The GCSE results came out on Thursday morning and show that more girls taking Computing. There has been a 10.4% rise in girls taking Computing since last year – the number of female students is now 19,061 from 17,264 in 2022.
However, they remain outnumbered as female students account for just 21% of total Computing students. This proportion remains stagnant since 2019.
Girls nab top grades in Computing and Engineering as female students have achieved a higher percentage of top grades than their male counterparts in both Computing and Engineering. For Computing, 30% of female students attained 7/A+ grades, compared to 23.1% for male students, while in Engineering 33.1% of female students earned 7/A+ grades, compared to 12.2% for male students.
There was a rise in female engineering students with a 10.7% increase in girls taking engineering GCSE. However, this figure accounts for just 474 students and 17.3% of the total.
Fewer girls taking Statistics as there has been a 12.3% decrease in girls taking Statistics. Interestingly, an opposite trend was seen with a 65.1% increase of their male counterparts taking the subject.
Maths grades have decreased compared to 2019, there was 2.9% drop in all students receiving the top marks for maths. This is likely due to the government’s attempts to return grading to normal pre-pandemic levels this year.
Computing
2023 Female – 19,061 (10.4% increase) (21% of the total students)
2023 Male – 71,497 (12% increase)
2022 Female – 17,264 (21.3% of the total students)
2022 Male – 63,856 (0.7% increase)
2023 Total – 90,558 (11.6% increase)
2022 Total – 81,120
Engineering
2023 Female – 474 (10.7% increase) (17.3% of the total students)
2023 Male – 2,272 (7.6% increase)
2022 Female – 428 (16.9% of the total students)
2022 Male – 2,112
2023 Total – 2,746 (8.1% increase)
2022 Total – 2,540
ICT
2023 Female – 2,624 (15.5% decrease) (30.0% of the total students)
2023 Male – 6,129 (3.2% decrease)
2022 Female – 3,106 (32.9% of the total students)
2022 Male – 6,334
2023 Total – 8,753 (7.3% decrease)
2022 Total – 9,440
Mathematics
2023 Female – 408,687 (5.1% increase) (49.8% of the total students)
2023 Male – 412,635 (4.7% increase)
2022 Female – 388,780 (49.7% of the total students)
2022 Male – 394,003
2023 Total – 821,322 (4.9% increase)
2022 Total – 782,783
Mathematics (Additional)
2023 Female – 1,876 (4% decrease) (45.8% of the total students)
2023 Male – 2,217 (6.4% increase)
2022 Female – 1,954 (48.4% of the total students)
2022 Male – 2,084
2023 Total – 4,093 (1.4% increase)
2022 Total – 4,038
Statistics
2023 Female – 11,187 (12.3% decrease) (42.1% of the total students)
2023 Male – 15,372 (65.1% increase)
2022 Female – 12,757 (27.8.0% of the total students)
2022 Male – 9,309
2023 Total – 26,559 (20.4% increase)
2022 Total: 22,066
Physics
2023 Female – 89,258 (1.8% increase) (48.8% of the total students)
2023 Male – 93,628 (4.7% increase)
2022 Female – 87,695 (42.2% of the total students)
2022 Male – 89,442
2023 Total – 182,886 (3.2% increase)
2022 Total – 177,137
Biology
2023 Female – 94,900 (1.0% increase) (49.6% of the total students)
2023 Male – 96,398 (4.2% increase)
2022 Female – 93,949 (51.1% of the total students)
2022 Male – 92,496
2023 Total – 191,298 (2.6% increase)
2022 Total – 186,445
Chemistry
2023 Female – 90,499 (2.1% increase) (49.2% of the total students)
2023 Male – 93,570 (4.8% increase)
2022 Female – 88,670 (49.8% of the total students)
2022 Male – 89,255
2023 Total – 184,069 (3.5% increase)
2022 Total – 177,925
Agata Nowakowska, Area Vice President EMEA, Skillsoft said, “Positively, there has been a 10.4% increase in the number of girls taking Computing subjects this year, with female students nabbing top grades. This is a step forward for the tech industry, which suffers from a perpetual gender divide and talent shortage. The increased investment in encouraging girls into the sector is paying dividends.
“However, with girls accounting for just 21% of total Computing students and women currently making up just 28% of the tech workforce, we must keep this momentum going.
“Historically, negative stereotypes have led many girls to believe they lack the natural aptitude to thrive in technology. And while the increase in girls taking tech subjects at GCSE this year suggests some of these prehistoric attitudes have been squashed, evidence shows girls’ interest in tech continues to wane as they age, even once they’ve entered the working world. We can’t afford to let this happen.
“Schools and organisations must work together to cultivate a mentor-led environment that showcases the possibilities available to young women. For example, introducing coding clubs, career days and work experience that consciously target female students and tap into their interests. Highlighting technology’s pioneering female role models both within their organisation and throughout history can also help change the mindset that technology skills are the domain of men while inspiring the next generation of trailblazers.”
Hannah Birch, MD Digital at Node4 said, “Despite the continued growth of the technology industry, and new innovations like generative AI and large language models taking the world by storm, a huge STEM skills gap remains. In fact, 50% of companies are struggling to hire and retain a skilled workforce across the STEM sectors.
“But I am pleased to see that the future is looking brighter with 11.6% more students, and a 10.4% rise in girls, studying Computing compared to last year. As a nation that is in desperate need of these skills, this is fantastic to see.
“It will be interesting to see how the Computing GCSE curriculum changes to keep pace with important developments in technology and what they mean for the roles available, and skills required for a career in the industry. The growth of AI over the past year, for example, means the role of the coder is changing.
“They now take on a more editorial role, where they need to review the code created by AI and check that it is correct. Whilst AI is proving a revolutionary tool for automating certain tasks, human expertise will still be required to do higher value activities, so education will remain crucial.
“By studying computing, students will be setting themselves up for a bright future by developing the skills that they will need to be a part of the change, rather than being left behind, and the curriculum should reflect these important technological changes.”
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