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UK Data

Insight into the UK's education system through data

UK Data
2021:EBacc Pass Rate by Subject Pillar and Local Authority
Data collected from: Education Statistics ServiceView Sourceicon / arrow right
  • Pass rate in individual subject pillars as a proportion of total entries by- individual Local Authority (LA) in England.
  • As was the case in 2021, the variation in pass rates between Local Authorities is lower than in previous years; most likely due to the cessation of the Summer examination series.

Proportion of GCSE entrants who attained a 4/C and above in individual EBacc pillars by LEA in 2021.

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UK Data
2020: EBacc Pass Rate by Subject Pillar and Local Authority
  • Pass rate in individual subject pillars as a proportion of total entries by individual Local Authority (LA) in England.
  • As was the case in 2019, the variation in GCSE EBacc pillar pass rates between Local Authorities was lowest in Maths and English.
  • However, there was less regional variation in pass rates across the five EBacc pillars- English, mathematics, humanities, MFLs and sciences- compared to the 2019 Summer exam series. I.e., there was a similar proportion of students attaining a C/4 and above across local authorities in 2020.
  • This could potentially be due to the temporary replacement of high-stakes testing with Teacher-assessed Grades (TAGs).

 

 

 

*Percentage point.

Proportion of GCSE entrants who attained a 4/C and above in individual EBacc pillars by LEA in 2020.

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UK Data
2019: EBacc Pass Rate by Subject Pillar and Local Authority
  • Pass rate in individual subject pillars as a proportion of total entries by individual Local Authority (LA) in England.
  • Overall, there was considerable variation in the pass rate for EBacc pillars across LAs; greatest in Modern Foreign Languages (54pp*) followed by the Humanities (47 pp) and Sciences (44pp).

 

 

*Percentage point.

Proportion of GCSE entrants who attained a 4/C and above in individual EBacc pillars by LEA in the 2019 Summer exam series.

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UK Data
2019: Proportion of students achieving a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by 19
  • Consistent with 2017 and 2018 findings, 1 in 2 disadvantaged pupils and around 4 in 5 (78%) of pupils from affluent backgrounds reach the English and Maths benchmark by age 19.
  • Therefore, across the year years, advantaged students are 55% more likely to attain a 4/C in their GCSE Maths and English.
  • In several LEAs, advantaged pupils were twice as likely to achieve the two qualifications than their less affluent peers: Blaby; Bromsgrove; Copeland; Mole Valley; North Warwickshire and South Bucks.

Proportion of students with a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by age 19 across Local Education Authority (LEA) in England.

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UK Data
2018: Proportion of students achieving a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by 19
  • The proportion of students who reached the age of 19 with a level 2 (e.g., GCSE or Functional Skills qualification) in Maths and English, as of 2017.
  • On average, around 4 in 5 (78%) of advantaged pupils passed (i.e., attained a C/4 or higher) the two subjects by the time they exited compulsory education.
  • By contrast, 1 in 2 disadvantaged students met this benchmark. This is consistent with recorded outcomes in 2017.
  • As was the case the previous year, the Isles of Scilly was the only LEA where disadvantaged pupils were more likely to pass their Level 2 Maths and English than their more affluent peers.

Proportion of students with a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by age 19 across Local Education Authority (LEA) in England.

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UK Data
2017: Proportion of students achieving a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by 19
  • The proportion of students who reached the age of 19 with a level 2 (e.g., GCSE or Functional Skills qualification) in Maths and English in 2017.
  • On average, 4 in 5 (78%) of advantaged pupils passed (i.e., attained a C/4 or higher) the two subjects by the time they exited compulsory education.
  • By contrast, typically 1 in 2 disadvantaged students met this benchmark.
  • The Isles of Scilly was the only local authority where disadvantaged students were more likely to attain a C/4 or higher in both subjects at Level 2 than their more affluent peers.

Proportion of students with a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by age 19 across Local Education Authority (LEA) in England.

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UK Data
Proportion of FE Leavers in Sustained Positive Destinations, 2014-2018
  • The number of individuals recorded as being in education, employment or training by local authority over the time period 2014 to 2018.
  • There is significant variation in five-year changes to the % of FE leavers identified as in Sustained Positive Destinations across local authorities, ranging between -71% (East Herefordshire) and 107% (Sedgemoor)
  • Sustained positive destinations refer to those FE leavers recorded as being in education, employment or both.

 

 

*2016 entries excluded due to data gaps.

Variation in the proportion of Further Education (FE) leavers recorded as being in education, employment or training after course completion by local authority.

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UK Data
Percentage of 2018/19 A-Level Entries graded A*-C by region
  • On average, slightly below 3 in 4 (72.48%) of A Levels across the listed regions were accredited an A*-C in 2018/19.
  • The percentage of top awards regionally varied between 60% in Sandwell to 87% observed in York (rounded to the nearest whole number).
  • A*-B regional performance is a statistically significant predictor for the regional variation of A-Levels accredited an A*-C  (p<0.001).
  • Schools in London, the South East and West Midlands typically outperform those in the East of England and South West. However, higher performance is only statistically significant in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North East (p<0.05).

 

*Data not available for Knowsley.

A Level Entries graded A*-C by region


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UK Data
Percentage of 2018/19 A-Level Entries graded A*-B by region
  • On average, slightly under 1 in 2 (46.15%) of A Levels across the listed regions were accredited an A*, A or B in 2018/19.
  • The percentage of awards graded higher than a C regionally varied between 30% in Sandwell to 67% observed in Trafford (rounded to the nearest whole number).
  • The percentage of qualifications awarded an A* or A is a statistically significant predictor of A*-B attainment (p<0.001). Therefore, those areas that had a higher percentage of A*-As typically observed a comparatively higher percentage of A*B awards.
  • The North West and South West typically outperformed other regions in the percentage of A-Level qualifications awarded as A*, A or B. However, this is not statistically significant (p>0.05).

 

*Data not available for Knowsley.

 

A Level Entries graded A*-B by region


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UK Data
Percentage of 2018/19 A-Level Entries graded A*-A by region
  • On average, 1 in 5 (20.33%) of A Levels across the listed regions were accredited an A or A* in the 2018/19 during the 2018/2019 examination series.
  • The percentage of top awards regionally varied between 10% in Sandwell to 43% observed in Reading (rounded to the nearest whole number).

 

 

 

*Data unavailable for Knowsley.

A Level Entries graded A*-A by region


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UK Data
Provisional Entries into STEM A-Level Subjects, 2020/21
  • A-Level Subjects include: Maths; Further Maths; Biology; Chemistry; Physics and Computing.
  • Nationally, there were more were more provisional female than male entrants into STEM subjects across the 2020/2021 year group (56.45% versus 43.55%).
  • Follows 2019 trends, when female students first overtook male students in STEM A-Level subjects.
  • Female entries into Computing and Further Maths are notably low compared to other STEM subjects. Over 19 times more female students take Biology than Computing, on average.
  • Students from the North West, South East, West Midlands and London are statistically more likely to take STEM subjects at A Level compared to pupils studying at schools in the North East, South West and East Midlands (p<0.001).

Percentage of female entries for STEM A-Level subjects based on Provisional Entries Data


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UK Data
Differences by constituency of over 250% in GCSE Maths and English grade 5+results
  • On average 49.9% students achieve a grade 5+ in both English and Maths
  • Results vary significantly by constituency
  • Over 70% students achieve these grades in 5 constituencies – Altrincham and Sale West, Wycombe, Hitchin and Harpenden, Southend West and Chipping Barnet
  • In 4 constituencies, 27% or below achieve these grades – Great Grimsby, Knowsley, Nottingham North and Bootle

Proportion of GCSE students achieving 5+ in both English and Maths in 2020 by Constituency


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UK Data
258% – Significant differences in the GCSE Maths and English results by Local Education Authority
  • On average, 49.9% of pupils in England achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and Maths.
  • Performance by Local Education Authority varies significantly.
  • In Trafford LEA, 68% of students reached this level; in Knowsley, 30 miles away, the figure was 27%.

Proportion of GCSE students achieving grade 5+ in both English and Maths in 2020 by LEA

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Assessment

What can this year’s GCSE entries tell us to look for in tomorrow’s results?

With GCSE Results published on 22nd August, Dr Chinwe Njoku looks into the underlying data on what subjects this year's cohort took and how this has changed from previous years.

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Assessment

A-level maths students hit six figures – what’s behind its popularity?

On Thursday, more than 100,000 A-level maths students in England will find out their results – 11.4% more than last year. Why the upturn? Dr Chinwe Njoku, AQA Education Insights Lead and former maths teacher, was heartened by the news and keen to look at the story behind the data.

Education Policy

What comes after ‘urgent’ for the new Education Secretary?

After the burning issues are addressed, what should come next for the new Education Secretary?

Education Policy

Labour’s oracy plans: They need clear goals

Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to boost students’ confidence by raising the importance of speaking skills – oracy. In this previously published blog, Reza Schwitzer, AQA’s director of external affairs, applauds the ambition but warns there needs to be clear goals

Education Policy

Through the looking glass: How polling the public can help policymakers learn about themselves

Public attitude data is key to effective policymaking. Proper polling can reveal what people think about existing policies and what they want for the future. But, if looked at from a different angle, it can also help policymakers question themselves and their assumptions about the public. In this blog, AQA’s Policy and Evidence Manager Adam Steedman-Thake, reveals the lessons he learned about himself while reading a recent public attitude survey.

Assessment

Assessing oracy: Is Comparative Judgement the answer?

Oracy skills are vital to success in school and life. And yet, for many children, opportunities to develop them are missed. Educationalists are engaging in a growing debate about where oracy fits into the school system. Labour has put it at the heart of its plans to improve social mobility and an independent commission is looking at how it is taught in the classroom. This renewed focus on oracy means it is more important than ever that teachers have a way to reliably assess and understand their students’ attainment and progression. Amanda Moorghen of oracy education charity Voice 21 explains how Comparative Judgement can help with that and why it may be a game changer.

Education

TV subtitles as an aid to literacy: What does the research say?

Jack Black is probably best known in educational circles for playing a renegade substitute teacher in School of Rock. But the Hollywood star has made a more conventional foray into education by backing the use of TV subtitles to improve child literacy. Stephen Fry and the World Literacy Foundation also want parents to use their TV remotes to get children reading. So, could this simple click of a button be a solution to boost pupils’ reading skills? AQA’s resident expert on language teaching, Dr Katy Finch, casts her eye over the research to see whether it stacks up.

Data Analysis

What is left behind now education’s Data Wave has receded?

Is data the solution to all education’s issues? About a decade ago the prevailing wisdom said it was. Advocates of this Data Wave argued that harvesting internal statistics would help schools solve issues such as teacher accountability and attainment gaps. As with all waves, after crashing onto the beach they recede, leaving space for another to roll in. In this blog, teacher, author and data analyst Richard Selfridge looks at the legacy of the Data Wave to see what schools can take from it.

International Approaches

Finland & PISA – A fall from grace but still a high performer?

Finland was once recognised as one of the most successful educational systems in the world. At the turn of the millennium, it topped the PISA rankings in reading, maths and science. But by 2012, decline set in. The last set of results showed performances in maths, reading and science were at an all-time low. In this blog Dr Jonathan Doherty of Leeds Trinity University outlines some reasons that may account for the slide.

Briefing

PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS: What actually are they and what do they tell us?

According to the latest PISA results, England’s science scores are still on a downward trajectory that started a decade ago. Yet TIMSS, another respected study, has science performances rising. Which of them is right? Is one more valid than the other? In this blog AQi examines three International Large-Scale Assessments and finds that, although they may look the same from a distance, get up close and you’ll find they are very different beasts.

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