Tes analysis shows entries are down 41 per cent since 2013, with the government accused of showing ‘none of the action required’ to help music flourish.

Provisional entries data for this summer has been released by Ofqual – with sharp drops in computing and French among the standout trends.

Business has been overtaken in subject rankings topped by maths.

Around 23,000 people have signed a petition calling for ‘unusally difficult’ exam to be reviewed, but Pearson Edexcel says the paper was ‘rigorously checked’.

England’s exams regulator, Ofqual, is "closely monitoring" the marking of an A-level maths paper after a petition demanding a review garnered over 15,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.