Level 2 and 3 attainment age 16 to 25
Annual level 2 and 3 attainment figures age 16 to 25 in England. Includes qualification type, institution type, characteristics and geographical breakdowns.
- Published
Headline facts and figures
Featured Tables
In addition to the analysis presented in this release, a number of featured tables for easy reference are also available here:
Time period in this data relates to the year in which the young person turned 19.
- Table 1 - Headlines: Level 2 and 3 attainment by ages 16, 17, 18 and 19
- Table 2 - Level 2 by 19 by qualification type
- Table 3 - Level 3 by 19 by qualification type
- Table 4 - Level 2 post-16 attainment by institution type (for achievements between ages 17-19)
- Table 5 - Level 3 by 19 by institution type
- Table 6 - Level 3 attainment by 19 by disadvantaged status and special educational need
- Table 7 - Level 2 attainment in English and maths by 19 by disadvantaged status and special educational need
- Table 8 - Level 2 attainment in English, progression between ages 16 and 19 by prior attainment
- Table 9 - Level 2 attainment in maths, progression between ages 16 and 19 by prior attainment
- Table 10 - Level 2 English, percentage who improved their age 16 GCSE grade by age 19, by disadvantage and SEN
- Table 11 - Level 2 maths, percentage who improved their age 16 GCSE grade by age 19, by disadvantage and SEN
- Table 12 - Level 2 English and maths, percentage who improved their age 16 GCSE grade by age 19, by region
- Table 13 - Level 2, Level 3 and Level 2 in English and maths attainment by age 19 by local authority district, combined authority and disadvantaged status
- Table 14 - English language GCSE grade progress for those who improved their grade between ages 16 and 19
- Table 15 - Maths GCSE grade progress for those who improved their grade between ages 16 and 19
- Table 16 - Level 3 maths by 19 by qualification type
- Table 17 - Level 3 maths by 19 by prior GCSE grade at 16 by disadvantage and sex
Level 2 (5 GCSEs 9-4 or equivalent) by age 19
Data in this section includes overall level 2 attainment by:
- age 19
- qualification type and whether achieved by age 16 or post-16
- pupil characteristics (state-funded sector only)
- institution type of post-16 study (supporting data only, available through table builder)
Most young people who achieve Level 2 do so at age 16. On average, the latest cohort who were 19 in 2024/25 received more lenient grading at age 16 in 2021/22 as part of the transition back to the summer exam series following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Level 2 by qualification type
Following reforms introduced further to Professor Alison Wolf’s review (opens in new tab), some vocational Level 2 qualifications were no longer counted in Key stage 4 performance measures . This significantly reduced the offering and take-up of these larger vocational qualifications at Key stage 4 and primarily affected lower attaining students studying ‘equivalent’ qualifications. Since 2014/15, when these changes came into effect, attainment of Level 2 by vocational qualifications at 16 led to a decrease in overall Level 2 attainment by 19.
Level 2 by age 19 by pupil characteristics
- Attainment across all characteristics has decreased in 2024/25.
Overall, 81.3% of 19 year olds who were educated in the mainstream state-funded sector in year 11 had achieved level 2 in 2024/25. This is compared with:
- 53.7% for those with special educational needs (SEN)
- 72.1% for the most deprived
- 63.6% for those eligible for free school meals (FSM)
- 64.8% for those disadvantaged
Attainment gaps refer to the difference in attainment between one characteristic group and another. In 2024/25:
- The attainment gap for SEN has remained relatively stable since the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The attainment gap between those disadvantaged and not disadvantaged is the highest in the series (since 2016/17).
- The attainment gap between those eligible and not eligible for free school meals is the second highest in the series (since 2007/08).
- Attainment gaps increased following reforms to qualifications after Professor Alison Wolf’s review (opens in new tab). As some vocational Level 2 qualifications were no longer counted in Key stage 4 performance measures, this significantly reduced the offering and take-up of larger vocational qualifications at Key stage 4 and primarily affected lower attaining students studying ‘equivalent’ qualifications.
Looking at level 2 attainment by 19 by free school meals (FSM) status, ethnicity and sex :
Level 2 English and maths attainment by age 19
Summary
- 73.2% of 19 year olds in 2024/25 had achieved level 2 in English language and maths, one of the highest rates in the series following notable increases resulting from changes in assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Progression between ages 17 and 19 has stabilised after falling in 2022/23 and 2023/24 due to increased attainment at age 16 during the COVID-19 pandemic meaning less were required to continue study post 16.
Despite the improvements made, it means that in 2024/25:
- 4 in 5 young people (79.8%) who did not have Level 2 English language and/or maths at age 16 still had not achieved one or both qualifications by age 19.
- Resulting in 157,800 (26.8%) of 19 year olds not having achieved level 2 in English language and maths in 2024/25.
For those who were recorded in the mainstream state-funded schools in year 11 (i.e. the final year of secondary school), this section reports on their level 2 English language and maths attainment :
- by age 19
- progression between ages 16 and 19
- the progression in Level 2 English language and maths measure shows the proportion of students who had not achieved Level 2 in English and/or maths at 16 but had achieved both at 19.
- these figures reflect the impact of Condition of Funding changes from 2014/15 onwards. Following these changes, most students continue to study English and/or maths at level 2 as part of their programmes between the ages of 16 and 19 if they are yet to achieve qualifications at this level. The exact qualifications that students are required to do depends on their personal circumstances. Further information is listed on 16 to 19 funding: maths and English condition of funding - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in new tab)
English and maths attainment by pupil characteristics
English attainment by age 19 by grade at 16
In addition to the commentary, the following featured tables are available looking at grade progress in English language for those who hadn't achieved level 2 by age 16:
English language, percentage who improved their age 16 GCSE grade by age 19, by region
Maths attainment by age 19 by grade at 16
In addition to the commentary, the following featured tables are available looking at GCSE grade progress in maths for those who hadn't achieved level 2 by age 16:
Maths, percentage who improved their age 16 GCSE grade by age 19, by disadvantage and SEN.
Maths, percentage who improved their age 16 GCSE grade by age 19, by region
Level 3 (2 A levels or equivalent) by age 19
Summary
The proportion of 19 year olds in 2024/25 who had achieved Level 3 has remained stable at 60.7% and is back to pre-pandemic levels.
The higher proportions of young people achieving Level 3 in 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 are likely to be due to the changes to examinations and assessments resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most level 3 qualifications are achieved by age 18 and this latest age 19 cohort will have sat exams and received assessments in summer 2025 through conventional assessments.
Level 3 attainment by 19 by qualification type
- Levels have remained relatively stable in recent years with highs in 2020/21 and 2021/22 attributable to changes in assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic particularly notable in higher proportions achieving through vocational routes.
- Level 3 attainment between 2007/08 and 2014/15 gradually increased, largely driven by increases through vocational qualifications.
Level 3 attainment by 19 by pupil characteristics
Overall, 57.4% of those educated in the state-funded sector in year 11 achieved level 3 by age 19 in 2024/25. This is compared with:
- 29.6% for those with special educational needs (SEN)
- 45.8% for the most deprived
- 36.7% for those eligible for free school meals (FSM)
- 37.8% for those disadvantaged
Level 3 maths attainment by age 19
Summary
Most level 3 qualifications are achieved by age 18 and this latest age 19 cohort will have sat exams and received assessments in summer 2024.
Level 3 maths attainment by 19 for those educated in the mainstream state-funded sector in year 11.
Level 3 maths by pupil characteristics
Level 3 maths by GCSE maths grade
In addition to the commentary, the following featured table is available for 2023/24 and 2024/25:
Level 3 maths by 19 by prior GCSE grade at 16 by disadvantage and sex
Geographic breakdowns
Level 2 and 3 attainment by 19 by local authority area
The map shows level 2 and 3 attainment by age 19 in 2024/25. Hovering over a local authority will show more information about that area. The darkest areas show higher attainment while lightest colours show lower attainment.
Comparable figures for England show that 81.3% achieved level 2 by age 19 in 2024/25 and 57.4% had achieved level 3. Looking at variability by local authority for the same group :
- The band across the north of England, including large parts of Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, has historically been an area of lower level 2 and 3 attainment compared to other areas and the England average.
- Areas surrounding London typically show higher level 2 and 3 attainment.
This section reports on the attainment of 19-year olds who were recorded in the mainstream state-funded sector in year 11 (i.e. the final year of secondary school).
Other geography data available
- Local Authority District (LAD)
- English devolved authorities (Combined authorities/Mayoral authorities)
- Parliamentary constituency based on school location at age 15.
This data is available in the data and files section of the release and through the explore data and files table tool builder. This includes further breakdowns by age, English & maths attainment, FSM status and disadvantaged status. Further details can be found in the methodology.
Attainment by age 25
About this publication
Source
The figures are based on the young persons matched administrative dataset (YPMAD) produced by the Department for Education consisting of data from the Individualised Learner Record, awarding body results and the school census.
Coverage
These statistics provide information at national, local authority and local authority district level (including English devolved authorities i.e. combined authorities/mayoral combined authorities) on level 2 and level 3 attainment of 19-year olds at the end of each academic year. They are used to monitor trends in attainment over time and changes in attainment within different groups.
Time period and comparability
The time period in this data relates to the year in which the young person turned 19.
When making time-series comparisons, only figures from the latest release should be used due to small revisions to previously published figures (see accompanying methodology).
Given the circumstances in which grades were awarded in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, caution should be taken in comparing cohorts impacted by these changes to assessments with other years.
Attainment measures
In these statistics, the attainment of the following measures refers to the proportion of people who achieved them as at 31st August i.e. the end of the academic year (e.g. 2024/25 refers to 31st August 2025):
• Level 2 is 5 (or more) GCSEs at grades 9-4/A*-C or equivalent e.g. Level 2 vocational qualification
• Level 3 is 2 (or more) A levels or equivalent e.g. Level 3 vocational qualification
• Level 2 in English and maths is GCSEs at grades 9-4/A*-C in those subjects or equivalent qualifications e.g. functional skills.
• Progression in English and maths is those people who did not achieve level 2 in English and/or maths at 16 but had achieved both by 19.
Cohorts
The statistics are based on two cohorts as follows:
• An overall all-institution cohort has a numerator based on all young people captured in the dataset (not just those in the state-funded sector in year 11), and has a denominator based on the whole school population (including state-funded schools, independent schools, alternative provision and pupil referral units (PRUs) as recorded at academic age 14 i.e. year 10, or the penultimate year of secondary school.
• The state-funded cohort is based on pupils recorded as being educated in mainstream state-funded schools at academic age 15 i.e. year 11 or the final year of secondary school. The state-funded cohort includes breakdowns by various pupil characteristics (as recorded at academic age 15) and by geographies based on the school location (at academic age 15).
There are differences for the all-institution and state-funded cohorts however trends are consistent (see chart). Attainment for all-institutions, which includes young people in independent settings in year 11, is higher than those in mainstream state-funded only.
Full methodology
For further background information on these statistics, including on the data sources, qualifications and the methodology, please see the accompanying methodology. Underlying data is also published alongside this release.
Impact of COVID-19 on our data series
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years were cancelled (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab).
Instead, for 2020/21, pupils were only assessed on the content they had been taught for each course. Schools were given flexibility to decide how to assess their pupils’ performance, for example, through mock exams, class tests, and non-exam assessment already completed. GCSE grades were then determined by teachers based on the range of evidence available and they are referred to as teacher-assessed grades.
This is a different process to that of 2019/20 when pupils were awarded either a centre assessment grade (based on what the school or college believed the pupil would most likely have achieved had exams gone ahead) or their calculated grade using a model developed by Ofqual - whichever was the higher of the two.
For other non-academic qualifications, awarding organisations were permitted to adapt qualifications and assessments, or to issue results using alternative arrangements, for example, based on teacher-assessed grades.
As part of the transition back to the summer exam series adaptations were made to the exams (including advance information) and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021. More information on these changes can be seen in the Guide to GCSE results for England, summer 2022 (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab).
The cancellation of summer 2020 and 2021 exams and the alternate method of awarding grades led to a set of pupil attainment statistics unlike previous years.
Most young people who achieve Level 2 do so at age 16. The first cohort to have their exams affected by the COVID-19 pandemic were age 16 in 2019/20 and hence age 19 in 2022/23.
Previous analysis looked at the impacts of the changes in exams during COVID-19 at age 16 and is available at this link (in the ‘Impact of COVID-19 on our data series’ section): Level 2 and 3 attainment age 16 to 25, Academic year 2021/22 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)
In summary, the table below shows the increase in level 2 attainment by age 16 in 2019/20 and 2020/21 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. By age 19 this increase is still apparent for these cohorts but to a lesser degree.
| Year age 16 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 by 16 | 65.2% | 64.7% | 72.9% | 73.5% | 69.6% | 64.5% | 64.2% | 64.2% |
| Year age 19 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
| Level 2 by 19 | 83.0% | 83.1% | 85.7% | 85.2% | 83.8% | z | z | z |
Underlying data files
Our underlying data files contain more data than that presented in the release. You can make your own tables online in the ‘Explore and download data’ section at the top of this page. Alternatively, you can download the data as csv files using the same link. Here is a summary of what is included:
- Headlines (Level 2 and 3 attainment including English and maths and progression in English and maths).
- Level 2 and 3 attainment:
- File A. Attainment ages 16 to 19.
- File B. Attainment ages 19 to 25 (figures for young people who turned 25 in the last 7 years to 2024/25).
- File C. Attainment by characteristics of those aged 16 to 25 (for those who were in the state-funded sector in year 11).
- File D. Attainment by local authority of those aged 16 to 19 (for those who were in the state-funded sector in year 11).
- File E. Attainment by local authority district of those aged 16 to 19 (for those who were in the state-funded sector in year 11).
- File F. Post 16 English and maths attainment by prior grade (for those who were in the state-funded sector in year 11).
The letters show in which file you can find the data e.g. Level 2 characteristic breakdowns are found in file C.
To note - the time period included in these files refers to the academic year the young person turned (or will turn) 19.
| Level 2 | Age 16 | Age 17 | Age 18 | Age 19 | Progression from 16 to 19 | Ages 20-25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & B | Headline figures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Qualification type | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Institution type | ✓ | ||||||
| C | Headline figures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Institution type | ✓ | ||||||
| Sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Disadvantaged status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| FSM | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| SEN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Ethnicity | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Ethnicity & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Ethnicity, FSM status & sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| D | Local authority | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Local authority & sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Local authority & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Local authority & SEN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| E | Local authority district & English devolved authority | ✓ | |||||
| Local authority district & English devolved authority & disadvantaged status | ✓ | ||||||
| Local authority district & English devolved authority & FSM status | ✓ | ||||||
| Level 2 English & maths | Age 16 | Age 17 | Age 18 | Age 19 | Progression from 16 to 19 | Ages 20-25 | |
| C | Headline figures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Disadvantaged status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| FSM | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| SEN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Ethnicity | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Ethnicity & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Ethnicity, FSM status & sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| D | Local authority | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Local authority and sex | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Local authority & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Local authority & SEN | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| E | Local authority district & English devolved authority | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Local authority district & English devolved authority & disadvantaged status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Local authority district & English devolved authority & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| F | Prior attainment | ✓ | |||||
| Level 3 | Age 16 | Age 17 | Age 18 | Age 19 | Progression from 16 to 19 | Ages 20-25 | |
| A & B | Headline figures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Qualification type | ✓ | ||||||
| Institution type | ✓ | ||||||
| C | Headline figures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Institution type | ✓ | ||||||
| Sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Disadvantaged status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| FSM | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| SEN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Ethnicity | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Ethnicity & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Ethnicity, FSM status & sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| D | Local authority | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Local authority and sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Local authority & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Local authority & SEN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| E | Local authority district & English devolved authority | ✓ | |||||
| Local authority district & English devolved authority & disadvantaged status | ✓ | ||||||
| Local authority district & English devolved authority & FSM status | ✓ | ||||||
| Local authority district & English devolved authority & qualification type | ✓ | ||||||
| Level 3 maths | Age 16 | Age 17 | Age 18 | Age 19 | Progression from 16 to 19 | Ages 20-25 | |
| C | Headline figures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Disadvantaged status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| FSM | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| SEN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Ethnicity | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Ethnicity & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Ethnicity, FSM status & sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| D | Local authority | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Local authority and sex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Local authority & FSM status | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Local authority & SEN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about Level 2 and 3 attainment age 16 to 25 statistics and data:
Post-16 statistics team
Email: post16.statistics@education.gov.ukContact name: Elisha Duddle
Telephone: 0161 600 1497
Press office
If you have a media enquiry:
Telephone: 020 7783 8300
Public enquiries
If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:
Phone: 0370 000 2288
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