Cambridge A Level Entries Across Southeast Asia Jump 12 Percent in 2026

The 2026 Cambridge International AS and A Level results, released on 11 August, revealed a striking regional picture: entries in Thailand and Indonesia rose 12 per cent year on year, more than double the global increase of 5 per cent. According to Cambridge International, nearly 368,000 students across 3,492 schools in 128 countries received AS and A Level results from a total pool of more than 737,000 entries worldwide.

Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand all recorded strong growth in Cambridge IGCSE entries alongside the A Level surge. Mathematics remained the most popular subject across all four markets; English language, physics and chemistry followed. Business featured in the top five in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, reflecting fast-growing professional aspirations among school-age families across those economies.

What the growth signals

Rod Smith, Cambridge International's Group Managing Director, said it was "encouraging to see continued growth across Southeast Asia, as more students choose Cambridge qualifications for the combination of subject knowledge and skills universities value most." The numbers carry weight for university pathways too: Kevin Ebenezer, Director of University Pathways at Cambridge International, noted that Cambridge learners now represent approximately one in eight international students entering UK universities.

For school operators in the region, the headline figures provide evidence that the British curriculum market remains broadly resilient. Schools in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and Jakarta have collectively expanded their sixth-form provision over the past two years, opening new A Level centres and in several cases introducing the International Baccalaureate Diploma alongside Cambridge qualifications. The 12 per cent growth in entries in Thailand and Indonesia suggests that expanded supply has, so far, been absorbed by demand rather than diluted by it.

Cambridge does not publish pass or grade distributions by country, so the entry growth does not on its own confirm improved outcomes. Operators in the region will be watching their own school-level statistics closely, particularly in markets where competitive pressure from bilingual and local alternatives has intensified at the IGCSE level.

IGCSE and O Level results to follow

Cambridge will release IGCSE and O Level results on 18 August to more than 315,000 students in 4,949 schools globally. That release will give a fuller picture of how the region is performing at the Year 10 and 11 level, where differentiation between schools is often most visible to parents making secondary choices for the year ahead. Several operators in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok have already signalled they will share school-level data directly with families ahead of the official window.