Provisional November 2022 exam entries: GCSE English language and mathematics
Published 24 November 2022
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2022
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1. Provisional November 2022 exam entries: GCSE English language and mathematics
The provisional figures below show the number of entries for GCSE English language and mathematics for exams sat in November 2022. Schools and colleges submitted the data by 28 October 2022.
The November series is usually restricted to students who were aged at least 16 by the end of the preceding August. There were alternative arrangements in 2020 and 2021, where 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 exam boards believe 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 and autumn series is available on the Ofqual website. For this reason, comparisons with 2019, the last year when summer examinations were held, are also drawn in the report.
All the November 2022 entries reported in this release are for students sitting GCSE English language or GCSE mathematics, or both.
2. Main trends
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The total GCSE entries in English language and mathematics in November 2022 decreased by 10% compared to 2021, from 114,040 to 102,405. The number of entries in November 2022 are similar to entries in 2019 (109,495 entries) and 2018 (104,710 entries). Variation of entries over recent years may reflect alternative awarding arrangements for summer series in 2020 and 2021, and different approaches to grading in summer 2022.
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Entries for English language decreased by 7% from 50,345 in 2021 to 46,900 this year.
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Entries for mathematics decreased by 13% from 63,695 in 2021 to 55,500 this year.
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As in previous years, the majority of entries in GCSE mathematics were for the foundation tier (95%). The remaining students (5%) entered for the higher tier paper.
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Entries by year 12 and 13 students decreased both respect to 2021 and 2019.
3. November GCSE entries over time
Entries in GCSEs in November 2022 decreased by 10%, from 114,040 in November 2021 to 102,405 in November 2022. Entries in November 2022 are slightly lower than before the pandemic.
Table 1. GCSE entries from November 2018 to November 2022
| Year | Total entries | Percentage change with previous year |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 104,710 | Not applicable |
| 2019 | 109,495 | 5% |
| 2020 | 131,300 | 20% |
| 2021 | 114,040 | -13% |
| 2022 | 102,405 | -10% |
Variations in entries over recent years may reflect alternative awarding arrangements for summer series in 2020 and 2021, and different approaches to grading in summer 2022.
4. November GCSE entries by subject
Entries in GCSE English language in November 2022 decreased by 7% , from 50,345 in November 2021 to 46,900 in November 2022. In November 2022 entries were lower than in 2018 and 2019.
Entries in GCSE mathematics in November 2022 decreased by 13%, from 63,695 in November 2021 to 55,500 in November 2022. Entries in November 2022 are similar to pre-pandemic levels.
Table 2. GCSE English language and mathematics entries from November 2018 to November 2022
| Year | Subject | Total entries | Percentage change with previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | English language | 49,585 | Not applicable |
| 2019 | English language | 53,540 | 8% |
| 2020 | English language | 59,185 | 11% |
| 2021 | English language | 50,345 | -15% |
| 2022 | English language | 46,900 | -7% |
| 2018 | Mathematics | 55,125 | Not applicable |
| 2019 | Mathematics | 55,955 | 2% |
| 2020 | Mathematics | 72,115 | 29% |
| 2021 | Mathematics | 63,695 | -12% |
| 2022 | Mathematics | 55,500 | -13% |
5. 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 2018 to November 2022
| Exam series | Foundation tier entries | Higher tier entries | Percentage of foundation tier entries | Percentage of higher tier entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2018 | 51,440 | 3,685 | 93% | 7% |
| 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% |
6. GCSE entries by year group
Year 12 entries decreased by 7% from 64,830 in November 2021 to 60,395 in November 2022.
Year 13 entries decreased by 12% from 47,830 in November 2021 to 41,980 in November 2022.
Entries at year 11 and below were significantly lower in November 2022 than in November 2021 and November 2020. This is likely a result of the altered entry arrangements following the disruption to the summer 2020 and 2021 exam series.
Table 4. GCSE entries by year group from November 2018 to November 2022
| Exam Series | Year 11 and below | Year 12 | Year 13 and above | Total entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2018 | 50 | 57,650 | 47,010 | 104,710 |
| November 2019 | Fewer than 5 | 60,090 | 49,400 | 109,495 |
| November 2020 | 1,285 | 62,565 | 67,450 | 131,300 |
| November 2021 | 1,380 | 64,830 | 47,830 | 114,040 |
| November 2022 | 30 | 60,395 | 41,980 | 102,405 |
English language entries in November 2022 were similar for year 12 and decreased by 10% for year 13 and above compared to November 2021.
Mathematics entries in November 2022 decreased by 12% for year 12 and decreased by 14% for year 13 and above compared to November 2021.
Table 5. GCSE English language and mathematics entries by year group from November 2021 to November 2022
| Subject | Year group | November 2021 | November 2022 | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English language | Year 12 | 29,005 | 28,900 | 0% |
| English language | Year 13 and above | 20,100 | 18,000 | -10% |
| Mathematics | Year 12 | 35,825 | 31,495 | -12% |
| Mathematics | Year 13 and above | 27,730 | 23,980 | -14% |
7. Background information
In this release, Ofqual presents data on the number of provisional entries for GCSE English language and mathematics in England received by awarding organisations for the November 2022 exam series. In England, GCSE English language and GCSE 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 these exams. The 2020 and 2021 series were also open to students the exam boards believe had intended to enter 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 from these. The figures presented here are the provisional figures as submitted by schools and colleges to exam boards by 28 October 2022.
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.
8. 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