With GCSE reforms in full swing, 2018 has seen some major changes in the number of entrants per subject. According to Ofqual, these are the 10 subjects which most students sat exams in this year.
Find the key dates and exam timetables for the 2019 GCSEs
1. Combined science - 744,185
Replacing science and additional science, the figures are a little skewed on this one as Ofqual’s data includes a “double weighted count of entries to combined science in 2018” to allow comparison with 2017. Regardless, numbers are up for all science subjects in 2018.
2. Mathematics - 715,775
With a slight drop from 2017, the number of entries for this core EBacc subject are likely to remain high.
3. English language - 706,255
With the new English exams proving some of the most controversial of 2017, numbers are slightly up for entries in the language exam.
4. English literature - 537,990
Meanwhile, entries have dropped by over 10,000 for the literature exam.
5. Religious studies - 260,300
Still the highest-ranking non-EBacc subject on the list, religious studies has nevertheless seen a drop of over 30,000 entries between 2017 and 2018, as a higher proportion of students opt for EBacc subjects.
6. History - 248,925
Entries for the EBacc subject of history have gone up by around 7,000, perhaps catching some of those who would otherwise have gone for religious studies.
7. Geography - 244,925
Similarly, geography has seen an increase of more than 10,000 from 2017.
8. Art and design subjects - 168,765
Another non-EBacc subject, art and design remains steadily popular for GCSE entries.
9. Biology - 167,075
Despite trailing behind many humanities subjects, entries for biology have gone up by over 30,000 from 2017. It is worth noting that with the removal of further additional science, the only way in which candidates could receive three science GCSEs in 2018 was through taking separate sciences.
10. Chemistry - 160,110
Similarly, chemistry has seen huge increases of around 28,000 to bring it into the Top 10.
Elliot Douglas is a student at the University of St Andrews. He tweets @ElliotDee
