Question 1

What are OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Grade boundaries are the minimum raw marks you need for each grade pair in OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science (specification J250). Combined Science is a double-award qualification, so you get two grades (a pair like 7-6 or 5-5) rather than one. OCR Gateway A sets the boundaries once marking is complete for the whole cohort, based on how the papers scored and how past cohorts performed.

Question 2

Why is Combined Science graded as a pair (e.g. 7-6, 5-5)?

Accepted Answer

Combined Science counts as two GCSEs' worth of study but you sit fewer papers than a triple science student. To reflect the double weighting, OCR Gateway A awards you a pair of grades that can be adjacent (like 7-6) or equal (like 5-5). The pair is decided by your total combined mark across all Combined Science papers.

Question 3

How do I know if I sat Higher or Foundation Combined Science?

Accepted Answer

Your school decides which tier to enter you for. Higher tier papers target grade pairs 9-9 down to 4-3 (with 3-3 as a safety net if you fall just short). Foundation tier targets 5-5 down to 1-1. If you're not sure which tier you sat, check your statement of entry or ask your teacher, since the paper's tier is printed on the front.

Question 4

When are OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science boundaries published?

Accepted Answer

OCR Gateway A normally publishes GCSE grade boundaries at 8am on GCSE results day, alongside the grades themselves. They land as one large PDF covering every GCSE subject that series.

We update this page shortly after OCR Gateway A releases the boundaries.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Score your past papers realistically. Sit a Combined Science paper timed, mark it against the official mark scheme, and total your marks across all the papers your specification uses. Compare that total to the boundary for the grade pair you're targeting. A [Combined Science (OCR Gateway A) revision course](https://cognito.org/courses/gcse/combined-science/ocr-a) can help you plug specific topic gaps.

Question 6

Can I use Cognito for OCR Gateway A GCSE Combined Science practice?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our [GCSE Combined Science (OCR Gateway A) course](https://cognito.org/courses/gcse/combined-science/ocr-a) covers all three sciences at combined-award depth with notes, quizzes and past papers. You can score your paper attempts against the mark scheme and cross-reference your totals to the boundaries on this page.

If you're closer to results day, our [past-papers library](https://cognito.org/past-papers) has the full set of OCR Gateway A Combined Science papers.

Series	Max	Grade 9-9	Grade 9-8	Grade 8-8	Grade 8-7	Grade 7-7	Grade 7-6	Grade 6-6	Grade 6-5	Grade 5-5	Grade 5-4	Grade 4-4	Grade 4-3
Jun 2025Latest	360	280	266	252	239	226	209	192	175	158	142	126	118
Jun 2024	360	273	260	248	236	224	208	192	176	160	144	129	121
Jun 2023	360	281	268	255	242	229	211	193	176	159	142	125	117
Jun 2022	360	257	243	229	215	201	184	167	151	135	119	103	95

GCSE Combined Science OCR Gateway (A) Grade Boundaries

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