The bar charts illustrate the percentages of male and female students who achieved top grades in five subjects – Science, Arts, Maths, Languages and Humanities – in 1960 and 2000.
Overall, male students showed strong performance in Science and Humanities, while females were more successful in Languages and Arts. Over time, the gap between the two genders narrowed in several subjects, with noticeable changes in performance trends.
In 1960, around 35% of males gained top grades in Science, compared with only about 10% of females. However, by 2000 the figures were much closer, at roughly 30% for males and 15% for females. A similar pattern is seen in Maths, where males (30%) outperformed females (about 15%) in 1960, but the difference decreased in 2000. By contrast, females dominated in Languages: nearly 45% scored top marks in 1960 compared with only 20% of males, although the gap reduced by 2000 as male performance improved.
In Arts, the proportion of female students with top grades (30%) was twice as high as males in 1960, and the advantage remained in 2000. For Humanities, males showed a dramatic rise, from just over 20% in 1960 to 45% in 2000, whereas female performance declined slightly over the same period.
In summary, while males were consistently stronger in Science and Humanities, females excelled in Arts and Languages. Over the forty years, differences between genders became less pronounced, with some subjects showing significant shifts in performance.