A Level results 2026: Building a stronger STEM pipeline for girls remains critical for the UK’s future workforce
Last week’s A Level results highlight continued interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, with more than one million results across A Levels, AS Levels and T Levels being awarded. The number of A Level entries has increased slightly this year, reflecting a growing 18-year-old population.
As students consider their next steps, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) are urging policymakers, educators and employers to focus on strengthening the UK’s future STEM talent pipeline, especially for young women.
The call comes as the UK continues to face significant skills shortages across STEM sectors, with engineering vacancies representing a quarter of all job adverts and an estimated shortfall of 173,000 workers across the wider STEM workforce. Attracting and retaining a more diverse range of talent will be critical to meeting future demand.
Interestingly, UCAS figures show that the top subjects with the largest growth in acceptances are engineering and technology, with 34,100 placed applicants (+14% on last year). However, only around one in five of these are female. While it’s encouraging to see growth in these figures and in the general STEM pipeline, there is still a way to go in improving the representation of young women within these subjects.
Key headlines from the results:
- Slight growth (3.7%) for girls’ participation in core-STEM subjects, as they make up 42.9% of core-STEM A Level entries.
- No change to the top 10 most popular subjects with Maths remaining number one with over 115,000 entries this year. Biology and Chemistry maintain the third and fourth spots, as both see a rise in entries – 3.5% and 3.2% respectively.
- Physics dropped down to eighth after rising to sixth last year. Most notable is a 10.5% increase in Economics entries which now sits in fifth.
- Most significant growth in girls’ participation is seen in Digital Technology, up 18.8% from 2025 (making up 30.3% of the overall cohort in 2026 compared to 27.7% in 2025).
Dr Laura Norton, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and WISE Director at the IET, said:
“Firstly, congratulations to the thousands of young people across the UK receiving their results today. The subject choices young people make now will shape the future STEM workforce that the UK depends on to deliver innovation, economic growth and solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges.
“While it’s encouraging to see continued interest in STEM subjects and positive progress in the number of young women entering STEM pathways, we know there is still a significant skills challenge ahead. The UK’s engineering and technology sectors need a larger and more diverse talent pool if we’re to meet future workforce demand.
“Women make up more than half of the UK population, yet remain significantly underrepresented in STEM careers. If we’re serious about closing skills gaps, we must ensure more young women see STEM as a pathway where they can belong, succeed and lead.
“Visible role models remain critical. When girls see women thriving in STEM careers, they are more likely to believe those opportunities are available to them too. By widening participation and creating inclusive pathways into STEM, we can build the diverse workforce needed for the future.”
