Trends in Science and Technology A-levels

Ten-year trends

Trends in Science entries at A-level have recently attracted comment. This briefing note considers the final total national (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) A-level entries for Science and Technology subjects in 1995, 2000 and 2005, together with the provisional national entry figures for 2006.

Commentary

1. Altogether, Science entries have fallen by about 8,500 since 1995. Nonetheless, Science as a whole remains the single biggest subject area at A-level, accounting for 16% of all A-level entries in 2006. Compared with 1995, Biology entries are 5% up in 2006, Chemistry entries are 5% down and Physics entries are 21% down.
2. However, entries for Technology subjects have risen by 8,000 since 1995 and the number of candidates for Computing and Information Technology has doubled to over 20,000.
3. So the entries for Science and Technology taken together are now 9,500 higher than in 1995 – an increase of 6%. This compares with an increase of 10% in the total number of A-level entries for all subjects over the same period.
4. Debate about the reduction in the number of students taking A-level Physics needs to be set in the context of a substantial rise in Technology students, especially in the computing area. The country clearly requires both physicists and technologists. Is the balance right in 2006? Was it right in 1995?
5. Physics is sometimes said to be a difficult subject at A-level, and this is suggested as a factor affecting young peoples’ choices. However, what is difficult for one student is easy for another – it depends upon the aptitudes of the individual. To do well in English needs some skills and abilities which have little effect upon performance in Physics – and vice-versa. This fundamental issue makes generalisations about the relative difficulty of different subjects – generalisations which are, in any case, rarely substantiated – irrelevant to the choices which students make. Most A-level students choose subjects in which they personally expect to do well.
6. Learning in Physics, as for all other subjects, is a process which begins before A-level and can continue into Higher Education. Is science teaching earlier in school preparing and inspiring young people who are interested in, and have the aptitude for, Physics so that they want to study it at A-level? Is reading Physics at University an attractive option? The answers to these sorts of questions are key to understanding the drop in popularity of A-level Physics.
7. Finally, young peoples’ choices are likely to reflect a range of social trends, as well as more specific educational factors. It would be surprising, for example, if perceived differential rewards and employment opportunities for physicists and computer specialists were not a factor in the overall switch from Physics to Information Technology at A-level over the last 10 years.

Number of entries made by candidates for A-level Science and Technology examinations
in 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2006