August is exam results season in the UK. In 2024, A-Level results, for students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, were released on 15 August. They followed the 2024 results for Scottish Higher, Advanced Higher and National 5 exams published on 6 August. GCSE results for History were released on 22 August 2024.
Each data set provides current trends on the uptake and relative popularity of History in 2023-24. The following post draws on figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications (A-Levels and GCSEs for England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Representation of this data is also available from the British Academy.
For further guides to History in UK Higher Education, please see the Royal Historical Society’s Toolkit for Historians and our listing on Data on the UK Historical Discipline and Profession.
1. History and 2024 A-Level entries (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)*
1.1. A-Level History in 2024
- Of the 25 A-Levels categorised as Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) subjects in 2024, History has the second highest number of subject entries (47,297) after Psychology (78,556).
- History comprises 9.10% of all A-Level entries in AHSS subjects.
- The number of students taking History A-Level in 2024 declined 2.2% on 2023 (compared with a 1.58% decrease for A-Levels in all AHSS subjects, and a 2.17% increase for all A-Level subjects). Compared with 2023, this year saw declines in total enrolments for a number of social science subjects (including Sociology by 6.5%, Geography by 5.09%, and Psychology by 2.4%) with increases in enrolments for English Literature (by 7.8%) and modern languages.
- Enrolments for History A-Level by country are as follows: England, 43,101 students (a 2.3% decrease on 2023); Wales 1889 students (no change on 2023); and Northern Ireland 2099 students (a 1.0% decrease in 2023).
- History is the fifth most popular A-Level subject from the 37 available (47,297 entries / 5.34% of all A-Level entries for England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The subjects above History, as for 2023, are: Mathematics, Psychology, Biology and Chemistry.
1.2. A-Level History in context
- In 2024, History comprises 9.10% of all A-Level entries in AHSS subjects for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In 2020 History comprised 9.5%, and 10.0% in 2018.
- The number of students taking History A-Level in 2024 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland is a 5.34% increase on that in 2020 (in which year a demographic deficit saw a decline in History A-Level entries and all A-Levels). The number of students taking History A-Level in 2024 is an 8.05% decline on that in 2019.
- In 2024, History’s position as the fifth most popular A-Level subject, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (47,297 entries), compares to:
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- Business Studies (6th, 44,961)
- Sociology (7th, 44,436)
- Economics (10th, 40,451)
- Geography (12th, 36,314)
- Political Studies (14th, 21,926)
- English Literature (11th, 39,673)
- Law (18th, 14,819)
- Spanish (24th, 8238)
- French (26th, 7544)
*Data drawn from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ, Examination results, published 15 August 2024).
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1.3. History as an A-Level choice: with other subjects / by English county
Data from The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) shows changing patterns of choice by students combining History A-Level with two further subjects. The following two tables show the top 10 combinations for 2024 against those for 2019.
Ofqual data also charts the percentage take up of History A-Level by English county. The following tables show the top 15 and the bottom 15 counties for 2024 by percentage of all A-Level applicants studying History (History A-Level % for England as a whole = 5.4%).
2. History and 2024 Higher and Advanced Higher entries (Scotland)*
2.1. History Higher enrolments in 2024
- Of the 32 Higher subjects categorised as Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) subjects in 2024, History has the second highest number of subject entries (10,260) after English (36,300).
- History comprises 8.83% of all Higher entries in AHSS subjects.
- The number of students taking History Higher exams in 2024 rose 1.43% on 2023 (compared with a 1.64% increase for Higher enrolments in all AHSS subjects, and a 2.3% increase for all Higher subjects).
- History is the fourth most popular subject for Higher entries from the 50 subjects available (10,260 entries / 5.23% of total entries). The subjects above History are: English, Mathematics and Physical Education.
2.2. History Higher enrolments in context
- In 2024, History comprised 8.83% of all Higher entries in AHSS subjects. In 2020 it comprised 9.0% and 8.86% in 2018.
- The number of students taking History Higher exams in 2024 is a 3.44% increase on 2020. The number of students taking History Higher exams in 2024 is an 8.1% decline on the high point of 2016 (11,165 enrolments).
- Between 2020 and 2024, Higher entries in all AHSS subjects rose by 4.6%. Higher entries for all subjects rose by 5.4% between 2020 and 2024.
2.3. History Advanced Higher enrolments in 2024
- Of the 22 Advanced Higher subjects categorised as Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) subjects in 2024, History has the second highest number of subject entries (1380) after English (2990).
- History comprises 10.4% of all Advanced Higher entries in AHSS subjects.
- The number of students taking History Advanced Higher exams in 2024 declined 2.1% on 2023 (compared with a 3.4% increase for Advanced Higher enrolments in all AHSS subjects, and a 2.7% increase for all Advanced Higher subjects).
- History is the seventh most popular subject for Advanced Higher entries from the 37 subjects available (1380 entries / 4.8% of total entries). The subjects above History are: Mathematics, Biology, English, Chemistry, Physics and Music.
2.4. History Advanced Higher enrolments in context
- In 2024, History comprised 10.4% of all Advanced Higher entries in AHSS subjects. In 2020 it comprised 11.0% of entries.
- The number of students taking Advanced History Higher exams in 2024 is an 12.6% increase on 2020.
- Between 2020 and 2024, Advanced Higher entries in all AHSS subjects rose by 19.5%. Advanced Higher entries for all subjects rose by 20.9% between 2020 and 2024.
*Data drawn from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA Examination results, published 6 August 2024).
3. History and 2024 GCSE entries (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)*
3.1. GCSE History in 2024
- Of the 23 GCSE subjects categorised as Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) subjects in 2024, History has the third highest number of subject entries (325,437) after English Language (845,834) and English Literature (655.905).
- History comprises 9.8% of all GCSE entries in AHSS subjects.
- The number of students taking History GCSE in 2024 increased 4.6% on 2023 (compared with a 4.8% increase for GCSE in all AHSS subjects, and a 4.8% increase for all GCSE subjects).
- Enrolments for History GCSE by country are as follows: England, 306,636 students (a 4.6% increase on 2023); Wales 9645 students (a 1.4% increase on 2023); and Northern Ireland 8217 students (a 7.6% increase in 2023).
- History is the 5th most popular GCSE subject from the 47 available (325,437 entries / 5.3% of all GCSE entries for England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The subjects above History in 2024 are: Combined Science, Mathematics, English Language and English Literature.
3.2. GCSE History in context
- In 2024, History comprises 9.8% of all GCSE entries in AHSS subjects for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In 2020 History comprised 9.47%, and 8.47% in 2018.
- The number of students taking History GCSE in 2024 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland is a 5.34% increase on that in 2020. The number of History enrolments at GCSE has increased 24.9% between 2016 and 2024; this compares to an 18% increase for all GCSE subjects for the same period.
*Data drawn from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ, Examination results, published 22 August 2024).
4. History and 2024 National 5 entries (Scotland)*
4.1. History at National 5 Level in 2024
- Of the 32 National 5 subjects categorised as Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) in 2024, History has the second highest number of subject entries (16.250) after English (49,925).
- History comprises 10.6% of all National 5 entries in AHSS subjects.
- The number of students taking History at National 5 in 2024 was constant with 2023 (compared with a 0.9% increase for National 5 entries in all AHSS subjects, and a 2.1% increase for all National 5 subjects).
- History is the sixth most popular National 5 Level subject from the 54 available (16,250 entries / 5.1% of all National 5 entries). The subjects above History in 2024 are: English, Mathematics, Applications of Mathematics, Biology and Physical Education.
4.2. National 5 Level History in context
- In 2024, History comprises 10.6% of all National 5 Level entries in AHSS subjects. In 2020 History comprised 10.5%.
- The number of students taking History at National 5 in 2024 is a 8.1% increase on that in 2020. The number of History enrolments at National 5 has increased 2.0% between 2016 and 2024; this compares to an 12.7% increase for all National 5 subjects for the same period.
*Data drawn from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA Examination results, published 6 August 2024).
For more guides for historians — on student numbers, trends and outcomes, among other subjects — please see the Society’s Toolkit for Historians. Regularly updated with new information, the August 2024 issue of the Toolkit is now available.
The Society also provides Data on the UK Historical Discipline and Profession, based on content from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and other sources. These pages focus on levels and trends in academic staffing, university enrolment, graduate outcomes, and the GCSE and A-Level pipeline.
Further resources are also available on the Advocacy and Policy pages of the RHS website.
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