IT makes the grade for A Levels

With A Level results out today and headlines trumpeting the ever-increasing popularity of arts and humanities subjects, it seems that IT and technology subjects are enjoying their own quiet revolution.

Statistics from the Joint Council for General Qualifications show a small rise in the number of students sitting Computing A Levels, with around 28,000 pupils in the UK taking the exam – almost 2,000 more than last year.

Grades for the Computing A Levels this year have remained largely static in comparison with 2002's results, with around nine per cent of students getting an A grade and 24 per cent getting a B.

While the big winners are arts-based A Levels, such as English and media studies, which are showing a rise in both the numbers taking the exam and percentage of those gaining high grades, technology has managed to buck the downward trend that seems to be engulfing other technical or scientific subjects.

Karen Price, CEO of eSkills, believes it's the changing image of IT that's given it an advantage. "Government is disconnecting IT from subjects like science and engineering, and that's having an impact. New media in particular has been great in boosting the image of IT – it's not 'come and join this boring techie community' any more."

While the techie gender divide is still as wide as ever, with around three times more male than female candidates opting for computing subjects, its popularity is growing among girls – the numbers taking the A Level have risen by seven per cent, compared to four per cent for their male counterparts.

George Turnbull, head of public affairs for the Assessment Qualification Alliance, puts IT's success down to its flexibility: "Students use computers at school and most have them at home too. Computing has become incorporated into everyday life - it's more a tool than a subject in its own right."