Question 1

What are Edexcel International A-Level Biology grade boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Edexcel International A-Level Biology (specification YBI11) is a unitised qualification: you sit six exam units across two years, not three papers at the end. Each unit has its own raw-mark boundaries per grade, published by Pearson every summer once marking is complete. Because units are worth different UMS totals depending on their maximum raw mark, Pearson publishes both a **raw** boundary (the actual marks you need on that paper) and a **UMS** boundary (the uniform-mark-scale equivalent).

The raw boundaries move a little from year to year, because every paper is a slightly different test. The UMS row stays fixed by design: it's calibrated to smooth out paper difficulty across years.

Question 2

How is A* awarded in Edexcel International A-Level Biology?

Accepted Answer

A* on International A-Level isn't a single fixed UMS threshold like grades A to E. It's a **compound rule** with two conditions you have to meet at the same time:

**1. Grade A overall.** Your combined UMS across all six units must be at least 480 out of 600 (an A grade at cash-in level).

**2. 90% of UMS on your A2 units.** Your aggregated UMS across the three A2 units (Units 4, 5 and 6) must be at least 324 out of 360 (which is 90%).

Because the second condition is measured on the A2 half only, students who did particularly well on their A2 units (rather than getting evenly distributed marks across all six) are more likely to lift into A*. That's why the A2 units in the table above have their own A* raw-mark row: those are the marks you'd need on that specific unit to be on track for the compound A* threshold.

Question 3

What does UMS mean and why does the UMS row never change?

Accepted Answer

UMS stands for Uniform Mark Scale. Pearson uses it so that marks from different units and different exam series can be compared fairly. The idea is simple: each unit has a fixed UMS maximum (usually 120 for a written unit worth up to 90 raw marks, or 60 for a practical unit worth up to 50 raw marks). The grade boundaries on the UMS row are fixed proportions of that maximum: 80% for an A, 70% for a B, 60% for a C, 50% for a D and 40% for an E, plus 90% for A* on A2 units.

What in fact varies each year is the raw-to-UMS conversion. If a paper turns out more difficult than usual, fewer raw marks convert to the same UMS score. If it's more accessible, the conversion is stricter. The upshot is that your UMS score reflects your standard of achievement, not the specific paper's difficulty in that series.

Question 4

What's the 'cash-in' row at the bottom of the table?

Accepted Answer

'Cash-in' is Pearson's term for aggregating your unit UMS scores into a single qualification grade. There are two cash-ins for International A-Level Biology: **International AS (XBI11)**, which combines Units 1, 2 and 3 into a 300-UMS total, and **International A Level (YBI11)**, which combines all six units into a 600-UMS total.

The AS cash-in is a standalone qualification you can leave with after year one. The A-Level cash-in is the full qualification. The UMS thresholds at cash-in level are always 480 (A), 420 (B), 360 (C), 300 (D) and 240 (E) : the fixed 80/70/60/50/40 percent proportions.

Question 5

When are the Edexcel International A-Level Biology grade boundaries published?

Accepted Answer

Pearson normally publishes International A-Level grade boundaries at 8am on results day for each series. International A-Level runs both a January and a June exam series each year, with separate boundaries for each. The boundaries land on Pearson's grade boundaries page in a dedicated 'International AS/A Level' PDF, alongside UK domestic A-Level boundaries in a separate document.

We update this page shortly after each series is released, so you can look up your unit total against the fresh boundaries and see what grade it would have earned.

Question 6

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 on the raw row.** Sit a unit paper timed, mark it against the official mark scheme, then look at the raw-mark row for that unit in the table above. That's what your total would have converted to on that year's exam. If you're aiming for a specific grade, the raw column for that grade is your target.

**Track your UMS across all units.** Once you've sat a few units, add up your raw scores' UMS equivalents. That running UMS total is what will decide your final grade at cash-in. Our [past papers by year](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/biology/iedexcel/past-papers/by-year) tab has every unit's paper and mark scheme in one place, and our [structured exam practice](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/biology/iedexcel/exam-practice/structured) is grouped by unit and topic so you can work on the ones where you're losing marks.

Question 7

Can I use Cognito for Edexcel International A-Level Biology exam practice?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our full [Edexcel International A-Level Biology course](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/biology/iedexcel) is free and covers the whole YBI11 specification across all six units. You'll find revision notes written to the spec, self-marking quizzes and flashcards, [structured exam questions](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/biology/iedexcel/exam-practice/structured) grouped by unit and topic with worked answers in mark-scheme style, and [past papers by year](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/biology/iedexcel/past-papers/by-year) with the official mark schemes alongside.

A sensible order once you're deep into revision for a specific unit: work through that unit's topics in the notes, test yourself with the quiz and flashcards, then have a go at structured exam questions on that unit. Come back to full past papers under timed conditions in the two or three weeks before your unit exam.

Series	Max	Grade A	Grade B	Grade C	Grade D	Grade E
Jun 2025 · Unit 1: Molecules, Diet, Transport and HealthLatest	80	54	48	42	36	30
Jun 2025 · Unit 2: Cells, Development, Biodiversity and Conservation	80	57	50	43	37	31
Jun 2025 · Unit 3: Practical Skills in Biology I	50	38	33	28	23	19
Jun 2025 · Unit 4: Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity	90	55	49	44	39	34
Jun 2025 · Unit 5: Respiration, Internal Environment, Coordination and Gene Technology	90	60	53	47	41	35
Jun 2025 · Unit 6: Practical Skills in Biology II	50	38	33	29	25	21
Jun 2024 · Unit 1: Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health	80	49	44	39	35	31
Jun 2024 · Unit 2: Cells, Development, Biodiversity and Conservation	80	58	54	50	46	42
Jun 2024 · Unit 3: Practical Skills in Biology I	50	33	29	25	21	18
Jun 2024 · Unit 4: Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity	90	53	49	45	41	38
Jun 2024 · Unit 5: Respiration, Internal Environment, Coordination and Gene Technology	90	57	53	49	46	43
Jun 2024 · Unit 6: Practical Skills in Biology II	50	38	34	30	26	22
Jun 2023 · Unit 1: Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health	80	48	42	37	32	27
Jun 2023 · Unit 2: Cells, Development, Biodiversity and Conservation	80	55	51	47	43	39
Jun 2023 · Unit 3: Practical Skills in Biology I	50	39	34	29	24	20
Jun 2023 · Unit 4: Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity	90	45	43	41	39	37
Jun 2023 · Unit 5: Respiration, Internal Environment, Coordination and Gene Technology	90	55	51	47	43	39
Jun 2023 · Unit 6: Practical Skills in Biology II	50	43	38	33	28	23
Jun 2022 · Unit 1: Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health	80	37	32	27	23	19
Jun 2022 · Unit 2: Cells, Development, Biodiversity and Conservation	80	45	41	37	33	29
Jun 2022 · Unit 3: Practical Skills in Biology I	50	31	26	22	18	14
Jun 2022 · Unit 4: Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity	90	39	36	33	30	28
Jun 2022 · Unit 5: Respiration, Internal Environment, Coordination and Gene Technology	90	39	35	31	27	23
Jun 2022 · Unit 6: Practical Skills in Biology II	50	31	26	21	16	11

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