What are the easiest GCSE subjects?

Students ask me every year when choosing their GCSE options. While there is no single subject that is objectively “easy”, GCSE results can give us an interesting indication of which subjects have the highest proportion of students achieving top grades.

The latest 2026 figures show the percentage of students achieving Grade 7 or above across a range of popular GCSE subjects. Some subjects have seen particularly strong results this year, while others have remained relatively stable or even fallen slightly.

So, based on Grade 7–9 results, which subjects could be considered the easiest GCSE subjects in 2026?

Which GCSE Subjects Have the Highest Grade 7–9 Rates?

The subjects with the highest percentage of students achieving Grade 7 or above in 2026 are:

At first glance, the separate sciences dominate the table.

Nearly half of Chemistry students achieved a Grade 7 or above in 2026, while Physics and Biology were not far behind.

However, that does not necessarily mean Chemistry is the easiest GCSE subject.

Is Chemistry the Easiest GCSE Subject?

Chemistry had the highest Grade 7–9 rate in the data, with 47.4% of students achieving at least a Grade 7 in 2026.

That is up from 46.4% in 2025 and 44.1% in 2019.

Physics follows closely behind at 46.3%, while Biology sits at 44.4%.

These figures look extremely high compared with subjects such as Maths or English Language, but there is an important reason to be cautious when interpreting them.

Students taking separate GCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics are often part of a Triple Science programme. Schools may select stronger science students for this route, or students may choose it because they are already confident in science.

That means the group sitting Chemistry GCSE is not necessarily comparable with the entire GCSE Maths or English cohort.

So while Chemistry has the highest percentage of top grades, the results alone cannot prove that it is the easiest GCSE.

Spanish Had One of the Biggest Improvements in 2026

Spanish stands out in this year’s results.

The percentage of students achieving Grade 7 or above increased from 26.0% in 2025 to 27.8% in 2026.

That represents an increase of approximately 6.9% compared with last year.

Looking further back, Spanish has remained relatively consistent:

• 2019: 25.7%
• 2024: 25.5%
• 2025: 26.0%
• 2026: 27.8%

The jump in 2026 makes Spanish one of the biggest movers among the subjects in the data.

If you enjoy languages and are comfortable with vocabulary, listening, speaking and written exams, Spanish could therefore be one of the more attractive GCSE options.

But again, your own strengths are far more important than national averages.

Is Maths One of the Easiest GCSE Subjects?

In 2026, 22.3% of Mathematics students achieved Grade 7 or above.

That is an increase from:

• 20.4% in 2019
• 21.2% in 2024
• 21.5% in 2025
• 22.3% in 2026

The proportion of high grades has therefore gradually increased over recent years.

However, Maths sits considerably below subjects such as Chemistry, Physics and Religious Studies when we simply compare Grade 7–9 percentages.

There is also another major difference: almost every student takes GCSE Maths.

That means the Maths results include students across a very wide range of abilities, whereas some optional subjects may attract students who are already particularly strong in that area.

This makes it difficult to use national results alone to label Maths as either an easy or difficult GCSE.

Religious Studies Performs Particularly Well

Religious Studies had one of the highest top-grade rates outside the separate sciences.

In 2026, 31.7% of students achieved Grade 7 or above.

That compares with:

• 30.5% in 2019
• 30.9% in 2024
• 31.0% in 2025
• 31.7% in 2026

Results have therefore remained consistently strong.

Religious Studies can suit students who are good at:

• Writing structured arguments
• Remembering key beliefs and teachings
• Explaining different viewpoints
• Evaluating statements
• Using evidence to support an answer

For a student who enjoys essay-based subjects, it could reasonably be considered one of the easier GCSE options for them personally.

What About Computing?

Computing also has a relatively high proportion of Grade 7–9 results.

In 2026, 29.7% of students achieved Grade 7 or above.

That is particularly interesting when compared with 2019, when the figure was only 21.4%.

The percentage has risen considerably over time:

• 2019: 21.4%
• 2024: 28.1%
• 2025: 29.5%
• 2026: 29.7%

Students who enjoy logical thinking, algorithms, problem-solving and programming may therefore find Computing a strong GCSE choice.

It is unlikely to feel easy, however, if coding and computational thinking are areas you struggle with.

French and Spanish Both Have Strong Top-Grade Rates

Languages perform relatively well in the 2026 figures.

French recorded a Grade 7+ rate of 29.4%, while Spanish reached 27.8%.

French has also seen a substantial increase over the longer term, rising from 22.9% in 2019 to 29.4% in 2026.

Language GCSEs can be challenging because students are assessed across several different skills, including:

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

But students with a genuine interest in languages may find them easier than heavily mathematical or scientific subjects.

Which GCSE Subjects Had the Lowest Grade 7–9 Rates?

At the other end of the table, some subjects had considerably lower proportions of Grade 7–9 results.

English Language recorded 19.4%, while English Literature recorded 19.9%.

Business Studies was similar at 19.5%.

Double Award Science had the lowest figure in the table at just 9.2%.

However, this does not mean Double Science is automatically the hardest GCSE.

Students taking Double Science receive two GCSE grades across a broad science curriculum, so comparing its statistics directly with individual Chemistry, Biology or Physics GCSEs can be misleading.

GCSE Subjects With the Biggest Changes Since 2025

Some of the most interesting results come from looking at how 2026 compares with 2025.

Spanish experienced the largest increase, rising from 26.0% to 27.8%.

Other increases included:

• Mathematics: 21.5% to 22.3%
• Religious Studies: 31.0% to 31.7%
• Chemistry: 46.4% to 47.4%
• Physics: 45.4% to 46.3%
• French: 28.9% to 29.4%

Some subjects remained almost unchanged.

Biology stayed at 44.4%, while History remained at 26.2%.

English Language fell slightly from 19.5% to 19.4%, while English Literature fell from 20.3% to 19.9%.

Art and Design saw a slightly larger decrease, moving from 23.8% to 23.4%.

So, What Are the Easiest GCSE Subjects?

If we use the percentage of students achieving Grade 7 or above as our only measure, the subjects at the top of the list are:

1. Chemistry
2. Physics
3. Biology
4. Religious Studies
5. Computing
6. French
7. History
8. Geography
9. Art & Design

But this ranking needs context.

A high Grade 7–9 rate does not automatically mean a subject is easy.

Different subjects attract different students, schools may have different entry policies, and compulsory subjects such as Maths and English are taken by almost everybody.

The easiest GCSE subjects for you will usually be the subjects that match your strengths.

A student who loves writing essays may find History or Religious Studies easier than Physics. Someone who enjoys numbers and problem-solving may find Maths much easier than English Literature.

How Should You Choose Your GCSE Subjects?

Do not choose a GCSE simply because you have heard it is easy.

Instead, consider:

• Which subjects you currently perform well in
• Which lessons you actually enjoy
• Whether the subject suits the way you like to learn
• How the GCSE is assessed
• Whether it will be useful for A-levels or your future plans
• What your teachers recommend

GCSE options are much easier to manage when you have some genuine interest in the subjects you choose.

Final Thoughts

There is no definitive answer to which are the easiest GCSE subjects.

The 2026 results show that Chemistry, Physics and Biology have the highest percentages of students achieving Grades 7–9, while Religious Studies, Computing, French and Spanish also perform strongly.

But these statistics should not be treated as a difficulty ranking.

The best GCSE subject for one student could be the hardest for another.