Students choosing less diverse range of subjects post-16 than they did two decades ago, new research finds

Post-16 students are studying a narrower range of subjects than 20 years ago, which could limit their future education and career options, according to a new NFER report commissioned by the British Academy.

Ahead of tomorrow’s A-level results, and in light of the government’s recently announced Curriculum and Assessment Review - set to be headed up by British Academy Fellow Professor Becky Francis CBA - the report, ‘Subject choice trends in post-16 education in England: Investigating subject choice over the past 20 years’, shows a sharp reduction in the range of subjects chosen by students since 2015/16 when AS- and A-level qualifications were separated.*

This separation may have led to fewer students studying humanities subjects like languages, English and history. The research shows that while 56 per cent of AS- or A-level students studied a humanities subject in 2015/16, only 38 per cent of students studied one in 2021/22.

The research also reveals students are increasingly choosing all of their AS-and A-levels from a single subject group - for example, only taking social sciences subjects, or only taking Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. Between 2015/16 and 2021/22, the proportion of students taking AS or A-levels from a single subject group, increased from 21 per cent to 36 per cent.

The subject choices available to students have also narrowed over the past two decades. While almost all post-16 education providers still offer some form of study in the arts, humanities, social sciences and STEM, most individual subjects appear to have declined in availability.

This is particularly stark in the case of modern foreign languages where the proportion of providers offering French AS or A-level has fallen in almost every year since 2009/10, from 78 per cent of providers to 53 per cent in 2021/22. The decline in availability of subjects could be down to provider choice or a decline in student demand.

The analysis also finds a young person’s background, environment and gender plays a key role in influencing their subject choices. For example, female students are significantly more likely to study an arts, humanities and social sciences AS- or A-level and less likely to study STEM.

NFER Senior Economist and report lead author Michael Scott said: “Students’ post-16 education choices matter. They affect both their short-term learning outcomes, such as the skills they develop, and their long-term outcomes, including wellbeing. Young people are studying a narrower range of subjects, which is probably due, at least in part, to reforms introduced over the last two decades. It is critical that future reforms to the post-16 landscape carefully consider possible impacts on the nature and the range of subjects that students choose.”

Dr Molly Morgan Jones, Director of Policy at the British Academy, said: "This new report is a foundational piece of policy work for the British Academy and our SHAPE Observatory, which shows a particular decline in humanities and arts subjects in post-16 education. Failure to address this decline will have knock-on effects, not only for these subjects in UK universities but also on the skills young people take out into the workforce and the wider world.

“Higher education and research are under strain, and the humanities and arts are bearing the brunt of many departmental closures. Breadth and balance should be at the heart of any future post-16 curriculum and should not be negatively impacted by any future reforms. The school curriculum should be interconnected and equitable, allowing and encouraging all students from all backgrounds to study a range of disciplines. Our students’ skills, and our societal growth, depend on it.”

The report also finds:

• A significant decline in the proportion of AS- and A-level students studying a three-way combination of subject groups (e.g. combining a STEM, social science and humanities subject). For example, the number of students combining biology, English Literature and psychology – a popular three-way subject combination – dropped by three-quarters between 2015/16 and 2021/22. This suggests that young people are increasingly choosing narrower pathways, which may limit their future education and career options.

• The decline in take-up of humanities since 2015/16 can be seen in most individual humanities subjects. Around a fifth of all AS/A-level students took English Literature in 2015/16. This declined to 11 per cent of students in 2021/22. The proportion of students taking history also dropped in the same timeframe, from 21 per cent to 15 per cent.

• Arts subjects have seen a significant shift over the last two decades. Take-up in arts subjects at AS-/A-levels has been in decline since the early 2010s. Art students have increasingly opted to take other forms of Level 3 qualifications over A-levels since at least 2007/08.

• Take-up of social sciences has been relatively stable over the past 20 years. In 2003/04, 62 per cent of AS/A-level students took a social science subject, compared to 63 per cent in 2021/22.

• Whilst characteristics are associated with subject choice, there is also variation among related subjects. For example, female students are significantly more likely to study social sciences such as psychology and sociology, whereas male students tend to study social sciences like business studies, economics and geography.

Notes for Editors:

• This analysis groups individual A-level subjects into different subject groups, such as humanities or social sciences. We then look at how much variety there is across these subject groups in each A-level student’s course choices.
• * From September 2015, the Department for Education changed the structure of AS- and A-levels so AS-levels no longer counted towards overall A-level grades. This reform was rolled out across different subjects over four years.
• The British Academy’s SHAPE Observatory aims to provide robust evidence about the health of ‘SHAPE’ subjects. The SHAPE Observatory provides resources ranging from State of the Discipline reports - such as the recent report on the health of - and mapping tools to general briefings on the state of SHAPE in the UK. By providing insight into emerging trends, the Observatory equips policymakers, the UK’s disciplinary communities and an interested public with a stronger understanding of the shifts, opportunities and challenges that SHAPE subjects are facing – including the implications these have for wider society.

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is the leading independent provider of education research and holds the status of Independent Research Organisation (IRO) from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Our unique position and approach delivers evidence-based insights designed to enable education policy makers and practitioners to take action to improve outcomes for children and young people. Our key topic areas are: accountability, assessment, classroom practice, education to employment, social mobility, school funding, school workforce and systems and structures. As a not-for profit organisation, we re-invest any surplus funds into self-funded research and development to further contribute to the science and knowledge of education research. www.nfer.ac.uk @TheNFER

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for the benefit of everyone.
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