Question 1

What are A-Level English Language & Literature grade boundaries?

Accepted Answer

A grade boundary is the minimum raw mark you need to achieve each letter grade in A-Level English Language & Literature. 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 shift 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.

Question 2

Do the boundaries differ between exam boards?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each A-Level English Language & Literature specification is a different qualification, with different papers, different total marks, and different topic weightings. That means the raw marks needed for each grade are set independently for each board. Pick the specific board you're sitting from the list above to see boundaries for that exact specification.

Question 3

When are A-Level English Language & Literature 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 publishes per-syllabus grade threshold tables within a few days of the results release.

We update each per-board page on this site the same morning with the new row.

Question 4

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 compare your total against that year's overall boundary on your board's page. That's the grade it would have earned in that series.

**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.

Once you know where you're losing marks, our [A-Level English Language & Literature past papers](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/english-language-literature) collection has every year's paper and mark scheme in one place.

Question 5

Does Cognito have A-Level English Language & Literature past papers?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our free [A-Level English Language & Literature past papers](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/english-language-literature) collection is available for the main UK boards plus Cambridge International, with every published paper and mark scheme in one place.

Pick your board from the list above to open the boundaries page for that specific specification.

A-Level English Language & Literature grade boundaries

Frequently asked questions

Don't let another term slip by

Find your A-Level English Language & Literature grade boundaries

Pick your board