GCSE and A Level Drama predicted entries for 2021 released
Hattie Fisk
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Provisional GCSE and A Level entry statistics have been published by Ofqual for 2021; Drama remains stable in England, with A Level entries the same as last year and GCSE dipping by only 2 per cent.
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Ofqual’s provisional statistics reveal a 2 per cent decrease in GCSE Drama entries this year compared to 2020, as 56,860 students are predicted to choose the subject. A Level remains the same at a prediction of 8,670 compared to last years 8,685.
While some non-EBacc subjects have seen large decreases this year, such as Statistics and Engineering, Drama entries have remained consistent across both GCSE and A Level since 2020. However, Ofqual have revealed that in the past 11 years there has been a 29 per cent decrease in Drama GCSE entries, which were originally at 81,592 in 2010.
It is a similar story for Drama A Level, as despite entries remaining the same as last year, figures published by Ofqual reveal that student numbers for the course have almost halved in the past decade. Between 2010 and 2019, A Level Drama entries have decreased by 43 per cent, and by an additional six per cent between 2019 and 2020.
EBacc subjects continue to account for the majority of GCSE entries at 82 per cent – a figure which has gradually increased since 2017.
The only non-EBacc subjects to see increases in GCSE entries this year are Music, Art & design subjects, Business studies, Food preparation & nutrition and Social science subjects.
Despite the stability predicted this year the decrease in Drama students the past decade is dramatic, and has no doubt disappointed members of the Drama education community.
The full Ofqual statistics can be found here.