Entries drop as fewer teens are of relevant age

A-LEVEL and AS entries have fallen dramatically in Wales in the last three years and it’s partly because there are fewer teenagers taking fewer of them.

This summer A-level entries dived 12.6% from 38,480 in 2015 to 33,640. At the same time AS entries dropped 21% from a high of 57,020 in 2015 to 44,995 this summer. A-level entries this year dropped 5.3% compared to last year, with 35,525 taken in 2017.

While A-level entries are down overall some subjects are showing an increase, including art and design, biology, design and technology and Welsh first language, up 8% compared to a fall of 15% in entries for A-level Welsh second language.

A-level entries for chemistry and physics are down 3% each, while entries for computing are up 3%. Entries for modern foreign languages and history are continuing the decline in recent years.

Independent qualifications regulator Qualifications Wales says there’s no cause for alarm and the fall in A- and AS-level entries overall could be caused by factors including a smaller population size in the relevant age groups, reducing the number of students who could choose to enter these qualifications, a fall in the average number of qualifications taken, and an increase in students choosing to start apprenticeships.

The regulator pointed out that most AS-level entries are by 17-year-olds, whereas most A-level entries are by 18-yearolds and according to both the ONS and Welsh Government statistics, these age groups have decreased in size since 2015.