After the turbulence caused by the pandemic, this year sees a return to a more stable position in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with no dramatic changes to the way that A-Levels have been graded.
Once again for Art & Design, we are seeing a continuation of the trends noted in 2019, with the percentage of entries in our subject continuing to decline.
The gender gap remains a concern, but has not widened this year. The same is true of the gap between attainment in the state and independent sectors.
Year-on-year percentage of GCE candidates continues to decline (JCQ)
The cumulative percentage of UK candidates taking A level art and design is falling. It was 5.3% in 2019, this year it is 4.9% (5.0% in 2023). This shows numbers of GCE art and design completions are declining. In 2010 the percentage of all candidates taking the subject was 5.6%.
Table: Numbers and percentage of total numbers of candidates completing GCE Art & Design (%)
2024: 43, 668 4.9
2023: 43, 464 5.0
2019: 42, 307 5.3
Design & technology remains steady at 1.2% of total entries, with no change since last year. Entries for D&T have also seen a decline since 2013 when the percentage of total entries was 1.7%
Art and design remains a high-entry subject, in the top eight of A level subject entries. In 2023 it was the seventh most popular.
Regional variations of candidates (JCQ)
In Northern Ireland the percentage of art and design candidates (2.8%) is increasing (+0.2%) but is still far behind the percentage of candidates taking art and design in England and Wales which is 5.0% in total. England has seen a 0.26% increase in entries and in Wales a 12.8% decrease in entry numbers. In England, A level entries (all subjects) increased by 2.4% (see DfE report) - hence in percentage terms this is a decrease.
Table: Percentage of total numbers of candidates completing GCE Art & Design
England Wales Northern Ireland
2024: 5.0 5.0 2.8
2023: 5.3 5.1 2.6
Attainment
In England, driven by Ofqual, most subjects have seen a return to 2019 grading standards, with the number of grades at A* broadly in line with 2023. Across the UK, grades have returned to levels very similar to pre-pandemic levels.
When compared to 2023, across the UK the number of A* grades awarded in Art & Design is up by 0.8 percentage points (13.1-13.9%). This is higher than the average across all subjects combined – which have increased by 0.4% percentage points from 8.9 to 9.3%.
Table: Results by grade as a cumulative percentage (JCQ)
Grades: A* C
2024: 13.9 85.9
2023: 13.1 85.1
2019: 12.2 84.7
The gap between the number of candidates achieving A/A* in the independent and state sector has returned to pre-pandemic levels, for all subjects. In 2020 that gap rose considerably , particularly for Art and design (see NSEAD 2023 report). The attainment gap for Art and design remains higher than for other subjects.
Table: Ofqual report on variation between centre type
| All subjects | Art and design
| |||
Independent
| All other centre types | Independent | All other centre types | |
| 2024 | 49.4% | 29.25%
| 52.5%
| 28.1% |
| 2023 | 47.4% | 28.05%
| 52.6%
| 28.7% |
| 2019 | 44.9% | 27.25%
| 46.9% | 24.8% |
More information regarding centre type in England can be viewed here
AS Candidate numbers sat (England, Wales and N Ireland)
Since 2019, AS numbers have a decline (percentage difference) by -37.2%. However, since 2023 numbers of AS level art and design candidates, have not changed dramatically (a marginal 0.4% increase). This compares to all subjects which are down by 0.6%.
Table: Years and total entry numbers of AS level Art & Design
2024: 5064
2023: 5045
2019: 8064
The Gender Gap in Art & design
Completions and participation: The gender gap remains unchanged between 2023-24.
Compared to all other GCE subjects, the difference between male and female participation, our subject ranks 8/38 (eighth compared to all subjects). In 2023 we were 7/38. Whilst this is a clear step in the right direction between 2023-24 the difference between male and female candidate numbers in our subject is 4.1% in both years - in other words the gender gap remains static.
Table: Gender and participation, Number Sat and % of total sat in brackets
Male Female Difference All
2024: 10,894 (2.7) 32774 (6.8) 4.1% 43,668 (4.9)
2023: 10,910 (2.8) 32,554 (6.9) 4.1% 43,464 (5.0)
More information for 2024 here and for 2023 here
Gender and attainment – achieving A*: The difference in male/female candidate numbers attaining A* – has closed again this year. However, it remains the case that females are over 25% more likely to achieve an A*
Male Female Difference All
2024: 11.0 14.8 3.8 13.9
2023: 9.7 14.2 4.5 13.1
Michele Gregson, general secretary and CEO, NSEAD:
'After four years where special pandemic measures skewed the examinations results, we can again look with a steady eye at the national picture. For Art & Design this means a steady, continuing decline in A level candidate numbers.
The gender gap persists, with girls three times more likely to opt for the subject than boys.
Those who are privately educated are far more likely to get a top grade than pupils in state schools and FE Colleges.
Art & Design remains a popular A level choice, with a wide range of options for study in Higher Education and routes into careers in the creative industries. We need to work to ensure that young people are encouraged to study our subject to ensure that the ‘talent pipeline’ is as rich and diverse as the communities it serves.'
Useful links
FFT A level analysis can be viewed here
Ofqual links by subject and year: here
DfE data, analysis and infographics: here