Provisional November 2023 exam entries: GCSE English language and mathematics
Published 30 November 2023
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2023
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The provisional figures below show the number of entries for GCSE English language and mathematics for exams sat in November 2023. Schools and colleges submitted the data to awarding organisations by 26 October 2023.
The November series is usually restricted to students who were aged 16 and over by the end of the preceding August. This is the case in 2023 and was the case in 2022 and before the pandemic. There were alternative arrangements in 2020 and 2021, because of summer exams being cancelled due to the pandemic. This meant any students, including younger students, who were entered in the summer and wished to do so could sit these exams.
The 2020 and 2021 November series were also open to students the awarding organisations believed had intended to enter in the summer but were unable to do so or who chose not to do so when exams were cancelled. Further information about arrangements for the November series is available on the Ofqual website. For this reason, comparisons with 2019, the last year before the pandemic, are also drawn in this report. In addition to the different entry requirements, different grading policies have also been in place during and since the pandemic. For example, the policy for summer 2022 was to set a standard midway between summer 2021 outcomes and standards seen pre-pandemic. These differences in policy in the summer series will have impacted on the number of students deciding to enter for subsequent re-sits.
Key headlines
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Total GCSE entries in November 2023 increased by 23%, from 102,405 in November 2022, to 125,615 in November 2023. Entries in November 2023 were also higher than in November 2019, the last year exams took place before the COVID-19 pandemic.
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GCSE English language entries in November 2023 increased by 29% from 46,900 in November 2022, to 60,365 in November 2023.
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GCSE mathematics entries in November 2023 increased by 18% from 55,500 in November 2022, to 65,250 in November 2023.
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Year 12 entries increased by 25% from 60,395 in November 2022 to 75,555 in November 2023.
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Year 13 entries increased by 19% from 41,980 in November 2022 to 50,035 in November 2023.
November GCSE entries over time
GCSE entries in November 2023 increased by 23%, from 102,405 in November 2022, to 125,615 in November 2023. Entries in November 2023 were also higher than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
Table 1. GCSE entries from November 2019 to November 2023
| Year | Total entries | Percentage change with previous year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 109,495 | Not applicable |
| 2020 | 131,300 | 20% |
| 2021 | 114,040 | -13% |
| 2022 | 102,405 | -10% |
| 2023 | 125,615 | 23% |
Variations in entries over recent years may reflect a number of factors such as; the alternative awarding arrangements for the summer 2020 and summer 2021 series’, the approach to grading in summer 2022 (when results reflected a midpoint between summer 2021 and summer 2019), and the return to pre-pandemic standards in summer 2023 (when results were broadly similar to summer 2019). The 16 year-old cohort has also increased by 10.4% in 2023 compared with the past 5 years, from 613,025 in 2019 to 676,773 in 2023 according to ONS population estimates.
November GCSE entries by subject
GCSE English language entries in November 2023 increased by 29% from 46,900 in November 2022, to 60,365 in November 2023. In November 2023 entries were higher than in 2019.
GCSE mathematics entries in November 2023 increased by 18% from 55,500 in November 2022, to 65,250 in November 2023.
Table 2. GCSE English language and mathematics entries from November 2019 to November 2023
| Year | Subject | Total entries | Percentage change with previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | English language | 53,540 | Not applicable |
| 2020 | English language | 59,185 | 11% |
| 2021 | English language | 50,345 | -15% |
| 2022 | English language | 46,900 | -7% |
| 2023 | English language | 60,365 | 29% |
| 2019 | Mathematics | 55,955 | Not applicable |
| 2020 | Mathematics | 72,115 | 29% |
| 2021 | Mathematics | 63,695 | -12% |
| 2022 | Mathematics | 55,500 | -13% |
| 2023 | Mathematics | 65,250 | 18% |
November GCSE mathematics entries by tier
GCSE mathematics is a tiered qualification with foundation and higher tiers. The tier of entry determines the possible range of grades. The November entries followed a similar pattern to previous years with the majority (95%) of entries being for the foundation tier.
Table 3. GCSE mathematics entry by tier from November 2019 to November 2023
| Exam series | Foundation tier entries | Higher tier entries | Percentage of foundation tier entries | Percentage of higher tier entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2019 | 52,860 | 3,095 | 94% | 6% |
| November 2020 | 66,935 | 5,180 | 93% | 7% |
| November 2021 | 60,910 | 2,785 | 96% | 4% |
| November 2022 | 52,755 | 2,750 | 95% | 5% |
| November 2023 | 61,955 | 3,295 | 95% | 5% |
GCSE entries by year group
Year 12 entries increased by 25% from 60,395 in November 2022 to 75,555 in November 2023.
Year 13 entries increased by 19% from 41,980 in November 2022 to 50,035 in November 2023.
Year 11 and below entries were lower in November 2022 and 2023 than in November 2020 and 2021. This is likely a result of the altered entry arrangements following the alternative assessment arrangements that were in place in summer 2020 and 2021.
Table 4. GCSE entries by year group from November 2019 to November 2023
| Year group | November 2019 | November 2020 | November 2021 | November 2022 | November 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 11 and below | Fewer than 5 | 1,285 | 1,380 | 30 | 25 |
| Year 12 | 60,090 | 62,565 | 64,830 | 60,395 | 75,555 |
| Year 13 and above | 49,400 | 67,450 | 47,830 | 41,980 | 50,035 |
| Total entry | 109,495 | 131,300 | 114,040 | 102,405 | 125,615 |
English language entries in November 2023 increased by 32% for students in year 12 and increased by 23% for students in year 13 and above, when compared with November 2022.
Mathematics entries in November 2023 increased by 18% for students in year 12 and increased by 17% for students in year 13 and above, when compared with November 2022.
Table 5. GCSE English language and mathematics entries by year group in November 2022 and November 2023
| Subject | Year group | November 2022 | November 2023 | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English language | Year 12 | 28,900 | 38,280 | 32% |
| English language | Year 13 and above | 18,000 | 22,075 | 23% |
| Mathematics | Year 12 | 31,495 | 37,275 | 18% |
| Mathematics | Year 13 and above | 23,980 | 27,965 | 17% |
Background information
In this release, Ofqual presents data on the number of provisional entries for GCSE English language and mathematics received by awarding organisations for the November 2023 exam series. In England, GCSE English language and mathematics exams are routinely available in November. Since 2017, entry to the November series has been limited to students who were aged 16 or above on 31 August of the year of the November series. In 2020 and 2021, any students, including younger students, who were entered in the summer and wished to do so could sit the November exams. The 2020 and 2021 series were also open to students the awarding organisations believed had intended to enter in the summer but were unable to do so.
The figures for entries can change daily up to the day of the exams. We collect provisional data at the point when it is reasonably complete, although final entry numbers may be slightly different. The figures presented here are the provisional figures as submitted by schools and colleges to awarding organisations by 26 October 2023.
In this release, all figures are rounded to the nearest 5 to ensure confidentiality of data.
Further information is available in the detailed background information and data tables accompanying this release.
User feedback
We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.
Head of profession: Nadir Zanini