Achievement of two or more GCE A levels or equivalent by sex, UK
The proportion of young people aged 17 at the start of the academic year in the UK who gained two or more GCE A levels (or equivalent) by the end of the academic year increased from 19 per cent in 1990/91 to 37 per cent in 2005/06. In 2006/07, this figure rose sharply to 45 per cent, however, the figures for 2006/07 include a number of equivalent qualifications for England which were previously not included, explaining much of the increase seen in this year.
Around half of young women (51 per cent) and two-fifths of young men (40 per cent) achieved two or more A level qualifications or equivalent in 2006/07. The proportion of both men and women achieving two A levels or equivalent has increased since 1990/91, but the performance gap between the sexes has also increased over this time. In 1990/91, the proportion of women achieving this level was 2 percentage points higher than men but by 2006/07 the difference had increased to 12 percentage points.
Much of the increase in the attainment of further education qualifications can be explained by increasing participation in post-compulsory education. The proportion of 16 to 18-year old males in full-time education in England doubled from 30 per cent in 1985 to 59 per cent in 2007. The proportion of females of this age in full-time education also doubled, from 34 per cent to 67 per cent over the same period.
In 2007/08, 2.3 million students were enrolled on higher education courses in higher education institutions in the UK, including undergraduate degrees and postgraduate degrees and research. Almost two-thirds of these enrolments (64 per cent) were full-time. One-fifth (22 per cent) of all higher education enrolments were for postgraduate courses, half of which were on a part-time basis, while undergraduate courses were more likely to be full-time (68 per cent).
Selected first degree qualifications obtained: by gender and subject area, 2007/08, UK
In 2007/08, there were 680,000 higher education qualifications obtained in the UK, a 4 per cent increase since 2006/07. Around half of these were first degrees (335,000). Around three-fifths (58 per cent) of all higher education qualifications obtained were by women and 42 per cent were by men.
The subjects studied by men and women also varied. Among men, the most common first degree was business and administrative studies (16 per cent of all first degrees) while women were most likely to obtain degrees in subjects allied to medicine (14 per cent). Business and administrative studies were the second most common degrees among women (12 per cent), followed by creative arts and design (11 per cent). For males, the second most common degree obtained was engineering and technology (12 per cent), followed by creative arts and design and social studies (around 9 per cent each).
Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families; Welsh Assembly Government; Scottish Government; Northern Ireland Department of Education; Higher Education Statistics Agency
Note: Young people generally aged 16 to 18 at the start of the academic year as a proportion of the 17-year-old population. A level and equivalent figures for England in 2006/07 cover achievements in all level 3 qualifications approved under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act (2000), therefore UK aggregates for this year are not comparable with previous years.
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