Which SQA subjects are gaining popularity - and which are falling away?

SQA data from results day 2025 shows how the uptake of subjects offered in Scotland’s schools has fluctuated in recent years

12th August 2025, 6:15am

Henry Hepburn

This month’s annual results day data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority includes the number of entries for every subject, but also equivalent figures for every year going back to 2019.

That year marked the end of the final full school year before the Covid pandemic, so what has changed in terms of the numbers of entries since? Which subjects have rapidly gained students and which have seen numbers drop?

We looked at the number of entries in both 2025 and 2019 at National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher, focusing - at each level - on subjects that had 500 or more entries in at least one of those years.

Related: Which SQA courses are most likely to deliver A grades?
Grade boundaries in 2025: Pass marks by subject and qualification
Results day overview: SQA exam results for 2025 show ‘Covid recovery’

Some notable trends include:

The rapid rise of applications of mathematics, which is now the third most popular National 5 after English and maths. It is often seen as an option for students who may not want to do the traditional maths course - although this month’s SQA data shows that a greater proportion of students got a grade A in maths than in applications of maths.
The decline in the uptake of languages continues, with, for example, falling entries in Higher French (a 31.5 per cent drop since 2019) and German (23.6 per cent) only marginally offset by a 3.8 per cent rise in Higher Spanish entries between 2019 and 2025.
With a 27.9 per cent increase in entries between 2019 and 2025, PE has surged to become the third most popular Higher after English and maths.
There have been big rises in entries for business and business management courses at all four levels, from National 4 to Advanced Higher.
Significant increases in the numbers of students taking English for speakers of other languages have also been seen at multiple levels.

All these trends are set against big rises between 2019 and 2025 in the number of entries at each level: National 4 entries were up 27.6 per cent (from 104,865 to 133,785); National 5, 15.7 per cent (288,550 to 333,995); Higher, 8.9 per cent (185,915 to 202,490); Advanced Higher, 22 per cent (23,460 to 28,610).

These graphs show the numbers of entries by subject in 2025 and 2019, at National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher:

Data from results day 2025 can be found on the SQA website.

You can now get the UK’s most-trusted source of education news in a mobile app. Get Tes magazine on iOS and on Android