GCSE Results Day 2025: Spanish surpasses French in popularity in historic first for language studies

New GCSE data reveals a historic shift in language studies, with Spanish overtaking French for the first time as the most popular language choice among students. Entries for Spanish have risen nearly 25 per cent since 2020, increasing from around 109,594 to 136,871 in 2025. Meanwhile, French uptake has remained relatively steady, climbing slightly from 132,036 in 2020 to 134,651 in 2024 before dipping to 132,808 this year.

The figures, released today by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and analysed by the British Academy, also highlight broader trends in student subject choice. Overall GCSE entries in England, Northern Ireland and Wales fell slightly for the first time since 2021, dropping from 6.19 million in 2024 to 6.16 million in 2025. Despite this, SHAPE subjects – Science, Humanities, Arts and Performing Arts, and English – continue to account for more than half of all entries (54 per cent), a figure that has remained consistent since 2019.

Key trends in 2025

• Performing and Expressive Arts grew 8.3 per cent, reaching its highest number of entries since 2021.
• Music increased 6.1 per cent, from 35,861 in 2024 to 38,060 this year.
• Business Studies recorded its seventh consecutive year of growth, up 2.2 per cent from 135,090 to 137,924, reflecting an almost 40 per cent rise since 2020.
• History entries fell 5.7 per cent, from a peak of 325,437 in 2024 to 306,759 in 2025.
• Media, Film and TV Studies decreased by 3.9 per cent, from 36,975 to 35,553 entries.
• German entries fell 7 per cent, marking a 21.2 per cent decline since 2020, while Other Modern Foreign Languages – including Arabic, Chinese, Polish and Urdu – grew 1.3 per cent for the fifth consecutive year since 2020.

The British Academy has provided further insight through its School Indicators dashboard, examining uptake across SHAPE disciplines and differences in subject choice between male and female students.

Professor Susan J Smith, President of the British Academy, said:

“Congratulations to everyone receiving their GCSE results today. It is good to see that over half this year’s entries are in the arts, humanities and social sciences – subjects that nurture the flexibility, creativity and adaptability young people need to thrive in a fast-changing world.

“However, last week we saw a concerning drop in the proportion of A-level students studying these important SHAPE subjects. It is disappointing that young people’s choices, skill sets and capabilities are being constrained in this way. We urgently need to ensure that students from all backgrounds can study a wide range of disciplines at every stage of their education.”