Recent A-level results showed a rise in top A* to C grades across STEM subjects, but the number of computing students has fallen from previous years.

This year saw a return to a more typical spread of results after the cancellation of exams in 2020-2022 due to Covid, which resulted in a larger proportion of pupils receiving (teacher assessed) A* and A grades.  

Maths remains the most popular A-level with 112,138 students taking it in 2025 - 12.8% of the total A-level entries in the UK. Psychology was the second most popular with 8.6%, followed by Biology with 8.09% and Chemistry at 7.2%.

STEM Subjects

But there was an overall 2.8% decrease in the number of students taking computing, following several years of high growth in popularity of the subject.  

The push for more students to take STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) may be stalling, with much smaller increases in the number of students taking them across the board – a 4.4% increase compared to 10.9% in 2024 in maths, a 7.2% increase compared to 19.9% in further maths and 4.3% compared to 12.3% in physics.

“STEM A-levels offer a vital stepping stone into careers in engineering and technology, so we are pleased to see an increased uptake among some key subjects,” said Becca Gooch, head of research at Engineering UK.

Women in STEM

The number of women taking computing increased by 3.5%, with female students now making up 18.6% of those taking the subject (compared with 17.5% in 2024).  

However, girls made up only 37.3% of the total cohort in maths. Meanwhile, physics has seen the biggest boost for the gender gap with 7.9% more girls studying the subject than last year.  

“Women are currently under-represented in engineering and technology, with just 16.9% of the workforce being female. And while there’s still more to be done to increase the uptake among girls of the STEM subjects that typically offer a route into engineering and technology, today’s results show things are moving in the right direction.”

STEM Jobs

Mark Gray, UK & Ireland country manager at Universal Robots, said the rising interest in STEM subjects could provide an important boost to drive advances in automation, robotics and advanced manufacturing once the students enter the workplace.

“How young people engage with the technology that we find in the workplace is going to be transformed in the next 10 to 15 years because of AI and automation,” he said.  

“Our young people have grown up with technology – our iPad generation – and are better equipped to embrace change and pick up skills much faster than the existing workforce.

Robotics and AI

However, a recent report shows that UK manufacturing companies have been lagging behind international competitors over the last two decades, falling down global automation tables.  

Use of robotics and artificial intelligence systems was poor, with training of people in relevant digital skills well below what is needed to catch up, it was warned.

The report by Make UK and Sage said nearly half of UK manufacturers identify a lack of technical skills as the biggest hurdle to improving their use of innovative advanced technologies.

Seamus Nevin, chief economist at Make UK said: "If we want to unlock a £150 billion boost to UK [gross domestic product] by 2035, we must make it easier for [small and medium-sized enterprises] to adopt automation and AI."

Other countries are accelerating ahead by putting smaller firms at the heart of national strategies – with long-term support that’s simple to access, reliable, and rooted in real business needs.  

From South Korea to Switzerland, governments have created clear, SME-focused strategies that simplify innovation funding, offer long-term tax incentives, and ensure every business can access practical support.

A UK government spokesperson said: "We are taking a range of actions to remove the barriers holding back growth and unleash the potential of AI in our economy, including through the AI opportunities action plan.

"Our modern industrial strategy has also introduced ambitious plans to drive growth and investment across the UK, and our Plan for Change will ensure our country continues to be the best place to invest and do business."