United Kingdom Primary and Secondary Academic Preparation

Understanding students’ academic preparation in math and science is critical to ensuring success in STEM subjects. Scores from the international examination the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) allow analysis of the performance of boys and girls across various grades in the United Kingdom (UK) educational system. The PISA is a series of reports comparing 15-year-olds academic performance across subjects and countries. A report published by EngineeringUK reports data on the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) courses (part of compulsory schooling).


2012-2022

PISA

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD), the mean and 10th percentile scores in math have decreased in the UK in the last decade. The 90th percentile, mean, and 10th percentile scores have decreased 3-13 points from 2012 to 2022 except for boys 90th percentile scores which stayed at 623 points. In 2022, girls (364) outperformed boys (362) in 10th percentile scores.

Global UK secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.38 and Table I.B1.5.39

 

The mean, 90th, and 10th percentile scores in science have experienced slight fluctuations in the UK in the last decade. Scores have decreased 6-29 points from 2012 to 2022. A couple of the greatest changes are found in 10th percentile scores, with girls experiencing a drop of 14 points from 2012 (379) to 2022 (365) and boys experiencing a drop of 29 points from 2012 (390) to 2022 (361). In 2022, girls (365) outperformed boys (363) in 10th percentile scores.

PISA 90th Percentile, Mean, and 10th Percentile Scores in the UK in Science by Gender in 2012-2022
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.44 and Table I.B1.5.45

 

The gender differences (calculated as boys-girls) in 90th percentile scores in math has been between 14 points to 21 points in favor of boys from 2012 to 2022. The gender differences in 90th percentile scores in science has been between 6 points to 13 points in favor of boys from 2012 to 2022.

Global UK secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.40 and Table I.B1.5.46
*Gender differences calculated as boys-girls

 

In the UK, more boys than girls performed above a level 5 proficiency level (considered top performers) in math in the last decade. In 2022, 9.0% of girls were considered top performers compared to 13.5% of boys in the UK.

Global UK secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.49

 

EngineeringUK

A report published by EngineeringUK found that while girls are well-represented in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) courses (part of compulsory schooling), such as physics (50%) and mathematics (50%), the percentages of girls’ representation are lowest among entrants in GCSE computing and engineering courses, where they comprised 21% and 14% of students taking these courses in the 2020-2021 academic year.

Percentage of Entrants for Selected GCSE STEM Subjects in the UK by Gender in 2020-2021
EngineeringUK. (2022). GCSE entries in selected STEM subjects by gender (2018/19 to 2020/21). Retrieved from https://www.engineeringuk.com/research/data/2022-excel-resource

 

Moreover, girls’ representation is among the lowest among entrants in A-level physics and computing courses, where they represented 23% and 15%, respectively.

Percentage of Female Entrants in A-level STEM Courses in the UK by Subject in 2012-2021
EngineeringUK. (2022). A level pass rates in selected STEM subjects by gender (2011/12 to 2020/2021). Retrieved from https://www.engineeringuk.com/research/data/2022-excel-resource

 

Despite their low representation at entry, young women’s representation among those who pass A-level courses is comparable to their entry rates, particularly for computing (15%) and physics (24%) A-level courses, suggesting that young women who enter A-level courses tend to pass these courses.

Percentage of GCSE A-level Passing Rates for Select STEM Subjects in the UK by Gender in 2020-2021
EngineeringUK. (2022). A level pass rates in selected STEM subjects by gender (2011/12 to 2020/2021). Retrieved from https://www.engineeringuk.com/research/data/2022-excel-resource

 

The Engineering Brand Monitor surveyed girls and boys on their perceptions about engineering in 2019, particularly about their ability to become an engineer, or their engineering self-efficacy, which was included in the EngineeringUK 2020 report. Across all age groups, a higher proportion of boys than girls tended to express a strong engineering self-efficacy. However, a slightly lower percentage of older cohorts of boys than younger boys reported a strong engineering self-efficacy. On the contrary, the percentage of girls reporting a strong engineering self-efficacy remained about the same across all three age groups.

Global UK secondary EngineeringUK
EngineeringUK. (2020). Excel Resource 2020, EngineeringUK 2020: The state of engineering

In the UK in 2022, boys (496) scored 14 points higher in mean scores than girls (482) in math. In science, girls (496) scored 8 points lower than boys (504).

Global UK secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.38, Table I.B1.5.39, Table I.B1.5.44, and Table I.B1.5.45

 

In 2022, more girls (25.6%) than boys (23.1%) performed below a level 2 proficiency level (considered low performers) in math. More boys (13.5%) than girls (9.0%) scored at or above a level 5 proficiency level (considered top performers) in math. In science, 19.8% of girls and 20.4% of boys were considered low performers. More boys (11.2%) than girls (8.9%) scored at the top performance level.

Global UK secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.4.31 and Table I.B1.4.33
*Low Performance in Math (less than 420.07 score points)
*Top Performance in Math (at or above 606.99 score points)
*Low Performance in Science (less than 409.54 score points)
*Top Performance in Science (at or above 633.33 score points)

 

In 2022, girls scored lower math scores than boys across the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS). The gender difference (calculated as boys-girls) in math scores is smaller in the top quarter (9 points) of ESCS when compared to the bottom quarter (20 points) of ESCS. The gender difference in science is 16 points in favor of boys in the bottom quarter of ESCS and only 1 point in the top quarter.

PISA Performance in the UK in Math and Science by Gender and Socioeconomic Status in 2022
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.4.34 and Table I.B1.4.36

 

In 2022, a higher share of girls (38.7%) were categorized as low performers from the bottom quarter of ESCS when compared to boys (31.0%) in math. More boys (28.8%) were categorized as top performers in math from the top quarter of ESCS when compared to the girls (22.8%) in the same group. In science, girls and boys who belonged to the bottom quarter of ESCS and were considered low performers comprised approximately one-third of students. The gender difference among top performers and students who belonged to the top quarter of ESCS was 3.0 percent in favor of boys.

Global UK secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Tables I.B1.4.37 and I.B1.4.39.
*Low Performance in Math (less than 420.07 score points)
*Top Performance in Math (at or above 606.99 score points)
*Low Performance in Science (less than 409.54 score points)
*Top Performance in Science (at or above 633.33 score points)

Resources

  • PISA 2022 Results. Retrieved from https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/pisa_19963777
  • OECD (2024), Graduates by field, OECD.Stat. Retrieved from https://stats.oecd.org
  • EngineeringUK (2022). Excel Resource 2022, Secondary education and engineering.
  • EngineeringUK (2020). Excel Resource 2020, EngineeringUK 2020: The state of engineering