Mathematics now the most popular A level in Northern Ireland

Figures released this morning on behalf of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQCIC), show an increase in numbers taking A levels in Northern Ireland this year, driven by a notable rise in entries in Mathematics.
By Nichola Neill
Published 13th Aug 2015, 10:38 BST

The subject is now the most popular A level accounting for 1 in 10 of all Northern Ireland A level entries.

Entries in Mathematics rose by 8.6%.

Overall A Level entries rose by 2.5% from 31,600 in 2014 to 32,390 this year.

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Participation in the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) remains strong.

Along with Mathematics there were increases in numbers taking Design and Technology, up 8.8%, and ICT, up by 4.5%. Of particular interest is an

increase this year in the number of females taking A levels in STEM subjects, with increases in Biology (+5.7%), Chemistry (+3.3%), Physics (+2.1%), Mathematics (+10.6%) and Design and Technology (+24.5%).

Entries in Modern Languages are broadly stable.

Students continue to perform strongly at A level, with the overall A* - E pass rate rising slightly by 0.1 percentage points to 98.2%. There was also a small increase in those awarded the top grade, with 7.6% of entries receiving an A*, up 0.3 percentage points on last year.

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The percentage of entries achieving A* - A fell slightly to 29.3%, down by 0.6 percentage points.

While females still account for the majority of A*s awarded (7.8%), this year the percentage of males achieving the highest grade rose by 0.6 percentage points to 7.4%.

Related topics:A LevelsNorthern Ireland