Question 1

How do grade boundaries work?

Accepted Answer

Grade boundaries are the minimum raw mark you need for each grade. The exam board sets them after every exam series, once all the papers have been marked, and publishes them at 8am on results day alongside the grades themselves. They move from year to year because every paper is a slightly different test — if a paper turns out harder than usual, the boundaries come down; if it was easier, they go up. Senior examiners compare the year's marks against previous years and review borderline scripts, so a grade represents the same achievement whichever year you sat it. For revision, treat them as targets: sit a past paper timed, mark it, and look your total up in that year's row of the table. That's the grade it would have earned, and exactly how many marks you are short of the next one.

Question 2

When are the 2026 grade boundaries published?

Accepted Answer

At 8am on results day: Thursday 13 August 2026 for A Level, Thursday 20 August 2026 for GCSE. This page updates the same morning.

Question 3

Is a grade 4 a pass?

Accepted Answer

Grade 4 is the "standard pass" and grade 5 a "strong pass". Most sixth forms and employers treat a 4 in English and maths as the minimum, and a resit is required below it in those two subjects.

Question 4

Can grade boundaries be predicted?

Accepted Answer

Not precisely - they depend on how everyone performed on that exact paper. But they move less than students fear. The three-year range for any given grade is usually only a few marks wide, which makes recent boundaries a reliable revision target.

Subject	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	OCR	OCR Gateway (A)	OCR 21st Century (B)	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	SQA National 5	Edexcel A (Pearson)	Edexcel B (Pearson)
Biology	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	OCR Gateway (A)	OCR 21st Century (B)	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	SQA National 5	—	—
Business Studies	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Chemistry	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	OCR Gateway (A)	OCR 21st Century (B)	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	SQA National 5	—	—
Combined Science	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	OCR Gateway (A)	OCR 21st Century (B)	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Computer Science	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Design & Technology	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	—	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Economics	AQA	—	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
English Language	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
English Literature	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Food & Nutrition	AQA	—	—	OCR	—	—	—	—	—	—
French	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Geography	AQA	—	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	OCR Gateway (A)	OCR 21st Century (B)	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	Edexcel A (Pearson)	Edexcel B (Pearson)
History	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	OCR Gateway (A)	OCR 21st Century (B)	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Maths	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	SQA National 5	—	—
Physical Education	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	—	OCR	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Physics	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	OCR Gateway (A)	OCR 21st Century (B)	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	SQA National 5	—	—
Psychology	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	—	OCR	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sociology	AQA	—	—	—	—	—	Cambridge IGCSE (CIE)	—	—	—
Spanish	AQA	Edexcel (Pearson)	Edexcel International GCSE (Pearson)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Grade Boundaries

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Subject	AQA	AQA A	AQA B	Edexcel	Edexcel A	Edexcel B	Edexcel International	OCR	OCR A	OCR B (Advancing Physics)	Cambridge International
Biology	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
Business Studies	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
Chemistry	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	OCR	—	OCR B (Advancing Physics)	Cambridge International
Computer Science	AQA	—	—	—	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
Economics	AQA	—	—	—	Edexcel A	Edexcel B	Edexcel International	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
English Language	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
English Language & Literature	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	—
English Literature	—	AQA A	AQA B	Edexcel	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
Further Maths	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	—	—	—	Cambridge International
Geography	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
History	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	—	—	—	Cambridge International
Maths	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	—	OCR A	OCR B (Advancing Physics)	Cambridge International
Physical Education	AQA	—	—	—	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	—
Physics	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	Edexcel International	OCR	—	OCR B (Advancing Physics)	Cambridge International
Psychology	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International
Religious Studies	AQA	—	—	Edexcel	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	—
Sociology	AQA	—	—	—	—	—	—	OCR	—	—	Cambridge International

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