There has been an increase in the number of students opting for "facilitating subjects" at A-level, the Joint Council for Qualifications has revealed.

Facilitating subjects are what the Russell Group determines to be essential in getting onto preferred degrees at top universities and, beyond, "open doors" to more professions.

They include Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, Geography, History, Languages (modern and classical) and Physics.

According to the Joint Council for Qualifications, the number of youngsters sitting biology, chemistry and physics is up by two per cent, further maths is up by 1.5 per cent and maths is up 0.9 per cent.

It is the first time in over a decade that maths has overtaken English to become the most popular subject at A-level.

While the latter experienced a fall of 4.6 per cent, the shift towards facilitating subjects has come at the cost of non facilitating subjects like General Studies and Political Studies, which are respectively down 24.3 per cent and 10.6 per cent.

Commenting on provisional A-level and AS results, which are "relatively stable at a national level", Michael Turner, director general of the Joint Council for Qualifications, said they were very respectable, seeing as the "system has undergone change".

"As ever, students and teachers across the country have worked hard to achieve them and should be congratulated for their efforts and the fruits of their labours," he added.

"It is possible that due to the removal of the January series some schools and colleges may experience volatility in their results, depending on how they have adapted to the changes. But it is important to remember that standards have been maintained and, despite the changes, are comparable with previous years."

Despite record numbers of students being accepted into university, the overall pass rate for A-levels is down, the first time in 30 years. For the third successive year, A* and A grades have fallen from 26.3 per cent to 26 per cent.