Question 1

What are A-Level Physics grade boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Each letter grade in A-Level Physics has a minimum raw mark that determines it. Every 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.

Where the boundary sits varies a little from series to series, 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 aim is that a grade represents the same standard whichever year you happened to sit the exam, even though the raw mark needed will vary between series.

Question 2

Do the boundaries differ between exam boards?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and the differences can be noticeable. Each A-Level Physics specification is a different qualification, with different papers, different mark totals, and different topic weightings. Edexcel's 9PH0 is marked out of 300, AQA's 7408 has Section B optional topics (Astrophysics, Medical Physics, Engineering Physics, Turning Points, Electronics) that add complexity, OCR runs two specs (H556 Physics A and H557 Advancing Physics B), and Cambridge International 9702 uses a weighted 260-mark total.

Because the papers are different, the raw marks needed for each grade are set independently. Pick the specific board you're sitting from the list above to see boundaries for that exact specification.

Question 3

Why do A-Level Physics boundaries change every year?

Accepted Answer

Because no two exam series are identical. Once marking is complete, senior examiners at each board review evidence from the exam series, compare performance with previous years, and recommend where the boundaries should sit for each grade. If the paper turned out more difficult than usual, the boundaries come down. If it was more accessible, they nudge up.

The point of that adjustment is fairness across cohorts: a grade should mean the same thing whichever year you sat it. That's also why comparing raw marks across years can be misleading. The same raw total might have been a C in one series and a B in another, depending on how the papers landed.

Question 4

When are A-Level Physics 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 in the same window, typically within a few days of the results release.

We update each per-board page on this site the same morning with the new row, so you can look up your total against the fresh boundaries and see what grade it would have earned.

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 board's 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 Physics courses](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/physics) cover the main boards with notes, quizzes and exam practice grouped by topic. Head to your board's boundary page from the list above, or jump straight into the course.

Question 6

Can I use Cognito for A-Level Physics exam practice?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our full A-Level Physics courses are free and cover the main UK boards plus Cambridge International. Each course has revision notes written to the spec, self-marking quizzes and flashcards, structured exam questions grouped by topic with worked answers in mark-scheme style, and past papers by year with the official mark schemes.

Pick your board from the list above to open the boundaries page, or head to the [A-Level Physics course hub](https://cognito.org/courses/alevel/physics) to browse everything in one place.

A-Level Physics grade boundaries

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