GCSE and A-level grade boundaries
A grade boundary is the lowest mark that earns a grade. In the June 2026 GCSE Maths Higher papers, grade 4 needed 63 of 240 marks with AQA, 50 of 240 with Pearson Edexcel, 57 of 300 with OCR and 28 of 240 with WJEC Eduqas, and grade 7 needed 166, 146, 170 and 116 marks respectively. Every figure below is copied from the board's own document, with the link beside it.
Read on 29 October 2026. Raw marks for the whole qualification, not a single paper. To practise on earlier papers, the past papers finder opens each board's own page.
GCSE Maths Higher: grade 4 is 12% to 26% of the marks, depending on the board
The boards set their own totals, so 63 marks on one paper and 57 on another are not the same share. The percentage is our arithmetic: the published boundary divided by the qualification's maximum mark.
| Board | Grade 7 | Grade 4 | Out of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA 8300 | 166 | 63 | 240 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel 1MA1 | 146 | 50 | 240 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCR J560 | 170 | 57 | 300 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC Eduqas C300PH | 116 | 28 | 240 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
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Every qualification is listed below.
GCSE Maths: grade 4 takes 12% to 26% of the Higher marks and 44% to 64% of the Foundation marks
Higher tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8300 Mathematics | 240 | 219 | 192 | 166 | 131 | 97 | 63 | 46 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1MA1 Mathematics | 240 | 208 | 177 | 146 | 114 | 82 | 50 | 34 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ560 Mathematics | 300 | 264 | 217 | 170 | 132 | 94 | 57 | 38 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC EduqasC300PH Mathematics | 240 | 185 | 150 | 116 | 86 | 57 | 28 | 13 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
Foundation tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8300 Mathematics | 240 | 187 | 154 | 115 | 76 | 38 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1MA1 Mathematics | 240 | 181 | 151 | 110 | 69 | 29 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ560 Mathematics | 300 | 183 | 133 | 96 | 59 | 23 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC EduqasC300PF Mathematics | 240 | 154 | 121 | 88 | 55 | 22 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
GCSE English Language: grade 4 takes 45% to 54% of the marks across 4 boards
| Board and qualification | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8700 English Language | 160 | 122 | 112 | 103 | 93 | 84 | 75 | 55 | 35 | 16 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1EN0 English Language | 160 | 132 | 123 | 115 | 105 | 96 | 87 | 67 | 47 | 27 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ351 English Language | 160 | 132 | 121 | 110 | 98 | 86 | 75 | 58 | 42 | 26 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC EduqasC700QS English Language | 200 | 153 | 141 | 129 | 115 | 102 | 89 | 68 | 47 | 27 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
GCSE English Literature: grade 4 takes 29% to 47% of the marks across 4 boards
| Board and qualification | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8702 English Literature | 160 | 142 | 127 | 113 | 97 | 81 | 66 | 49 | 33 | 17 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1ET0 English Literature | 160 | 136 | 126 | 116 | 102 | 88 | 75 | 56 | 37 | 18 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ352 English Literature | 160 | 135 | 119 | 104 | 85 | 66 | 47 | 35 | 24 | 13 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC EduqasC720QS English Literature | 200 | 151 | 139 | 128 | 114 | 101 | 88 | 66 | 45 | 24 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
GCSE Combined Science: grade 4-4 takes 26% to 34% of the Higher marks and 48% to 57% of the Foundation marks
Higher tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 9-9 | 8-8 | 7-7 | 6-6 | 5-5 | 4-4 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8464 Combined Science: Trilogy | 420 | 298 | 262 | 228 | 188 | 149 | 111 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1SC0 Combined Science | 360 | 282 | 251 | 221 | 183 | 145 | 108 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ250 Combined Science A (Gateway Science) | 360 | 275 | 248 | 222 | 188 | 154 | 121 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ260 Combined Science B (Twenty First Century Science) | 360 | 257 | 231 | 206 | 172 | 139 | 107 | OCR, June 2026 |
Foundation tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 5-5 | 4-4 | 3-3 | 2-2 | 1-1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8464 Combined Science: Trilogy | 420 | 276 | 238 | 178 | 120 | 62 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1SC0 Combined Science | 360 | 231 | 194 | 142 | 91 | 41 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ250 Combined Science A (Gateway Science) | 360 | 209 | 174 | 132 | 90 | 48 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ260 Combined Science B (Twenty First Century Science) | 360 | 218 | 189 | 143 | 97 | 51 | OCR, June 2026 |
Combined Science awards two grades, so 4-4 means two grade 4s. The columns show the matching pairs; the boards also publish the pairs in between, such as 5-4, in the linked document.
GCSE Biology: grade 4 takes 26% to 42% of the Higher marks and 51% to 64% of the Foundation marks
Higher tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8461 Biology | 200 | 133 | 120 | 107 | 88 | 70 | 52 | 43 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1BI0 Biology | 200 | 170 | 158 | 147 | 126 | 105 | 84 | 73 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ247 Biology A (Gateway Science) | 180 | 141 | 131 | 121 | 103 | 86 | 69 | 60 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ257 Biology B (Twenty First Century Science) | 180 | 138 | 124 | 110 | 91 | 72 | 53 | 43 | OCR, June 2026 |
Foundation tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8461 Biology | 200 | 144 | 127 | 91 | 55 | 19 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1BI0 Biology | 200 | 132 | 115 | 84 | 53 | 22 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ247 Biology A (Gateway Science) | 180 | 112 | 93 | 68 | 43 | 18 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ257 Biology B (Twenty First Century Science) | 180 | 112 | 91 | 71 | 52 | 33 | OCR, June 2026 |
GCSE Chemistry: grade 4 takes 22% to 42% of the Higher marks and 48% to 59% of the Foundation marks
Higher tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8462 Chemistry | 200 | 155 | 137 | 120 | 94 | 68 | 43 | 30 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1CH0 Chemistry | 200 | 165 | 146 | 127 | 103 | 79 | 55 | 43 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ248 Chemistry A (Gateway Science) | 180 | 163 | 151 | 139 | 118 | 97 | 76 | 65 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ258 Chemistry B (Twenty First Century Science) | 180 | 138 | 124 | 111 | 93 | 75 | 57 | 48 | OCR, June 2026 |
Foundation tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8462 Chemistry | 200 | 132 | 110 | 81 | 52 | 24 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1CH0 Chemistry | 200 | 137 | 118 | 88 | 59 | 30 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ248 Chemistry A (Gateway Science) | 180 | 120 | 100 | 76 | 52 | 29 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ258 Chemistry B (Twenty First Century Science) | 180 | 107 | 87 | 66 | 45 | 24 | OCR, June 2026 |
GCSE Physics: grade 4 takes 34% to 44% of the Higher marks and 59% to 63% of the Foundation marks
Higher tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8463 Physics | 200 | 157 | 142 | 128 | 107 | 87 | 67 | 57 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1PH0 Physics | 200 | 163 | 148 | 134 | 113 | 92 | 71 | 60 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ249 Physics A (Gateway Science) | 180 | 152 | 141 | 131 | 114 | 97 | 80 | 71 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ259 Physics B (Twenty First Century Science) | 180 | 141 | 130 | 119 | 103 | 87 | 71 | 63 | OCR, June 2026 |
Foundation tier
| Board and qualification | Out of | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA8463 Physics | 200 | 141 | 126 | 92 | 58 | 24 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel1PH0 Physics | 200 | 135 | 118 | 88 | 59 | 30 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRJ249 Physics A (Gateway Science) | 180 | 123 | 108 | 80 | 53 | 26 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRJ259 Physics B (Twenty First Century Science) | 180 | 121 | 106 | 84 | 62 | 40 | OCR, June 2026 |
A-level Maths: an A* takes 83% to 87% of the marks across 3 boards
| Board and qualification | Out of | A* | A | B | C | D | E | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA7357 Mathematics | 300 | 260 | 219 | 182 | 145 | 108 | 72 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel9MA0 Mathematics | 300 | 254 | 210 | 173 | 136 | 100 | 64 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRH240 Mathematics A | 300 | 250 | 208 | 172 | 136 | 100 | 65 | OCR, June 2026 |
A-level Biology: an A* takes 71% to 77% of the marks across 4 boards
| Board and qualification | Out of | A* | A | B | C | D | E | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA7402 Biology | 260 | 199 | 174 | 146 | 118 | 90 | 63 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel9BI0 Biology B | 300 | 218 | 189 | 160 | 131 | 102 | 73 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel9BN0 Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) | 300 | 220 | 196 | 170 | 144 | 119 | 94 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRH420 Biology A | 270 | 204 | 176 | 150 | 124 | 98 | 72 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRH422 Biology B (Advancing Biology) | 270 | 193 | 173 | 153 | 134 | 115 | 96 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC EduqasA400QS Biology | 300 | 229 | 204 | 175 | 147 | 119 | 91 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
A-level Chemistry: an A* takes 74% to 87% of the marks across 4 boards
| Board and qualification | Out of | A* | A | B | C | D | E | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA7405 Chemistry | 300 | 255 | 220 | 181 | 142 | 104 | 66 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel9CH0 Chemistry | 300 | 246 | 212 | 176 | 140 | 104 | 68 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRH432 Chemistry A | 270 | 234 | 200 | 164 | 128 | 92 | 56 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRH433 Chemistry B (Salters) | 270 | 226 | 198 | 167 | 136 | 105 | 74 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC EduqasA410QS Chemistry | 300 | 222 | 193 | 164 | 135 | 106 | 78 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
A-level Physics: an A* takes 74% to 83% of the marks across 4 boards
| Board and qualification | Out of | A* | A | B | C | D | E | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA7408 Physics, Astrophysics option | 250 | 191 | 162 | 136 | 111 | 86 | 61 | AQA, June 2026 |
| AQA7408 Physics, Electronics option | 250 | 188 | 159 | 134 | 109 | 85 | 61 | AQA, June 2026 |
| AQA7408 Physics, Engineering physics option | 250 | 190 | 161 | 135 | 109 | 83 | 58 | AQA, June 2026 |
| AQA7408 Physics, Medical physics option | 250 | 186 | 157 | 132 | 107 | 82 | 57 | AQA, June 2026 |
| AQA7408 Physics, Turning points in physics option | 250 | 187 | 158 | 133 | 108 | 83 | 58 | AQA, June 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel9PH0 Physics | 300 | 239 | 215 | 182 | 149 | 117 | 85 | Pearson Edexcel, June 2026 |
| OCRH556 Physics A | 270 | 207 | 178 | 151 | 124 | 97 | 70 | OCR, June 2026 |
| OCRH557 Physics B (Advancing Physics) | 270 | 215 | 185 | 155 | 125 | 95 | 66 | OCR, June 2026 |
| WJEC EduqasA420QS Physics | 320 | 265 | 237 | 199 | 161 | 123 | 85 | WJEC Eduqas, June 2026 |
AQA publishes a separate boundary for each A-level Physics option, so it has one row per option.
Why the numbers change between summers
AQA says its boundaries are set by senior examiners and assessment experts once all the papers are marked, because only then can they see how hard students found the paper compared with earlier years. The aim is that a student who performs at a certain level gets the same grade whichever year they sit the exam (AQA grade boundaries).
WJEC Eduqas makes the same point from the paper side: papers are written to the same level of difficulty but vary from year to year, and the boundaries keep the grade tied to the performance (WJEC Eduqas grade boundaries). This page holds the June 2026 series only, so it cannot show how far a boundary moved.
What is and is not on this page
71 qualification rows from the 8 documents below. Only the overall boundaries for the whole qualification are used, never the notional component boundaries, which the boards describe as a guide and not official grades. If a figure could not be read in a board's own document it is left out.
Not in the documents read:
- GCSE Combined Science: WJEC Eduqas
- GCSE Biology: WJEC Eduqas
- GCSE Chemistry: WJEC Eduqas
- GCSE Physics: WJEC Eduqas
- A-level Maths: WJEC Eduqas
AQA's second combined science course (8465), Pearson English Language 2.0, AS levels, Further Maths and every other subject are not included.
The documents every figure comes from
- AQA: Grade boundaries, June 2026 exams, GCSE. Published 20 August 2026, version 1.0. Subject grade boundaries, first two sections of the document.
- AQA: Grade boundaries, June 2026 exams, A-level. Published 13 August 2026, version 1.0. Subject grade boundaries, not the notional component boundaries.
- Pearson Edexcel: Grade Boundaries, Edexcel GCSE (9-1), June 2026. Overall qualification boundaries in raw marks.
- Pearson Edexcel: Grade Boundaries, Edexcel GCE AS/A Level, June 2026. Overall A level boundaries in raw marks.
- OCR: GCSE (9-1) qualification and notional component raw mark grade boundaries, June 2026 series. Published 25 September 2026, version 1.1. The "Overall" qualification rows, not the component rows.
- OCR: A Level qualification and notional component raw mark grade boundaries, June 2026 series. Published 14 September 2026, version 1.2. The "Overall" qualification rows, not the component rows.
- WJEC Eduqas: GCSE Grade Points, June 2026. Qualification rows (entry codes ending PF, PH or QS), not the component rows.
- WJEC Eduqas: GCE A Level Grade Points, June 2026. Qualification rows (entry codes ending QS), not the component rows.
All 8 were read on 29 October 2026. Boards can reissue a document, so check your board's own page before relying on a mark for a decision.