GCE Results Summer 2026

 

Key takeaways for 2026

• The number of A level entries for England, Wales and Northern Ireland  has risen overall across all subjects, but has decreased for Art and Design. 
• Regional disparities in take up and attainment persist. Where you live affects how likely you are to study, and how well you will do 
• Students are more likely to achieve A* in Art and Design than almost any other subject
• The difference in attainment between the state and independent sector remains high, but the gap has narrowed slightly 
• The gender gap remains a concern but has not widened this year. The proportion of art and design entries from male and female candidates remains stable overall, with a wider gap in Wales and Northern Ireland. A* attainment increased for both male and female candidates, in line with higher attainment across all subjects.

 

Examination entries

The total number of UK A level entries across all subjects rose by 2.7%.

However, the number of candidates completing  A level in Art and Design subjects is falling. In 2019, it was 5.3% of all entries across all subjects. This year it is 4.7% (4.9% in 2025).  In 2010 the percentage of all candidates taking the subject was 5.6%. 

Art and design remain a high-entry subject - the tenth most popular of all A level subject entries this year. However, this is a decline. In 2025, it was the ninth most popular subject. In 2020 and 2019, it was the sixth most popular subject. (source JCQ)

 

Attainment 

We congratulate teachers and their students on their hard work. Across the UK, there has been an increase in numbers achieving the highest grades.

Art and design recorded a 0.6 percentage-point increase at A*, compared with a 0.2 percentage-point increase across all subjects..16.5% of Art and Design candidates achieved A* compared with an average of 9.6% across all other subjects.(source:JCQ)

 

Gender attainment and achievement gaps

Female candidates continue to be three times more likely to take A level art and design. They continue to attain higher grades than male candidates, but attainment for boys has risen this year, reflecting overall trends in other subjects.

Participation: There has been no change in the gender split, with 25% of entries from male candidates and 75% from female candidates. The gap is wider in Wales and Northern Ireland than in England: male candidates account for 20% of entries in Wales, 23% in Northern Ireland and 25% in England.

Attainment: A*: more male candidates are achieving a top grade than in 2025 with 13% attaining A* grades (2024:11% and 12.6 % in 2025), an increase of +0.4percentage points. There has also been an increase in A*-A attainment of +0.3percentage points.

A* attainment among female candidates rose by 0.6 percentage points, from 17.0% in 2025 to 17.6% in 2026. The proportion achieving A*–A fell slightly by 0.3 percentage points, from 37.7% in 2025 to 37.4% in 2026.(source: JCQ)

 

Regional variations 

The number of students completing A level of art and design in England has fallen by 4% (4.7% of candidates this year, 4.9% in 2025). In Wales and Northern Ireland numbers have risen,4.1% and 5.7%, respectively.

Attainment varies considerably across the UK nations. In England, the proportion of students awarded A* rose by 0.7 percentage points, from 15.9% in 2025 to 16.6% in 2026. In Wales, 12.7% achieved A*, down from 15.1% in 2025, a decrease of 2.4 percentage points. In Northern Ireland, A* attainment fell by 0.7 percentage points, from 16.9% to 16.2%. (source: JCQ.)

Across England there is a wide variation the proportion of students taking A level Art and Design, with much higher uptake in the Southwest (14.2%), the Southeast and Northeast), Yorkshire and Humber (11.6%), Northwest (11.5%) who are all above the national uptake of 10.6% compared with the East of England (10.3%), East Midlands (8.9%) and London (7.4%). Attainment also varies between regions, with 20% of candidates in London gaining A* 12.9* 12.9in Yorkshire and Humber, compared to 16.6% nationally. (source: Ofqual)

 

Sector variation

Students in the independent sector are far more likely to achieve a top grade than those in the state sector. The attainment gap for Art and design remains higher than for other subjects. The gap between the number of candidates achieving A/A* in the independent and state sector has narrowed slightly with a percentage difference of 53.9% compared to 56.7% last year. 

 

 

Appendices: Tables and more information

Table 1: Numbers and percentage of total numbers of candidates completing GCE Art & Design (%)

 

	Total number of completions	Percentage of all UK subject entries
2026	42,620	4.7
2025	43,124	4.9
2024	43, 668	5.0
2019	42,307	5.3

 

 

Table 2. A Level Entries 2025-26 (JCQ)

	Year	Total entries  Art and Design	change
England	2026 2025	39646 40293	-1.6%
Northern Ireland	2026 2025	915 865	+5.7%
Wales	2026 2025	1688 1621	+4.1%

 

Table 3.. Attainment and gender England, Wales, NI (JCQ)

Year		Subject		Sex	Number sat	A* %	A*-A %	A*-B %	A*-C %	A*-D %	A*-E %
2026		Art & Design subjects		Female	32169	17.6	37.4	70.6	90.6	97.7	99.7
2025		Art & Design subjects		Female	32607	17.0	37.7	69.9	90.3	97.4	99.5
2026		Art & Design subjects		Male	10451	13.2	28.2	58.5	83.8	95.1	99.2
2025		Art & Design subjects		Male	10517	12.6	28.0	57.9	82.8	94.3	99.0
2026		Art & Design subjects		All	42620	16.5	35.1	67.6	88.9	97.1	99.5
2025		Art & Design subjects		All	43124	15.9	35.4	67.0	88.5	96.6	99.4

Table 4. National variations in grades 2026(JCQ)

England	Male and Female	39646	16.6	35.2	67.8	89.0	97.1	99.6
Northern Ireland	Male and Female	915	16.2	34.6	69.6	91.6	97.9	99.8
Wales	Male and Female	1688	12.7	32.6	61.3	85.2	95.6	98.9

Useful links

Ofqual links by subject and year: here

JCQ data, analysis, and infographics: here