A-level and AS-level results - check them here
This may be due to a Government push to encourage pupils to take these subjects, as well as a backlash against fears that students have been taking so-called "softer" subjects such as media studies.
There was a fall in the number of candidates taking biology.
Languages also saw a slump in popularity this year, as entries for both French and German fell. There were 552 fewer entries for A-levelFrench, which saw an increase in candidates last year.
Jim Sinclair, director of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), said: "These are excellent results. They are the outcome of hard work of students and teachers, who deserve to be congratulated.
"It is particularly good to report improved uptake and outcomes for mathematics and science."
More than 300,000 teenagers sat the exams this year.
Mike Cresswell, director general of the AQA, insisted there was no evidence to suggest exams were getting easier.
He said: "The improvements differ between regions so naive dumbing-down arguments do not wash."
He welcomed the increase in the number of science students.
He said: "The three of the sciences are coming through strongly.
"It’s a good news story for the sciences."
He added that the increase in the volume of economics results could be attributed to "the dreaded word credit crunch".
He revealed French and German continued their "slow long-term decline".
But less mainstream languages - including Chinese and Urdu - are growing.
Dr Cresswell said the differing breakdown of results region-by-region proved exams were not getting easier. Student exam papers are marked the same nationwide.
He added: "There are no easy options at A-level. If exams were getting easier, we would see trends across the regions.
"There are very significant differences in the improvements.
"The North East and London are the biggest improvers in grade A."
