What Are the Hardest A-levels? 2026 Results Ranked

Going by the summer 2026 results, the hardest A-levels were Law, Computing and Physics. Among subjects with at least 5,000 UK entries, these three had the biggest share of students graded E or U. Chemistry and Biology came next. Keep in mind this measures how students did nationally, not how hard a subject will feel for you.

There's no official list of "hardest A-levels", and most rankings you'll find online are opinion. So we built ours from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) results tables, which JCQ published on 13 August 2026. Below you'll find the top 10 hardest and easiest subjects, what changes when you rank by top grades instead, and how to pick subjects that actually help your university application.

How are the hardest A-levels ranked here?

We used JCQ's A-level results for June 2026, covering every UK entry at every age. That's 906,425 entries, up 2.7% from 882,653 in 2025. JCQ says the figures are provisional, because they don't yet include late entries or reviews of marking.

JCQ publishes each subject's results as cumulative percentages, from A* down to U. We looked at two things:

• Share graded E or U. This is 100% minus the share who got A* to D. A high figure means a lot of students struggled. (If you're not sure what counts as passing, see our guide to the A-level pass grade.)
• Share graded A* or A. A high figure means a lot of students reached the top grades.

We only ranked subjects with at least 5,000 UK entries in 2026, which leaves 28 subjects. Small subjects can swing a long way on a handful of students, so we've mentioned those separately.

One honest warning before the tables. Results depend on who takes a subject as well as how demanding it is. A subject chosen mostly by very strong students will look "easy" in the data, even if the content is tough. Treat these rankings as a picture of national results, not a prediction of your grade.

What are the top 10 hardest A-levels?

These are the 10 subjects with the highest share of E and U grades in 2026. Across all subjects, 8.4% of entries were graded E or U, and the top nine here are all above that.

The three sciences sit together, in third, fourth and fifth place. Law stands out because it's tough at both ends. It had the highest share of E and U grades and one of the lowest shares of A* and A grades.

Maths is the surprise. It's in the top 10 for low grades, yet 42.5% of Maths entries got an A* or A, well above the all-subject figure of 28.5%. Maths results are spread out: lots of students do brilliantly, and a fair number find it very hard.

Some smaller subjects had even higher shares of E and U grades. Statistics (1,140 entries) had 22.0%, Accounting (2,820 entries) had 17.2% and Environmental Science (2,521 entries) had 15.7%. They're left out of the table only because of the entry cut-off.

If you're eyeing A-level Law because you want to study law at university, check first whether law schools even ask for it. Our guide to what A-levels you need for law shows what they look for on their own course pages.

What are the easiest A-levels?

These are the 10 subjects with the lowest share of E and U grades in 2026, again counting only subjects with at least 5,000 UK entries.

"Easiest" needs a bit of care. Very few students got an E or U in these subjects, but that doesn't mean top grades came easily. Film Studies, English Language and Media Studies all had fewer A* and A grades than the all-subject figure. They're subjects where most people land somewhere in the middle.

Two labels are worth explaining. Other Modern Languages is one combined row in JCQ's table. French, German, Spanish, Irish and Welsh each have rows of their own, so as the name suggests, this one groups the remaining modern languages together. JCQ also notes that Art and Design covers a range of related subjects, so it isn't one single course.

What changes if you rank by top grades instead?

The picture flips quite a bit. These are the subjects with the fewest and the most A* and A grades in 2026, among those with 5,000 or more entries.

Physics and Chemistry are in the hardest 10 for low grades, but they also had more A* and A grades than the all-subject figure of 28.5% (32.5% and 32.3%). Meanwhile, some of the "easiest" subjects by low grades had the fewest top grades of all.

That's why a single "hardest A-level" ranking can mislead you. The answer depends on what worries you more: scraping a pass, or reaching an A*.

Is Further Maths the hardest A-level?

It's often called the hardest, and the content really is demanding. But the 2026 results don't show it that way. 58.9% of Further Maths entries got an A* or A, and only 4.2% got an E or U.

A likely reason is who takes it. Cambridge says strong applicants for STEM courses usually study Further Maths as a fourth subject, which suggests the students sitting it tend to be confident mathematicians already. So if Maths isn't your strongest subject, those national figures won't tell you much about how you'd do.

Do harder A-levels give you more UCAS points?

No. UCAS says a qualification's Tariff value depends on its size and the grade you achieve. The subject doesn't come into it, so every A-level earns the same points for the same grade:

An A* in Further Maths is worth 56 points, exactly the same as an A* in Film Studies. An E is worth 16 in any subject. You can add up your own total with the A-level UCAS points calculator or look at the full A-level UCAS points table.

Where subject choice really matters is entry requirements. UCAS says some universities refer to Tariff points in their entry requirements, so points aren't always how an offer is written. Nottingham's Law LLB, for example, asks for AAA at A-level for 2027 entry. Our guide to how A-levels work covers the basics.

Picking a "harder" subject won't earn you bonus points. Picking one you can get a high grade in will.

Which A-levels do universities prefer?

Universities mostly prefer the subjects their courses need, plus strong grades. There isn't one master list.

The Russell Group used to publish a list of "facilitating subjects" for students who weren't sure what to study. It no longer does, and says that now its Informed Choices website exists, the list isn't needed. It also says facilitating subjects were never the only ones to consider. Its starting advice is simple: begin with the subjects you like and are good at.

Some courses do limit how many practical or less traditional subjects you can offer. Nottingham's Law LLB for September 2027 entry says combinations where more than one subject out of three is non-traditional or practical are not normally accepted. Its examples include art, film studies, drama, media and communication studies, and sports and physical education studies. Rules like this vary a lot, so check every course you're interested in.

What you need also depends on the degree:

• Engineering: our guide to what A-levels you need for engineering shows which maths and science subjects each branch asks for.
• Law: the law A-levels guide covers subjects, grades and the LNAT.
• Medicine: see our medicine entry requirements guide for the subjects medical schools ask for.
• Other degrees: browse UCAS points by degree subject for typical offers, such as computer science or psychology.

If you're aiming for the most selective universities, our guide to Russell Group universities explains how they make offers.

Is it better to do 4 A-levels or 3?

For most students, three is the right number. Cambridge says most applicants study three or four A-levels, but its offers are usually based on three taken together in Year 13, and taking four will not normally give you an advantage. The exception it mentions is Further Maths, which strong STEM applicants usually take as a fourth subject.

A fourth A-level also means less time for each of the others. If it would pull your grades down, it's working against you. Our guide on how many A-levels you should take goes through the pros and cons.

How should you choose your A-levels?

Use the national data as background, then decide based on you.

1. Start with the degree. If you have a course in mind, check which subjects it requires before anything else.
2. Back your strengths. Your GCSE results and your teachers' views are a far better guide than national results.
3. Don't avoid a subject just because it's "hard". Physics and Chemistry had more low grades than average, but they also had more top grades.
4. Watch for limits on practical subjects. If you want two or more creative or practical subjects, check your target courses accept that mix.
5. Check your predicted points. Once you have predicted grades, put them into the predicted grades calculator to see where you stand.

Work out your A-level UCAS points