Today, as many young people receive examination results, we want to acknowledge the achievements of this special cohort, the class of 2024. This cohort joined their secondary schools in Covid, and now as they complete their key stage 4 journey, we want to congratulate every candidate, and all their teachers, for the resilience they have needed, and for grades they have achieved.
This year, despite the backdrop and legacy of Covid impacting on this cohort, Ofqual the exam regulator, has asked for results to return to a ‘normal’ with 2019 as the baseline. This means trends and changes are comparable in principle.
In essence the percentage of Art and design GCSEs candidate has been falling for two years – this year it has stabilised; and for achievement – as shown in level 9/A and 4/C – there has been an increase.
The key 2024 trends and changes are:
Participation in art and design (Table 1) Source JCQ
Overall, for all subjects, GCSE numbers have increased – this mostly reflects both a population rise and rise in popularity of GCSEs. In Art and design this is reflected in an increase in numbers (5.3 percent since 2023). However, as a percentage of the total sat (3.4%, 2024) it remains exactly the same as last year (3.4%, 2023). This is still lower than in 2022 (3.5%); 2021 (3.7%) and in 2019, when art and design was 3.5% of the total GCSEs sat.
In Northern Ireland there has been a fall in percentage of the total number of GCSEs in art and design. Last year in Northern Ireland, art and design was 2.4% of the total; this year the percentage is 2.1% (0.3 percentage points lower). In 2024 and 2023 for England and Wales – both nations have stable participation rates of 3.4% and 3.0% respectively.
In terms of numbers in England there has been a 5.3% increase. However in England the total number of entries have increase by 4.8% (see DfE). This indicates that there has been a 0.5% percentage point increase in the last year.
According to Ofqual, Art and design remains the eighth most popular subject – albeit when compared to other subjects, art and design has fallen by -3.6% this year.
Achievement and uplift (Table 2) Source JCQ
Overall, Ofqual says for all subjects: ‘GCSE results are similar to 2023. Outcomes at grade 7/A+ (and above) are 21.7% compared with 21.6% in 2023, and outcomes at grade 4 and above are 67.4% compared with 67.8% in 2023.’ For Art and design, in 2019 the percentage of 7/A+ outcomes was 22.9%; this compares to 23.7% this year (an uplift of +0.8% percentage points) – in other words, this increase is above the national trend for all subjects. Grades 4/C have also increased in art and design, from 75.3% (2019) to 76.5% this year (a 1.2% point increase).
Gender imbalance (Table 3) Source JCQ
Our subject saw improvements in the gender participation gap between 2019-23. This year the gap has very slightly widened by 0.1 percentage points and there are now just over double the number of female candidates compared to male candidates. In terms of achievement, since 2019 the gap has widened: In 2019, 28.1% of female candidates achieved art and design GCSE. This year 29.4% achieved the same grade. This is a 1.3 percentage point increase. In 2019, 12.5% of male students achieved a A/7 or above, this year only 12.4% achieved the same grade. A 0.1 percentage point decrease.
Centre type (Table 4). Source Ofqual
This year, the inequities in achievement (of 7/A+ grades) in art and design, which were exacerbated and widened in the Pandemic, have mostly grown. Ofqual’s data for England, shows for all subjects combined, this year 48.4% of Independent school candidates achieved at least a 7/A+ compared to 19.4% in comprehensive schools – a gap of 29 percentage points.
Fifty-seven point five percent of candidates in Independent schools achieved grade 7/A+ and in Secondary modern schools 14.8% achieved the same grades (2024).
Between 2023 and 2024 and compared to any other school type, both Free schools and Secondary modern schools saw the biggest decline in 7/A+ grades. Free schools saw the biggest decline of 4 percentage points compared to the 2.7 percentage point decline for Secondary modern schools. Independent schools had a relatively small reduction of 0.2 percentage points. Secondary comprehensive schools, Academies and secondary Selective schools saw no change.
Regional A/7+ by subject (see Ofqual tables for data)
The regions that achieved the highest percentage of A/7+ art and design GCSEs have not changed in 2024 compared to 2023: Rutland (46.9%), followed by Surrey (35.8%), Oxfordshire (32.2%) and Hertfordshire (31.1%). Isle of Wright has seen a big increase in A/7+ grades (20%) this year and (17.6%) in 2023. This year Bedfordshire has achieved 16.1%; Hampshire (17.2%); Nottinghamshire (17.2); Tyne and Wear (18.5% 2024; 21.7% in 2023).
Arts subjects: Performing and expressive arts have seen a fall of 7% in entries; drama fell by 5% and Design and Technology by 3%.
Michele Gregson, general secretary says:
The class of 2024 are the class that completed their key stage 3 in multiple Coronavirus lockdowns. They are the class who saw restricted access to art materials and working online or in isolation for many months of their key stage 3. During their year 11, some GCSE students whose art rooms are impacted by RAAC, completed their year 11 learning in non-specialist art rooms. We can safely say that whatever results are awarded today, the class of 2024 and their dedicated teachers, are both determined and resilient.
There is for the first time in two years some cause for optimism. Candidate numbers in art and design (as a percentage of the total) remain stable – at least in England and Wales.
But the inequities in achievement and participation across the sector, which were exacerbated in the pandemic – have grown. The incoming government place equity in education front and centre of their manifesto; they also acknowledge the value of arts in education. Going forward, we are hopeful that words become actions, and these inequities can be swiftly addressed.
For today, we congratulate all teachers and learners in all nations.These have been testing years for the profession and for this cohort. At whatever point you are in your career or on your learning journey, we hope your next steps ahead are possible.
Tables
Table 1.
Numbers of art and design candidates are shown (in brackets) next to the art and design percentage of the total number of GCSE entries across all subjects.
| Nation | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 |
| All | 3.4 (208,934) | 3.4 (198,302) | 3.5 (195,928) | 3.5 (195,928) |
| England | 3.4 (194,099) | 3.4 (184,762) | 3.7 (191,852) | 3.6 (182, 204) |
| Northern Ireland | 2.1 (4,192) | 2.4 (3,590) | 2.3 (3,730) | 2.4 (3,854) |
| Wales | 3.0 (9,343) | 3.0 (8,963) | 2.9 (8,909) | 3.0 (8,783) |
Table 2. GCSE achievement art and design GCSE (grade 7 or above and A all nations):
| Year | Numbers Sat | 7/A+ % awarded | 4/C % awarded |
| 2024 | 208,934 | 23.7 | 76.5 |
| 2023 | 198,302 | 24.2 | 76.4 |
| 2019 | 195,928 | 22.9 | 75.3 |
Table 3. Gender and Participation and achievement, UK (all) JCQ
| Gender | 2024 Participation% of total sat | Achievement Cumulative % 7/A | 2023 Participation% of total sat | Achievement Cumulative % 7/A | 2019 Participation% of total sat | Achievement Cumulative % 7/A |
| M & F | 3.4 | 23.7 | 3.4 | 24.2 | 3.5 | 22.9 |
| Female | 4.5 | 29.4 | 4.5 | 30.2 | 4.7 | 28.1 |
| Male | 2.2 | 12.4 | 2.3 | 12.6 | 2.4 | 12.5 |
Table 4. Summary of GCSE art and design by centre type (England only)
Changes for Independent, Free Schools and Secondary Modern – percentage of results grade A/7 and above. See also Ofqual, outcomes by centre type data.
| School Type | 2024 | 2023 | Difference (% points) | 2019 |
| Free School | 18.6% | 22.6% | -4 | 19.3 |
| Sec Modern | 14.8% | 17.5% | -2.7 | 14.0 |
| Independent | 57.5% | 58.5% | -0.2 | 56.8% |