Music: GCE A-level and GCSE

(asked on 28th September 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students took (1) GCSE, and (2) A Level, music in each year from 2010 to 2020.


Answered by
Baroness Berridge Portrait
Baroness Berridge
This question was answered on 12th October 2020

This information is not yet available for the academic year 2019/20. It will become available once we release our provisional publications between November and December 2020. For GCSEs this will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/entries-for-gcse-november-2020-exam-series.

For A Levels this will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/a-level-and-other-16-18-results-2019-to-2020-provisional.

Information on the number of entries in music GCSEs[1][2][3][4][5] and A Levels in England for the academic years 2009/10 to 2018/19[6] inclusive is provided in the tables below.

Number of GCSE entries in music by pupils at the end of key stage 4

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

45,433

43,157

40,761

41,256

42,446

43,698

41,650

38,897

34,709

34,580

Source: Key stage 4 attainment data

Information on the number of entries in music A Levels in England for the academic years 2009/10 to 2018/19[7][8] inclusive is provided in the tables below.

Number of A level entries in music by pupils at the end of key stage 5[9]

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

8,841

8,709

8,203

7,655

7,184

6,709

6,155

5,585

5,440

5,120

Source: Key stage 5 attainment data

[1] Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.

[2] Discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once and only one entry is counted in these circumstances. Prior to 2014, best entry discounting, where the pupil’s best result is used was in place in performance tables. From 2014 onwards, first entry rules were introduced, where a pupil’s first entry in that subject is used in performance tables. For more information on discounting and early entry, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores.

[3] All schools includes state-funded schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. Alternative provision includes academy and free school alternative provision. Since September 2013, general further education colleges and sixth-form colleges have been able to directly enrol 14 to 16 year-olds. The academic year 2014/15 was the first year in which colleges have pupils at the end of key stage 4. From 2016 onwards, entries and achievements for these pupils are included in figures as state-funded schools.

[4] Total number of entries include pupils who were absent, whose results are pending and results which are ungraded or unclassified.

[5] Includes GCSE full courses, level 2 equivalents, GCSE double awards and AS levels.

[6] 2009/10 to 2017/18 results taken from final data; 2018/19 results taken from revised data.

[7] 2009/1010 to 2017/18 results taken from final data; 2018/19 results taken from revised data and includes all schools and colleges in England.

[8] Covers students aged 16 to 18 at the beginning of the academic year, i.e. 31 August.

[9] This is the number of entries, rather than the number of students, so may include resits.

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