'Running towards challenges': the rise of A Level Mathematics

Results Day 2024: A surge in uptake of maths, further maths and other STEM subjects shows how Gen Z are embracing academic challenges, argues Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, in The Times.

15 August 2024

Group of university students chatting outside the teaching building after class

Writing in the Times, OCR's Chief Executive Jill Duffy, said: "Which generation do you think is least prepared to work hard to get ahead in life? When British adults of all ages were asked this question, they overwhelmingly pointed the finger at Gen Z. How then to explain today's A Level results, showing record rises in young people achieving qualifications in maths and further maths."

"As head of an exam board, I can confidently say that these are not subjects that you can succeed in without being willing to work very hard. This rise is part of a wider trend towards STEM subjects in recent years, including computer science, which has steadily increased in popularity at both GCSE and A Level since its introduction a decade ago."
Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR
Close view of mature female educator standing between early 20s classmates and offering guidance as they work on project

 She adds: "The rise of STEM, for boys and girls, is a huge success story. It signals a genuine generational shift. Young people are increasingly embracing and even enjoying maths, where their parents’ generation may have been happy to admit defeat when faced with the simplest of sums."

The full piece by Jill Duffy can be read in the Times
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