Year by year
Every bar below is the national figure, every England board blended. 2022 grades were the assessed-grades peak, and the reset since is visible in the shape of each year. Board by board, the same years look different; the explorer has that view.
National (JCQ · England)
Board by board · 2026
Differences between boards reflect who enters each board as much as any difference in standard. The data shows the divergence; it does not explain it.
National reference: 7+ 20.2% · 30,902 entries
Sociology is also offered at A-level: see the A-level distribution →
Grade distributions reflect who enters a subject as much as the exam itself, so nothing on this page is a difficulty ranking. Figures are published cumulative percentages from JCQ and the awarding bodies; per-grade shares are derived by subtracting adjacent bands. How the data is sourced and worked out.