Core maths (CM) qualifications were introduced into the post-16 curriculum in England in 2014, with first assessments in 2016. They are a suite of qualifications aimed at students who achieve a grade 4 (originally a grade C) or higher at GCSE Maths but do not go on to take AS or A level Maths. This group comprised around 40% of all students in 2013, when the qualification was proposed (DfE, 2013). Its stated main purpose was to increase participation in post-16 maths and to help develop students' mathematical knowledge and its application to a range of different areas. This means CM qualifications may help students in subjects which have some mathematical content, such as geography, business, engineering, and the sciences. The main purpose of the research presented here was to investigate whether there is any evidence that taking a CM qualification is beneficial to students in terms of their performance on other qualifications (with a quantitative element) taken concurrently. The authors also investigated uptake of CM amongst students with different background characteristics, and which other qualifications and subjects CM was most likely to be combined with. [This work was carried out in the Secure Research Service, part of the Office for National Statistics (ONS).]