Maths has long been the most popular subject at A level. In England in 2021, there were 87,000 entries compared to 67,000 in the next most popular, psychology[1].

If we look back to 2020, the most recent year of data we have available for analysis, we find that 35% of students who entered at least 2 A levels entered A level maths. This has increased from 30% in 2016.

The second column of numbers in the table above shows the percentage of students who entered a level 3 maths qualification, of which A level maths is the most common. But it also includes (prior to 2019 at least) AS level maths and, more recently, Level 3 core maths. This proportion has remained fairly constant at around 39% bar a dip in 2019 following the reforms to A levels and AS levels.

However, in some subjects such as physics and computer science, almost all entrants also take A level maths as shown in the chart below.

88% of physics entrants and 72% of computer science entrants also entered A level maths. Students who entered biology, chemistry and economics were also more likely to enter A level maths than students who entered other subjects.

Given this, it is unsurprising that A level entrants in these subjects tend to have higher GCSE maths results than A level entrants in other subjects. 88% of entrants in physics achieved at least grade 7 in maths.

This chart also suggests that grade 7 in GCSE maths is a de facto entry requirement for A level maths, which largely filters down to physics and computer science too.

A Levels in both physics and computer science have seen an increase in entries in recent years. However, both (and computer science especially) lag behind entries in chemistry and biology.

As entries in computer science have increased, so has the proportion of entrants who also entered A level maths although the percentage entering any level 3 maths qualification has remained largely constant. Following the demise of AS levels, proportionally more students have entered A level maths.

This raises the question then of why so many entrants in A level physics and computer science also enter A level maths. Are students who take physics and computer science also predisposed to entering maths, seeing it as a natural complement? Or is A level maths actually a requirement for entry in physics and computer science, an expectation either set by departments, assumed by students, or both?

Cursory analysis of school-level data suggests that it might be more a case of the former than the latter. Out of 1,780 schools and colleges with at least five physics entrants[2] in 2020, there were 490 at which all entered A level maths as well. However, there were 900 schools and colleges where all-but-one student entered A level maths.

Equivalent figures for computer science were 100 schools and colleges out of 830 where all entrants also entered A level maths, rising to 260 where all-but-one did so.

Either way, the result is that the A level curriculum for students who take physics (or computer science) is somewhat narrow. This then begs the questions:

  • Is it inevitable?
  • Do we need to do anything about it?

Given both physics and computer science are subjects (as is economics) where there are concerns about the diversity of students choosing them, perhaps there needs to be more interest in establishing what pathways to post-16 study in such subjects work well.

Thanks to Simon Gallacher for comments on a draft of this article.

Notes

  1. From published DfE statistics https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/A level-and-other-16-to-18-results/2020-21
  2. As in all the analysis presented here, I only include students who enter at least two A levels

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