skilled and fulfilling jobs, and boost the economy. The Arts Council is determined to make sure that everyone can enjoy these benefits, no matter where they live or what their background. We look forward to working with the new government and the Secretary of State in service of our audiences, participants and visitors to raise the nation’s spirit and nurture its soul.”
We value the new commitment to equal access to arts and creative opportunities and the new emphasis on opportunity of all. We look forward to hearing more about how the two departments can work together to plug the enrichment gap we identified in our 2024 Report Card.
Arts Council England Chair proposes a five-point plan to “fix the arts”
A couple of weeks before Lisa Nandy delivered her maiden speech in Manchester, Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, wrote an article for the Guardian appealing to the new government for a cultural reboot. Children and young people featured heavily in his proposal, including “an early years arts intervention” and a “creative entitlement for every child and young person,” echoing the CLA’s call to return the arts and cultural learning culture to the heart of education. You can read the full article here.
How the arts help to develop critical media literacy
The Secretary of State for Education secretary announced in early August that children in England will be taught how to spot extremist content and misinformation online under planned changes to the school curriculum.
As reported in The Guardian, Bridget Phillipson said she was launching a review of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools to embed critical thinking across multiple subjects and arm children against “putrid conspiracy theories”.
One of the key capacities developed by studying Expressive Arts subjects is critical thinking, so CLA values this new approach to ensuring that this will be embedded within the schooling system.
Misinformation spread on social media about the background and religion of the suspect in the tragic stabbing of three young girls in Southport on 29 July was blamed for the rioting led by the far right across the UK.
Phillipson, Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, told the Sunday Telegraph: “It’s more important than ever that we give young people the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge what they see online. That’s why our curriculum review will develop plans to embed critical skills in lessons to arm our children against the disinformation, fake news and putrid conspiracy theories awash on social media.”
“Our renewed curriculum will always put high and rising standards in core subjects – that’s non-negotiable. But alongside this we will create a broad, knowledge-rich curriculum that widens access to cultural subjects and gives pupils the knowledge and skills they need to thrive at work and throughout life.”
