How many people sit GCSE each year?

Around 5 to 6 million GCSE entries are recorded in England each year, across all subjects combined.

That figure reflects individual subject entries, not individual students. Most students sit between 8 and 10 subjects each, which is why the total entry count is so much higher than the number of candidates.

In 2023, just over 700,000 students in England sat at least one GCSE. Wales and Northern Ireland run their own GCSE programmes and add further candidates to the wider UK total each summer.

The Cambridge IGCSE serves a separate, international cohort. Hundreds of thousands of students worldwide sit IGCSE qualifications each year, including a significant and growing number across GCC locations. The IGCSE is broadly equivalent to the GCSE but is designed for international and expatriate families rather than the domestic UK system.

These are some of the subjects with the highest GCSE and IGCSE entry numbers each year:

• English Language and English Literature
• Mathematics
• Combined Science or separate sciences
• History and Geography
• Modern foreign languages

Students following the British curriculum outside the UK, including those enrolled in online school or homeschooling arrangements, typically sit the Cambridge IGCSE rather than the domestic GCSE. The content is comparable, and both qualifications are recognised by universities.

Families in the UAE and wider Gulf who want their children to follow this route often ask whether online or home-educated students can access the same qualifications. The answer is yes. A-Levels are also available through the same Cambridge pathway for post-IGCSE study.

If you want to understand how IGCSE entry works for students outside a traditional school setting, our FAQ section covers this in detail.