GCSE entries and results (pupils in Year 11/pupils aged 15) by subject group and sex
Standard shorthand is used in this table: [c] = confidential information, [k] = low figure.
| Data values | Data description | Year | Sex | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,154 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Biological Sciences |
| 4,010 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Chemistry |
| 3,789 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Physics |
| 17,630 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Science (Double Award) |
| 814 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Applied Science |
| 1,635 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Craft, Design & Technology |
| 1,290 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | ICT |
| 1,505 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Home Economics |
| 16,011 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Mathematics |
| 15,664 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Mathematics - Numeracy |
| 1,539 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Business Studies |
| 2,730 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Geography |
| 4,805 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | History |
| 6,519 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Art & Design |
| 926 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Communication Studies |
| 1,582 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Drama |
| 16,029 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | English Language |
| 14,279 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | English Literature |
| 1,326 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | French |
| 206 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | German |
| 872 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Spanish |
| 1,161 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Music |
| 2,510 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Physical Education |
| 5,025 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Religious Studies |
| 3,161 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Welsh Language |
| 2,447 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Welsh Literature |
| 10,496 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Welsh Second Language |
| 2,992 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Applied Science (VQ) |
| 4,359 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Female | Health & Social Care (VQ) |
| 4,218 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Biological Sciences |
| 4,058 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Chemistry |
| 3,921 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Physics |
| 962 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Applied Science |
| 18,564 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Science (Double Award) |
| 3,415 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Craft, Design & Technology |
| 4,272 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | ICT |
| 1,074 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Home Economics |
| 16,838 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Mathematics |
| 16,436 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Mathematics - Numeracy |
| 2,246 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Business Studies |
| 4,078 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Geography |
| 4,140 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | History |
| 2,668 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Art & Design |
| 756 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Communication Studies |
| 739 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Drama |
| 16,776 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | English Language |
| 14,415 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | English Literature |
| 744 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | French |
| 190 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | German |
| 549 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Spanish |
| 945 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Music |
| 4,940 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Physical Education |
| 3,891 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Religious Studies |
| 2,969 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Welsh Language |
| 1,904 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Welsh Literature |
| 10,688 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Welsh Second Language |
| 3,056 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Applied Science (VQ) |
| 226 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | Male | Health & Social Care (VQ) |
| 8,372 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Biological Sciences |
| 8,068 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Chemistry |
| 7,710 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Physics |
| 36,194 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Science (Double Award) |
| 1,776 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Applied Science |
| 5,050 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Craft, Design & Technology |
| 5,562 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | ICT |
| 2,579 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Home Economics |
| 32,849 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Mathematics |
| 32,100 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Mathematics - Numeracy |
| 3,785 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Business Studies |
| 6,808 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Geography |
| 8,945 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | History |
| 9,187 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Art & Design |
| 1,682 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Communication Studies |
| 2,321 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Drama |
| 32,805 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | English Language |
| 28,694 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | English Literature |
| 2,070 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | French |
| 396 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | German |
| 1,421 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Spanish |
| 2,106 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Music |
| 7,450 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Physical Education |
| 8,916 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Religious Studies |
| 6,130 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Welsh Language |
| 4,351 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Welsh Literature |
| 21,184 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Welsh Second Language |
| 6,048 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Applied Science (VQ) |
| 4,585 | Number of entries | 2024/25 | All Pupils | Health & Social Care (VQ) |
| 155,159 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | All Subjects |
| 4,464 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Biological Sciences |
| 4,366 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Chemistry |
| 4,258 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Physics |
| 17,954 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Science (Double Award) |
| 847 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Applied Science |
| 1,637 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Craft, Design & Technology |
| 1,658 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | ICT |
| 1,586 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Home Economics |
| 16,427 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Mathematics |
| 16,008 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Mathematics - Numeracy |
| 1,792 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Business Studies |
| 2,815 | Number of entries | 2023/24 | Female | Geography |
Next update expected:8 October 2026
Updates
- 15th January 2026
- Dataset first published.
Main information
- Designation
- Official statistics
- Data provider 1
- Welsh Government
- Data source 1
- Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)
- Data provider 2
- Welsh Government
- Data source 2
- Welsh Examinations Database
- Time period covered
- September 2008 to August 2024
Overview
- Summary of dataset and variables
This table covers data published in the Welsh Government's annual "Examination Results" release. It provides information on the number of GCSE entries and the percentage of those entries achieving each GCSE grade. This dataset covers pupils in Year 11 recorded in the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC), comparing outcomes between sex and subject.
- Data collection or calculation
The data in this report is collected by the Welsh Government from awarding organisations to form the Welsh Examination Database (WED). This data is collated and matched to pupils in the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and the Educated Other Than at School census (EOTAS). This data is provisionally (indicated by the note p) published in October, Schools and Local Authorities are then given the opportunity to validate their relevant data and the final data is then published in December. Between provisional and final there is usually less than 1 percentage point of change at Wales level, at Local Authority and School level the change may be larger.
- Statistical quality
Determination of a pupils year (Year 11) is made by schools in the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and may not match the age of the expected cohort.
A pupils qualification is counted in the year that they are in Year 11. e.g. if a Year 10 pupil took a qualification in 2023/24, it would only appear in this data set when the pupil was in Year 11 in 2024/25.
It is possible to enter a GCSE more than once e.g. double subjects like Double Science is counted as 2 entries.
Where a pupil enters two very similar qualifications e.g. a pupil takes the same qualification with two different awarding organisations or the pupil resists a qualification, before 2018/19 the best entry is included, 2018/19 and onwards only the pupils first entry is counted.
Only GCSE qualifications approved for use in Wales by pupils under are included. More details on what qualifications are approved for use in Wales can be found on in the Qualifications in Wales (QiW) database https://www.qiw.wales/.
Grades U and X are listed as ungraded. A grade of U means the pupil failed to achieve the minimum required to get a G grade. A grade of X means that the pupil did not attend the exam or submit the required coursework to complete the qualification, and therefore could not be graded.
Pupils that were awarded a qualification during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 summer periods were awarded grades based on a centre determined or centre assessed grade model. Grades were determined by schools, based on their assessment of learners’ work, using a range of evidence (including non-examination assessments, mock exams, and classwork).
The 2021/22 and 2022/23 examination periods were transitionary years, where relevant qualifications sat by Welsh pupils returned to written examination arrangements. This was not a complete return to pre-pandemic examination arrangements. To compensate for any disruption to the school timetable, pupils who sat exams in 2021/22 were given a wider choice of questions from the syllabus, with Qualifications Wales setting results at a national level broadly midway between 2018/19 (the last time examinations were sat) and 2020/21 outcomes. As we transition back to pre-pandemic assessment arrangements, some support remained in place for learners who sat exams in 2022/23. This support was in the form of advance information and a supportive approach to grading. In 2022/23 Qualifications Wales set the results at a national level broadly midway between 2018/19 and 2021/22 outcomes. In 2023/24 Qualifications Wales have returned to awarding results in line with pre-pandemic results, resulting in a slight decrease from the 2022/23 results (see Qualification Wales for more details https://qualifications.wales/news-views/the-return-to-pre-pandemic-gcse-as-and-a-level-standards/).
- Related reports
Published by
- Organisation
- Welsh Government
- Contact email
- school.stats@gov.wales