Congratulations to all students receiving exam results
Students across England, Northern Ireland and Wales are receiving their GCSE exam results. This follows the Scottish National 5s earlier this month.
Beth Elgood, Director of Communications at EngineeringUK, examines the results and explains their importance in shaping future STEM careers for young people.
“Most of the students receiving their GCSE results today started secondary school in autumn 2020, so much of their early secondary education was disrupted by the pandemic. Huge congratulations to all of them on their results.”
STEM subjects gateway to engineering and technology careers
“GCSEs in science, maths, engineering and technology (STEM) subjects are a key milestone on the journey towards a career in engineering and technology.
“Science and maths, like English, are core (compulsory) subjects at GCSE. Maths entries are up slightly compared to last year (+1.7%), although we believe this is mostly due to re-sits. Statistics has seen a significant increase in popularity (+9.5%). It’s interesting to see combined science is up slightly (+0.9%), however biology, chemistry and physics are all down (-6%).”
Ongoing decline in design & technology a concern
“We are concerned to see design & technology (D&T) continue its long-term decline, despite a small uptick last year. In fact, D&T entries have fallen to below half of what they were in 2016. Computing has also dipped slightly (-4.4%), but this comes after a rise of 5.8% last year. So overall computing entries remain above pre-2024 levels.”
Broad skills development needed in STEM GCSEs
“With the engineering and technology sector growing rapidly, and offering countless opportunities to make a meaningful impact, there’s never been a better time to pursue a career in this field. It’s important young people studying for GCSEs in STEM subjects can develop a broad range of skills to enable future study and pathways into careers in engineering and technology.”
Diverse pathways into engineering and technology careers
“We encourage students to explore the variety of options available to them for their next steps – from A levels to T Levels and other Vocational and Technical Qualifications. Whether students are passionate about tackling climate change or driving digital innovation, STEM subjects open the door to rewarding and diverse career options.”
Our full briefing on the 2025 GCSE exam results is available to download in our research hub.
Last week we published commentary and analysis on the exam results for A levels and T Levels, plus university acceptances.
It’s important young people studying for GCSEs in STEM subjects can develop a broad range of skills to enable future study and pathways into careers in engineering and technology.
— Beth Elgood, Director of Communications, EngineeringUK
