Mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
The narrative around science education in the UK and globally is often framed around a “leaky pipeline”. While every pupil is required to study science until age 16, many step away from it beyond this point. Reasons for disengagement are multifactored: gender differences, socioeconomic barriers, subject popularity (maths and biology dominate over physics), and now, emerging evidence suggests another factor might play a role – language skills.
Our recent research explores a fresh angle on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) progression: how achievement in English or Welsh language studies influences pupils’ decisions to stick with science beyond GCSEs.
A snapshot of the study
We examined a cohort of nearly 9,000 pupils who pursued AS levels in a state-maintained school (sixth form) in Wales in 2017/18. We grouped these pupils based on their GCSE grades in science, maths, and English/Welsh language:
- High Achievers: Grade A or higher in maths, science, and English/Welsh.
- Science Achievers: Grade A or higher in maths and science, grade B or below in English/Welsh.
- Language Achievers: Grade A or higher in English/Welsh, grade B or below in science and maths.
- Lower Achievers: Grade B or lower in maths, science, and English/Welsh.
Pupils in the first two groups were coined science potentials – those well-positioned to succeed in post-16 science. The latter two groups were labelled as science improbables – pupils less expected to continue science in post-16 education.
Who chooses and who stays in science?
The findings revealed an intriguing split:
- Choice at AS Level: Around 80% of Science Achievers chose a science subject, compared to 73% of High Achievers. But notably, approximately a quarter of Language and Lower Achievers. opted into science, despite being considered “improbable.”
- Continuation to A-level: High Achievers led the way, with 79% continuing science into A-level. Science Achievers followed at 72%, while fewer than half of the Language and Lower Achievers persisted.
These patterns, illustrated in Figure 1 (below) could suggest that language proficiency matters. Pupils strong across all three subjects (including language) are more likely to persist with science, even if others initially choose it.
Figure 1
Subject-level differences
The data also reaffirmed subject stereotypes as illustrated in Table 1 (below):
- Physics: Popular among Science Achievers but noticeably avoided among others.
- Biology: the most popular science for Language and Lower Achievers, and competitive among the High and Science Achievers.
- Chemistry: The most popular science among High and Science Achievers.
Table 1
Why this matters
If we only measure A-level science uptake, we risk overlooking a crucial stage: the AS-level “sift.” Many pupils drop science after Year 12, a step that shapes university and career pathways.
- Lost Potentials: Around one in five Science Achievers didn’t take science post-GCSE, despite strong grades.
- Gained Improbables: Thousands of Language or Lower Achievers showed interest in science, challenging expectations.
With targeted support, schools could help both groups thrive. While Lower Achievers had the lowest proportion of pupils choosing science at AS level, they are the biggest group, equating to approximately 1,000 pupils. Imagine if those 1,000+ pupils who chose science had the tools to succeed – they could change the future STEM landscape.
Moving forward
These insights, recently presented at the ADR UK Conference 2025 in Cardiff, highlight the importance of broadening our lens. Science ability isn’t just about maths and experiments – language skills underpin pupils’ ‘science literacy’ – their capacity to interpret, evaluate, and communicate scientific concepts.
Future research will examine pass rates across these groups, aiming to pinpoint exactly where interventions can help students stay in science and succeed. It will also explore the choices of the ‘Lost Potentials’ – what subjects is science in competition with? Because in a world that increasingly demands scientific literacy, every pupil who shows interest in science should be adequately encouraged and supported to pursue it.