<\/p>\n
The number of girls choosing to take a GCSE in computer science fell this year, breaking a consistent growth streak.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The gender gap in the technology sector<\/a>, where BCS research shows women make up only 20% of tech workers in the UK<\/a>, has people pushing for an increase in women in tech across the entire pipeline.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no shortage of talent among girls \u2013 it\u2019s 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an industry, we should be making STEM career paths visible, relatable and rooted in real-world impact. And let\u2019s 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,\u201d added Smith.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no shortage of talent among girls \u2013 it\u2019s 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<\/p>\n Heather Smith, Okta<\/p>\n 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<\/a> and how studying it as a subject could be helpful to their future, a lack of visible and accessible role models<\/a>\u00a0already in computing demonstrating the various paths into the industry, and a lack of opportunity for career progression<\/a> once they join the industry.<\/p>\n Until this year, the number of girls taking GCSE computer science had been on the rise, from 17,264 in 2022<\/a> to 19,061 in 2023<\/a> and then to 21,020 last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 both improvements from last year\u2019s grades.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The decline in overall students choosing to take computing this year was also reflected at A-level<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n