Results day in England, Northern Ireland and Wales
Today students across England, Northern Ireland and Wales are receiving their 2026 exam results for A levels, T Levels and other Vocational Technical Qualifications. This follows last week’s Scottish Highers results.
Becca Gooch, Head of Research at EngineeringUK, comments:
“Congratulations to all students receiving their exam results today. STEM A levels are a key route into engineering and technology careers, so we are pleased to see an increase in entries for all relevant subjects. This includes maths (+3.9%) maintaining over 100,000 entries for the third year running, further maths (+8.5%), computing (+1.1%), design and technology (+2.8%), and physics (+1.9%).
"It is positive too to see an increase in entries across all of these subjects among girls. In particular, for both computing (+2.8%) and D&T (+3.6%), the increase overall was driven by girls. While the increases in maths (+2.9%), further maths (+6.4%) and physics (+0.4%) were lower than the overall increases in these entries, it is still a move in the right direction.
T Levels continue to grow in number and popularity, and we’re pleased to see a 46% increase in engineering and technology entries - taking the total to 8,307 young people. The proportion of girls taking engineering and technology T Levels has increased slightly from 12% to 13%.
"Currently women make up just 17% of the engineering and technology workforce. Addressing this gender imbalance would help the country meet its workforce needs as well as giving women a financial boost. It’s great to see positive movement, but there is still more to be done to increase the uptake of STEM subjects among girls.
"We’re delighted too that so many young people are opting to study engineering and technology at university level – it’s a great choice for them and welcome news for the sector. This year we have seen another large increase (+14%) to 34,100 in accepted applicants, compared to 30,020 in 2025, with a similar percentage increase for men and women. There’s huge growth across a range of industries and endless opportunities to make a real-world impact, from climate change to digital transformation. So, it’s an exciting time to be starting out on a career in engineering and technology.
"The upward trend in numbers suggests that efforts to attract more young people into engineering and technology are continuing to pay off. The skills they are developing are in high demand among UK employers, who are keen to welcome new talent into the workforce. These young people, and their peers on vocational and technical pathways, have the opportunity to enjoy sustained, rewarding and well-paid careers.”
We will be publishing our full analysis shortly.
We’re delighted that so many young people are opting to study engineering and technology at university level – it’s a great choice for them and welcome news for the sector. This year we have seen another large increase (+14%) to 34,100 in accepted applicants, compared to 30,020 in 2025.
— Becca Gooch, Head of Research at EngineeringUK
