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GCSE results day 2026

Key headlines

  • Over 1,000,000 students receiving results today, as the number of GCSE entries rises by 0.6%.  

  • Core-STEM subjects also saw a 0.7% increase in participation overall, with more girls than ever choosing to study STEM subjects. 

  • GCSE results remain stable for another year, with attainment broadly unchanged at both higher grades (7/A and above) and 4/C and above, 22% and 67.3% respectively. 

  • Top 10 most popular subjects remain unchanged with Double Science still the number one subject, surpassing 1,000,000 entries this year. 

  • Once again, Statistics is the largest growing GCSE – up 11.2% in overall participation.   

  • Whilst there was a 1.9% growth in Double Science, individual sciences continue to see a decline in uptake. Biology dropped by 1.5%, Chemistry by 1.8% and Physics by 1.5%. 

  • Optional GCSE subjects such as Design & Technology, Digital Technology and Computing all see a decline in participation amongst girls. 

Overview of core-STEM GCSEs

After a drop in participation across core-STEM GCSEs in 2025, we see an increase this year to 47.9% overall. Positively girls’ participation grew slightly more than boys (0.8% compared to 0.7%), helping to close the gender participation gap. 

The gender attainment gap between 16-year-olds continues to close as boys’ grades improve. 73.7% of girls and 67.8% of boys achieved grades 4/C and above, and 25.7% of girls achieved top grades (7/A and above) compared to 20.6% of boys.  

While girls continue to outperform boys overall across all GCSE subjects, boys marginally outperform girls across core-STEM subjects. Boys achieved 20.8% 7/A and above, versus girls’ 20%. A similar gap is seen in 4/C and above where boys have achieved 65.5% compared to girls 64.9% across all core-STEM subjects*. 

Top 10 GCSE subjects remain unchanged. Double science is the most popular GCSE by entries growing by 1.9% this year, Maths also grew by 2.2%. Biology and Chemistry round off the top 10 but see another decline in entries, 1.5% and 1.8% respectively. However, this is a much smaller drop than we saw in 2025. 

Engineering saw another significant decrease in entries, down 9.1% overall. Similarly Computing continues to shrink in popularity with a 7.1% overall drop. Both see girls significantly underrepresented, making up just 14.8% of Engineering entries and 22.8% of Computing entries. 

Again in 2026, Statistics GCSE is the largest growing subject with an 11.2% increase in overall participation, and a 10.7% growth in girls choosing the subject. Girls’ participation in Mathematics GCSE and Mathematics (Additional) GCSE both grew by 2.5%. 

Biology GCSE

Top grades (7/A and above) achieved by girls in Biology GCSE remain steady at 45.3%, outperforming boys slightly who marginally improve to 42.1%. 

9-4 (A*- C) grades remain near equal for girls and boys, with small increases to 89.8% and 89.5% respectively. 

Whilst girls’ participation in Biology fell by 1.5%, they still make up near gender parity with 49.2% of the cohort due to a similar decline in boys’ entries. 

Chemistry GCSE 

Chemistry remains the highest-performing science subject for girls with a rise in top grades achieved, up to 47.6% 7/A and above. Whilst they outperform boys in top grades, the gap widens in the number of 4/C and above achieved, boys increased to 92.2% whilst girls rise to 91.9%. 

We still see slightly fewer girls choosing Chemistry than Biology, but participation remains near equal with 48.7% of entries being girls in 2026. 

Physics GCSE

Physics GCSE continues to paint a different picture with boys outperforming girls in top grades (7/A and above), 49.1% compared to girls’ 42.9% and in 4/C and above grades, 92.3% compared to girls’ 90.7%. 

Top grades did improve more significantly in Physics for girls this year, closing the gap slightly. 

Physics GCSE also remains the least popular amongst girls with a 1.7% drop in entries by girls in 2026. After seeing growth last year, girls’ participation drops back down to 48.1%.  

Science Double Award GCSE 

Science Double Award GCSE continues to be the most popular GCSE subject, surpassing 1,000,000 entries for the first time.  

Top grades (7/A and above) remain stable (10% for girls and 8.8% for boys) but far behind single science grades. Girls also continue to outperform boys in 4/C grades and above, achieving a slight increase of 59.2% this year, compared to boys’ 57.4%. 

Maths GCSE and Maths (Additional) GCSE 

The number of girls’ entries into Maths GCSE tipped over 50% (50.2%) this year, as we see a 2.5% increase in girls’ participation. In Maths (Additional) the gender gap closes with girls now making up 46.6% of the cohort.  

Girls trail behind boys in Maths, with 55.6% of girls achieving a 4/C and above compared to 59% of boys. However, in Maths (Additional) girls excel, with 96.2% achieved a 4/C and above compared to 93% of boys. 

More boys are achieving top grades (7/A and above) in Maths, but there is improvement in top grades for girls in both Maths GCSE, 15.4% up from 15.2% and Maths (Additional) GCSE, 63% up from 62.4%. 

Computing GCSE 

Computing GCSE continues to decline in popularity with a 7.1% decrease overall. However, with more boys opting out than girls, the gender gap closes slightly with girls now making up 22.8% of Computing GCSE entries – still well behind other core-STEM subjects. 

Whilst representation is still an issue, girls are notably outperforming boys in both top grades (7/A and above), 36% compared to 28.1% of boys, and 4/C and above 76.3% compared to 68.9% of boys. 

Engineering GCSE saw one of the largest declines in participation, 9.1% overall and a huge 22.5% drop in the number of entries by girls. As a result, girls make up just 14.8% of Engineering GCSE entries, with fewer than 350 girls choosing the subject in 2026. 

Positively, top grades (7/A and above) saw a huge increase for girls, rising to 43.1% from 27.6% in 2025. This is significantly higher than boys who achieved 13.8% of top grades. A similar pattern is seen in grades 4/C and above too where 84.4% of girls achieved these grades compared to 60.4% of boys.

Design and Technology GCSE 

Design and Technology GCSE saw another big decline amongst girls, with their participation dropping from 30.2% in 2025 to 28.7% this year. 

However, grades remained stable as girls continue to perform better with 33.2% achieving top grades (7/A and above) compared to 18.6% of boys, and 78.1% of girls achieving 9-4 (A*-C) compared to 62.4% of boys. 

Statistics GCSE 

Again, Statistics GCSE rises in popularity seeing the largest growth in participation, up 11.2% overall with girls making up 42.9% of the cohort – a 10.7% increase from 2025. 

Top grades have increased for girls, with 20.1% achieving grades 7/A and above. However, boys continue to outperform girls at grades 4/C and above, with the gap widening slightly (70.6% for girls and 73.5% for boys). 

Other STEM GCSEs 

Construction, Electronics and Motor Vehicle GCSE all have low participation overall, but especially amongst girls. 

Construction saw a 17.5% decline in girls choosing the subject with them making up just 11.6% of the overall cohort. Even fewer girls are picking Motor Vehicle GCSE with only 5.5% of the cohort being girls after a 19.4% drop in participation this year. Similarly, Electronics only has 5.4% girls in the overall cohort, but this increased from 3.6% in 2025 so hopefully we continue to see an upward trend. 

About WISE 

As part of the IET, we exist to unlock opportunity for women in STEM, helping organisations to support women employees in realising their potential. 

We partner with organisations ready to make real progress, supporting them in our shared mission to dismantle systemic barriers and unlock careers in STEM for everyone. 

Our mission is clear: a stronger, fairer and more successful STEM sector. 

Media enquiries 

A press release has been published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Working together on today’s results’ insight, please visit the IET’s media hub to read this: Press releases 2026. For press enquiries, please contact Megan Stearn, Senior Communications Executive via meganstearn@theiet.org.  

Footnote 

*When we use the phrase “Core-STEM subjects”, we are referring to the following subjects:  

Agriculture & Land Use, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Construction, Design & Technology, Digital Technology, Electronics, Engineering, Geology, Mathematics, Mathematics (Additional), Mathematics: Numeracy, Motor Vehicle, Physics, Science, Science: Double Award and Statistics. 

Several STEM subjects are compulsory at GCSE, including mathematics and the sciences (biology, chemistry and physics). As participation is therefore largely universal, our analysis focuses on attainment rather than uptake. Exam outcomes provide a more meaningful indication of achievement and potential progression into further STEM study. 

Data are reported using JCQ sex classifications of male and female. Throughout this report, we refer to candidates as girls and boys.