61.5%
of GCSE certificates in England were issued by AQA in 2024 to 2025, down from 62.1% the year before.
Aripsy Research · 2026 edition
Which exam boards award the most GCSEs and A levels?
Data: 2024 to 2025 academic year, England (Ofqual, published 19 March 2026).
Next update: By Amin Mudassir, Founder of Aripsy
Short answer
AQA awards the most GCSEs and A levels in England. In the 2024 to 2025 academic year it issued 61.5% of GCSE certificates and 45.2% of A-level certificates, according to Ofqual. Pearson, which runs Edexcel qualifications, was second with 24.8% of GCSEs and 28.4% of A levels, and it leads in maths.
Key findings
45.2%
of A-level certificates were issued by AQA, ahead of Pearson (28.4%), Cambridge OCR (20.2%) and WJEC (6.2%).
72.4%
of A-level maths certificates came from Pearson: 73,010 of 100,835 (Aripsy calculation from Ofqual's counts).
+1.4 pts
rise in Pearson's A-level share over five years, from 27.0% in 2020 to 2021 to 28.4% in 2024 to 2025.
Which exam board is most popular for each GCSE subject?
AQA has the largest share in 8 of the 10 most-taken GCSE subjects. Pearson leads in maths and history.
Pearson issued 542,035 of the 876,255 GCSE maths certificates in 2024 to 2025, about 61.9%. AQA's lead is largest in the sciences and English: it issued over 80% of combined science, biology, chemistry and English literature certificates.
GCSE certificates by exam board, 10 most-certified subjects, 2024 to 2025
| Subject | AQA | Cambridge OCR | Pearson | WJEC | Total | Largest board's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined science | 753,725 | 30,435 | 119,365 | 0 | 903,525 | AQA 83.4% |
| Mathematics | 201,085 | 76,690 | 542,035 | 56,445 | 876,255 | Pearson 61.9% |
| English language | 628,210 | 5,945 | 119,335 | 101,380 | 854,870 | AQA 73.5% |
| English literature | 485,580 | 5,790 | 45,075 | 57,660 | 594,105 | AQA 81.7% |
| Geography | 197,410 | 24,440 | 46,630 | 14,325 | 282,805 | AQA 69.8% |
| History | 90,690 | 19,320 | 159,420 | 8,965 | 278,390 | Pearson 57.3% |
| Religious studies | 137,225 | 5,035 | 39,555 | 50,840 | 232,660 | AQA 59.0% |
| Art and design subjects | 124,365 | 20,400 | 29,860 | 16,205 | 190,830 | AQA 65.2% |
| Biology | 138,335 | 9,165 | 21,340 | 0 | 168,840 | AQA 81.9% |
| Chemistry | 132,020 | 8,615 | 20,465 | 0 | 161,100 | AQA 81.9% |
The last column is an Aripsy calculation: the largest board's certificates divided by the subject total. Ofqual rounds counts, so a row may not add up exactly to its total.
Source: Ofqual, Annual qualifications market report: academic year 2024 to 2025, Table 10
Which exam board is most popular for each A-level subject?
AQA has the largest share in 7 of the 10 most-taken A-level subjects. Pearson leads in maths, economics and business studies.
Some subjects are close contests. In A-level chemistry, AQA issued 26,630 certificates and Cambridge OCR 24,895. In history, AQA issued 18,190, Pearson 12,320 and Cambridge OCR 9,790. In psychology and sociology, AQA issued more than 85% of certificates.
A-level certificates by exam board, 10 most-certified subjects, 2024 to 2025
| Subject | AQA | Cambridge OCR | Pearson | WJEC | Total | Largest board's share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 14,600 | 13,230 | 73,010 | 0 | 100,835 | Pearson 72.4% |
| Psychology | 60,420 | 4,735 | 3,885 | 1,760 | 70,795 | AQA 85.3% |
| Biology | 35,615 | 19,625 | 5,455 | 1,890 | 62,580 | AQA 56.9% |
| Chemistry | 26,630 | 24,895 | 4,825 | 110 | 56,460 | AQA 47.2% |
| Sociology | 36,095 | 3,240 | 0 | 1,565 | 40,900 | AQA 88.3% |
| Economics | 14,940 | 2,410 | 22,825 | 620 | 40,795 | Pearson 56.0% |
| Business studies | 14,840 | 925 | 21,320 | 3,670 | 40,755 | Pearson 52.3% |
| History | 18,190 | 9,790 | 12,320 | 0 | 40,305 | AQA 45.1% |
| Art and design subjects | 20,860 | 5,585 | 6,700 | 6,885 | 40,035 | AQA 52.1% |
| Physics | 21,915 | 12,925 | 4,240 | 590 | 39,670 | AQA 55.2% |
The last column is an Aripsy calculation: the largest board's certificates divided by the subject total. Ofqual rounds counts, so a row may not add up exactly to its total.
Source: Ofqual, Annual qualifications market report: academic year 2024 to 2025, Table 16
Does a bigger exam board mean easier exams?
Market share does not tell you that. It counts certificates issued, and the Ofqual report does not measure how hard any board's papers are or how they are graded.
Common misreadings
"AQA has 34% of the market"
34.0% is AQA's share of all regulated qualifications, including vocational ones. For GCSEs alone its share is 61.5%, and for A levels 45.2%.
Certificates are not students
These shares count certificates, not people. Ofqual counted 5.7 million GCSE certificates in 2024 to 2025 because each student receives one per subject.
England only
The report covers certificates issued in England. It does not describe exam board use in Wales or Northern Ireland.
How we checked these figures
Methodology and sources
- All figures come from Ofqual's Annual qualifications market report for the 2024 to 2025 academic year, an official statistics release published on 19 March 2026. It covers certificates issued by Ofqual-regulated awarding organisations in England.
- Market share is each board's share of certificates issued, not of students or exam entries. A student who takes ten GCSEs receives ten certificates, and GCSE combined science counts as two.
- Ofqual uses the names AQA, Pearson, Cambridge OCR and WJEC. Pearson's GCSEs and A levels carry the Edexcel brand. Ofqual's tables report WJEC as a single awarding organisation and do not list Eduqas separately.
- Ofqual rounds certificate counts, so subject rows may not add up exactly to their totals.
- The "Largest board's share" columns are Aripsy calculations: the largest board's certificates divided by the subject total, to one decimal place. Every other figure is quoted as published.
Official statistics
Source 1 · Official statistics
Ofqual
Annual qualifications market report: academic year 2024 to 2025- Published:
- 19 March 2026
- Data covers:
- 2024 to 2025 academic year, with trends from 2020 to 2021; England
- Last checked by Aripsy:
- 17 October 2026
- Reuse:
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
How to cite this page
Please cite the original publisher for each figure, linked beside it. To cite this page's summary and tables:
Aripsy (2026). Exam Board Market Share Statistics 2026: AQA vs Pearson vs OCR. Retrieved from https://aripsy.com/en/research/exam-board-market-share-statistics
Link to a single figure with its anchor, for example https://aripsy.com/en/research/exam-board-market-share-statistics#aqa-gcse-share. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the change below.
Change log
- First published with Ofqual's 2024 to 2025 market report.
Frequently asked questions
Is AQA or Edexcel more popular?
AQA. In 2024 to 2025 it issued 61.5% of GCSE certificates in England and 45.2% of A-level certificates. Pearson, which runs Edexcel, issued 24.8% of GCSEs and 28.4% of A levels (Ofqual).
Which exam board is most popular for GCSE maths?
Pearson (Edexcel). It issued 542,035 of the 876,255 GCSE maths certificates in 2024 to 2025, about 61.9%. AQA issued 201,085, Cambridge OCR 76,690 and WJEC 56,445.
Which exam board is most popular for A-level maths?
Pearson (Edexcel). It issued 73,010 of the 100,835 A-level maths certificates in 2024 to 2025, about 72.4%.
Where is Eduqas in these figures?
Ofqual's market report lists WJEC as a single awarding organisation and does not show Eduqas separately.
When will the next exam board market share figures be published?
Ofqual has not announced the date of its 2025 to 2026 report. The last two editions came out in March (11 March 2025 and 19 March 2026).
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