Question 1

What are A-Level grade boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Grade boundaries are the minimum raw marks you need for each letter grade in an A-Level qualification. Each exam board sets its own boundaries after every summer series, once senior examiners have reviewed the evidence from that year's papers and compared performance with previous years.

Boundaries move a little from year to year, because every paper is a slightly different test. If a paper turns out more difficult than usual, the boundaries come down. If it's more accessible, they nudge up. The point is that a grade represents the same standard whichever year you happened to sit the exam, even though the raw mark needed will vary a bit between series.

Question 2

Do boundaries differ across subjects?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and the differences can be significant. Each A-Level specification has its own total marks, paper structure and topic weightings, so the raw marks needed for each grade are set independently. A grade A in A-Level Maths might sit at a very different raw mark to a grade A in A-Level English Literature, even at the same board.

Pick your subject from the list above to see the boundaries for that specific qualification, then choose your board to see the boundaries for the exact specification you're sitting.

Question 3

When are A-Level grade boundaries published?

Accepted Answer

All the main UK boards (AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel) normally publish A-Level grade boundaries at 8am on A-Level results day, alongside the grades themselves. Cambridge International (CIE) publishes per-syllabus grade threshold tables in the same window, typically within a few days of the results release.

We update every subject page on this site the same morning with the fresh boundaries, so you can look up your total straight away and see what grade it would have earned.

Question 4

What counts as a pass at A-Level?

Accepted Answer

The pass grades at A-Level are A*, A, B, C, D and E. Any of those grades counts as a pass on the qualification. A U (unclassified) is the only outcome that doesn't count as a pass.

UCAS points and university offers are a separate question: many university courses ask for specific grades (often A* to C, sometimes A* to B for competitive courses), so passing the qualification and hitting the grade your offer specifies aren't always the same thing. Check your offer letter for the exact grades needed.

Question 5

How should I use these boundaries when I'm revising?

Accepted Answer

There are two ways worth building into your routine.

**Score your past papers realistically.** Sit a paper timed, mark it against the official mark scheme, and if you've completed a full set of papers, compare your total against that year's overall boundary on your subject and board page. That's the grade it would have earned, and exactly how many marks you were short of the next one. Coming back to this every few weeks tells you far more than any single score, because you can see the trend across your practice.

**Set your target using an average.** A practical target is to aim around the average of the last few years' boundaries for the grade you're going for. That's more realistic than aiming at the highest recent year, in case the next paper is more difficult, and more ambitious than aiming at the lowest, in case it's more accessible.

Once you know where you're losing marks, our [A-Level courses](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel) cover most subjects on the main boards, with revision notes, quizzes, flashcards and exam practice organised by topic so you can work through weak areas without burning a full paper.

Question 6

Can I use Cognito to revise for my A-Levels?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our [A-Level courses](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel) are free and cover most subjects across the main UK boards (AQA, OCR, Edexcel) and Cambridge International. Every course has revision notes written to the spec, self-marking quizzes and flashcards, structured exam questions grouped by topic with worked mark-scheme answers, and past papers by year. Some subjects also have video lessons for the trickier content.

Pick your subject from the list above to see your grade boundaries, or head to the [A-Level course hub](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel) to see the full catalogue.

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

A-Level grade boundaries

Frequently asked questions

Don't let another term slip by

Find your A-Level grade boundaries

Pick your subject