GCSE Music entries up 8.3%, provisional data shows

The number of pupils sitting GCSE Music this summer has risen 8.3% on last year, according to provisional entry data.

A Level Music entries also increased, up 1.3% from summer 2023.

The provisional data, published by the exams regulator Ofqual, shows the number of entries for GCSEs and A Levels to be awarded in the summer 2024 exam series.

The figures combine entries submitted across both state and independent sectors in England, including Sixth Form and FE colleges.

The welcome news follows a string of concerning headlines for secondary music, including the government’s failure to meet its teacher recruitment target for 2023/24 and the release of a Cultural Learning Alliance report highlighting the dwindling number of state schools offering GCSE and A Level Music.

Chris Walters, National Organiser for Education at the Musicians’ Union, said: ‘Naturally, the MU welcomes the news that GCSE music entries have increased. It will be important to monitor the figures over time to see whether this year's entries are more than a one-off variation.

‘More importantly, we know what issues are preventing more students from accessing GCSE and A Level Music, and the figures should not distract us from addressing these.’

Alongside Music, most non-EBacc subjects received increased entries at GCSE, with numbers only falling in Drama (-0.8%), Performing/Expressive Arts (-3.1%) and Citizenship (-3.9%).

Drama also saw one of the largest falls across all subjects at A Level (-5.8%), along with Sociology (-6.9%) and Geography (-3.9%).

The biggest overall increases at GCSE came in Statistics (20.3%), Engineering (17.4%) and Classical Subjects (11.7%).

Meanwhile, A Level entries rose highest in Further Maths (19.8%), Physics (12.6%) and Computing (11.8%).