Number of girls taking GCSE computer science drops amid fall in overall candidates | Computer Weekly

The number of girls choosing to take a GCSE in computer science fell this year, breaking a consistent growth streak.

In 2025, the number of girls taking computing at GCSE level dropped to 20,708, down by 312 students compared with 2024. While this may not seem like a significant number, the stark difference between the number of male versus female students taking the subject leaves no room for the number of girls to decline.

The gender gap in the technology sector, where BCS research shows women make up only 20% of tech workers in the UK, has people pushing for an increase in women in tech across the entire pipeline.

Heather Smith, vice-president for the UK and Ireland at Okta, pointed out this is not because of a lack of skilled women or girls, but because of the lack of an inclusive culture in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields.

“There’s no shortage of talent among girls – it’s the culture around STEM that needs to evolve. If we want more girls to enter and thrive in these fields, we must make STEM not just accessible, but genuinely welcoming,” she said.

“As an industry, we should be making STEM career paths visible, relatable and rooted in real-world impact. And let’s not underestimate the power of addressing unconscious bias, both in classrooms and workplaces. When girls see that STEM is a place where they can lead and make a difference, the numbers will follow,” added Smith.

There’s no shortage of talent among girls – it’s the culture around STEM that needs to evolve. When girls see that STEM is a place where they can lead and make a difference, the numbers will follow

The reason for the lack of representation of women across the tech industry is multifaceted, with experts citing factors such as a lack of understanding about what computing careers involve and how studying it as a subject could be helpful to their future, a lack of visible and accessible role models already in computing demonstrating the various paths into the industry, and a lack of opportunity for career progression once they join the industry.

Until this year, the number of girls taking GCSE computer science had been on the rise, from 17,264 in 2022 to 19,061 in 2023 and then to 21,020 last year.

But it’s not just girls who were in declining numbers this year, with almost 4,000 fewer boys taking GCSE computer science this year. The drop in male and female students took the total number of candidates who sat the exam down from 95,841 last year to 91,619 this year.

Performance continued to improve, despite the lower number of students taking the subject, with 29.6% of students achieving at least a 7/A, and 69.3% achieving at least a 4/C – both improvements from last year’s grades.

Female candidates outperformed male candidates, with 35.7% of girls achieving at least a 7/A grade compared with 27.8% of boys, and 75.3% of girls achieving at least a 4/C grade compared with 67.5% of boys.

The decline in overall students choosing to take computing this year was also reflected at A-level, where the number of students taking the computing exam dropped by 2.8% on last year. However, with the number of girls taking the subject increasing compared with the previous year, this means the drop in candidates was exclusively among boys.

Ian Thomas, chief operating officer at IT service provider Node4, claimed this is likely because children don’t perceive technology careers as exciting, as well as an increased interest in humanities subjects in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today’s results suggest that there is a disconnect between what is being taught in schools and the real-world developments currently taking place in the technology industry

“It is disappointing and surprising to see that the number of students studying computing at GCSE has fallen by 4.4% this year. This is the generation that has grown up with computers – their leisure activities involve technology, and they are often the first to be called when a family member has an IT issue,” he said.

“With a deeper and more natural understanding of technology, they are the perfect candidates to be studying and working in tech. Today’s results suggest that there is a disconnect between what is being taught in schools and the real-world developments currently taking place in the technology industry.”