How hard is each A-level?
In 2026, 28.5% of UK A-level entries got A* or A.
A-level Maths
42.5% got A* or A
Maths ranks 3 of 36 subjects for A* or A; across all A-levels it was 28.5%.
Share of UK entries graded A* or A, June 2026, highest first. All A-levels: 28.5%.
- Further Maths59%21,032
- German46%2,294
- Maths43%115,380
- French39%6,888
- Art & Design subjects35%42,620
- Spanish35%8,434
- Physics33%45,800
- Chemistry32%65,541
- Economics30%47,157
- Biology28%73,925
- Political Studies27%24,824
- Digital Technology27%1,042
- Performing / Expressive Arts26%1,244
- Classical Civilisation26%3,708
- Computing26%20,009
- Religious Studies25%16,042
- Music25%5,106
- English Literature25%36,196
- History25%46,960
- Geography25%34,128
- Drama24%7,397
- Philosophy23%3,348
- Physical Education20%13,057
- Psychology20%79,201
- Design and Technology19%10,874
- Sociology19%43,562
- Law17%16,526
- Health & Social Care (Single Award)17%3,545
- Business Studies16%46,977
- Film Studies16%7,761
- English Language & Literature15%7,382
- Environmental Science15%2,521
- Media Studies14%15,009
- Statistics13%1,140
- English Language12%13,192
- Accounting12%2,820
Your result
42.5% got A* or A. Maths ranks 3 of 36 subjects for A* or A; across all A-levels it was 28.5%. In 2025 it was 42%. A low share means fewer top grades, often because of who takes the subject, not only how hard it is.
| Subject | Entries | A* | A* or A | A* to C | Pass (A* to E) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Further Maths | 21,032 | 29% | 58.9% | 90.8% | 98.3% |
| German | 2,294 | 15.8% | 45.9% | 88.8% | 99.4% |
| Maths | 115,380 | 17.7% | 42.5% | 78.2% | 96.4% |
| French | 6,888 | 11.5% | 39% | 86.3% | 98.8% |
| Art & Design subjects | 42,620 | 16.5% | 35.1% | 88.9% | 99.5% |
| Spanish | 8,434 | 10.2% | 34.9% | 85.7% | 99.1% |
| Physics | 45,800 | 11.5% | 32.5% | 73.2% | 95.7% |
| Chemistry | 65,541 | 9.4% | 32.3% | 74.6% | 96% |
| Economics | 47,157 | 7.7% | 30.2% | 83% | 98.2% |
| Biology | 73,925 | 9.3% | 27.8% | 72.3% | 96.2% |
| Political Studies | 24,824 | 8.1% | 27.4% | 82.2% | 97.9% |
| Digital Technology | 1,042 | 10.9% | 26.8% | 80.9% | 97.8% |
| Performing / Expressive Arts | 1,244 | 7.8% | 26.4% | 85.1% | 99.4% |
| Classical Civilisation | 3,708 | 5% | 26% | 84.8% | 99.1% |
| Computing | 20,009 | 6.3% | 25.5% | 70.7% | 95.9% |
| Religious Studies | 16,042 | 6% | 25.4% | 81.8% | 98.6% |
| Music | 5,106 | 7.5% | 25.2% | 77.9% | 98.5% |
| English Literature | 36,196 | 9.3% | 24.9% | 83.1% | 99.3% |
| History | 46,960 | 5.8% | 24.7% | 84.1% | 99% |
| Geography | 34,128 | 5.9% | 24.7% | 80.8% | 98.5% |
| Drama | 7,397 | 6.3% | 23.5% | 89.1% | 99.8% |
| Philosophy | 3,348 | 5.6% | 23% | 73.3% | 96.8% |
| Physical Education | 13,057 | 5.8% | 20.2% | 72.9% | 97.4% |
| Psychology | 79,201 | 6% | 20.1% | 73.3% | 97.1% |
| Design and Technology | 10,874 | 5.9% | 19.3% | 74.1% | 97.8% |
| Sociology | 43,562 | 5.5% | 19% | 76.6% | 98% |
| Law | 16,526 | 4.8% | 17% | 64.9% | 96.2% |
| Health & Social Care (Single Award) | 3,545 | 0.8% | 16.5% | 87.7% | 99.6% |
| Business Studies | 46,977 | 4.2% | 16.2% | 77% | 97.9% |
| Film Studies | 7,761 | 2.7% | 16% | 90% | 99.4% |
| English Language & Literature | 7,382 | 3.7% | 14.8% | 80.6% | 99.3% |
| Environmental Science | 2,521 | 4.2% | 14.7% | 65.2% | 94.8% |
| Media Studies | 15,009 | 2% | 14% | 80.4% | 99.3% |
| Statistics | 1,140 | 1.6% | 12.5% | 57.6% | 92.7% |
| English Language | 13,192 | 2.5% | 12.3% | 78.8% | 99.3% |
| Accounting | 2,820 | 1.4% | 12.2% | 60.9% | 94.5% |
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Questions people ask
Which A-level has the most A* and A grades?
Of subjects with 1,000+ entries, Further Maths: 58.9% of UK entries got A* or A in 2026. Classical Greek was higher still (81.5%) but had only 168 entries, and Latin had 65.4% on 859.
Is A-level Maths hard?
In 2026, 42.5% of A-level Maths entries got A* or A and 17.7% got A*, well above the all-subject figures of 28.5% and 9.6%.
Is A-level Psychology hard?
In 2026, 20.1% of Psychology entries got A* or A and 73.3% got A* to C, below the all-subject figures of 28.5% and 78.4%.
What are the easiest A-levels?
No subject is easy for everyone. Every subject with 10,000+ entries had a pass rate (A* to E) above 95% in 2026. English Language, Media Studies, Business and Law gave the fewest A* and A grades.
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How we work this out
What it does
Every A-level subject ranked by the share of entries at A*, A* or A, and A* to C in 2026, from JCQ's results.
A-level subjects with at least 1,000 UK entries in June 2026, using JCQ's own subject groups. Other Modern Languages is left out because it combines many languages.
Method
- We read each subject's cumulative percentages at A*, A*-A and A*-C, all ages, UK, from JCQ's provisional results table.
- Subjects are ranked by the grade you choose; ties go to the subject with more entries.