Which A-Level subject has the highest pass rate in the UK?

Art and Design has the highest A*–E pass rate at 99.2%, followed by Music (98.9%) and Drama (98.8%). However, these near-universal pass rates reflect the self-selecting nature of creative subject cohorts and heavy coursework weighting.

Why do language A-Levels have high A*–A rates?

Language A-Levels (French 38.4%, Spanish 40.1%, German 42.8%) have high top-grade rates partly due to cohort self-selection — students who take languages to A-Level are typically strong linguists — and partly because native or near-native speakers boost the grade distribution.

A-Level Pass Rates by Subject 2024

Q: How do A-Level pass rates compare to GCSE pass rates?

A-Level overall pass rates (A*–E) are much higher than GCSE grade 4+ rates — typically 96–99% vs 68–90% at GCSE. This is because A-Level students are a self-selected academic cohort who have already demonstrated ability at GCSE.

Based on JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) summer 2024 results. 25 subjects covered.

Free to cite with attribution to TutorLab analysis of JCQ A-Level results 2024.

Key findings

Overall A*–E pass rates are uniformly high (96–99%) across all A-Level subjects — the cohort effect of post-16 self-selection.
Further Maths has the highest A*–A rate at 56.4%, nearly double the cross-subject average.
Psychology is the most-entered A-Level after Maths, with a lower top-grade rate (27.4%) due to its broad ability cohort.
Computer Science has the lowest overall pass rate (96.2%) — the programming component creates a floor even for committed students.
Art and Design has a 99.2% pass rate but only a 30.1% A*–A rate — almost everyone passes, but top marks are hard to achieve.

A-Level pass rates table 2024 — sorted by A*–A rate

Subject	Entries	A*–E pass%	A*–A rate%
Further Maths	17,800	97.8%	56.4%
Maths	90,200	97.3%	43.1%
German	4,600	98.7%	42.8%
Spanish	10,200	98.3%	40.1%
Economics	34,600	97.4%	39.1%
French	10,900	98.6%	38.4%
Music	5,100	98.9%	37.2%
Chemistry	59,300	96.7%	35.8%
Computer Science	21,800	96.2%	35.7%
Biology	72,100	97.1%	34.2%
Religious Studies	22,300	98.3%	33.9%
Physics	39,800	96.9%	33.6%
Politics	28,700	98.1%	33.2%
History	56,200	98.2%	31.7%
Geography	32,400	98%	30.4%
Art and Design	33,500	99.2%	30.1%
English Literature	39,600	98.4%	29.8%
Drama and Theatre	7,800	98.8%	29.3%
Business Studies	29,700	97.2%	28.3%
Psychology	63,700	97.6%	27.4%
Law	11,400	97.5%	26.4%
Film Studies	4,200	98.6%	25.8%
English Language	22,400	98.1%	25.6%
Sociology	33,800	98%	24.1%
Media Studies	9,800	98.4%	22.1%

Source: JCQ summer 2024 A-Level results. Figures are approximate due to rounding.

Why A*–E pass rates are misleading

A*–E pass rates are almost meaningless for comparing A-Level difficulty because they are consistently 96–99% across all subjects. This reflects the cohort effect — students who choose a subject at A-Level have already self-selected by passing it at GCSE and choosing to continue.

The more informative metric is the A*–A rate, which measures what proportion of students achieve the top grades. This varies far more meaningfully: from 22.1% in Media Studies to 56.4% in Further Maths.

Even A*–A rates can be misleading without understanding cohort composition. Further Maths and Modern Languages attract students who are specifically strong in those subjects, which inflates top-grade rates compared to mass-entry subjects like Psychology or Sociology.

What this means for A-Level tutoring

For subjects with high A*–A rates (Further Maths, Economics, languages), a tutor's job is typically to push a capable student from B/C to A/A* rather than to rescue a struggling one. The tutoring challenge is refinement — essay technique, mark scheme precision, exam strategy.

For subjects with lower A*–A rates (Psychology, Sociology, Media Studies), tutors often work with a wider ability range. The priority is frequently closing understanding gaps and building structured essay technique in subjects where high-quality answers require a genuine analytical framework.

Computer Science stands out: a relatively low overall pass rate combined with a moderate A*–A rate suggests the subject genuinely differentiates ability levels. A tutor who can support both the practical programming component and the theoretical written papers adds significant value.

Frequently asked questions

Which A-Level subject has the highest pass rate?

Art and Design has the highest A*–E pass rate at 99.2%, followed by Music (98.9%) and Drama (98.8%). However, the near-universal pass rates across all A-Level subjects (96–99%) make overall pass rate a poor indicator of difficulty.

Which A-Level has the highest A*–A grade rate?

Further Maths has the highest A*–A rate at 56.4%, reflecting its highly self-selecting cohort. Economics (39.1%), German (42.8%) and Maths (43.1%) are also high. The subject with the lowest A*–A rate in this dataset is Media Studies at 22.1%.

Is Computer Science a hard A-Level?

Computer Science has a lower overall pass rate (96.2%) than most academic A-Levels — the demanding programming component and technical theoretical content create a genuine floor. It is widely considered one of the more challenging A-Levels.

How do A-Level pass rates compare to GCSE pass rates?

A-Level overall pass rates are much higher than GCSE grade 4+ rates — typically 96–99% vs 68–90% at GCSE. This is because A-Level students are a self-selected academic cohort who have already demonstrated ability at GCSE and chosen to continue the subject.

Why do Modern Language A-Levels have high A*–A rates?

French, Spanish and German A-Levels have A*–A rates of 38–43%, partly due to cohort self-selection (strong linguists opt in) and partly because native or near-native speakers are included in the cohort. With declining entries, the remaining cohort is increasingly self-selected.