GCSE grade boundaries
GCSE grade boundaries for AQA, Edexcel and OCR from every recent exam series, by paper and for the whole subject, with a free calculator that turns your marks into a grade.
AQA grade boundaries
- AQA GCSE Geography (8035)
- AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062)
- AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies (8100)
- AQA GCSE Business (8132)
- AQA GCSE Economics (8136)
- AQA GCSE History (8145)
- AQA GCSE Psychology (8182)
- AQA GCSE Sociology (8192)
- AQA GCSE Dance (8236)
- AQA GCSE Drama (8261)
- AQA GCSE Music (8271)
- AQA GCSE Mathematics (8300)
- AQA GCSE Statistics (8382)
- AQA GCSE Biology (8461)
- AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462)
- AQA GCSE Physics (8463)
- AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464)
- AQA GCSE Computer Science (8525)
- AQA GCSE Design and Technology (8552)
- AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572)
- AQA GCSE Physical Education (8582)
- AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585)
- AQA GCSE French (8652, exams from 2026) (8652)
- AQA GCSE French (8658, exams to 2025) (8658)
- AQA GCSE German (8662, exams from 2026) (8662)
- AQA GCSE German (8668, exams to 2025) (8668)
- AQA GCSE Spanish (8692, exams from 2026) (8692)
- AQA GCSE Spanish (8698, exams to 2025) (8698)
- AQA GCSE English Language (8700)
- AQA GCSE English Literature (8702)
- AQA GCSE Engineering (8852)
Edexcel grade boundaries
OCR grade boundaries
About grade boundaries
- What are grade boundaries?
- The lowest raw mark needed for each grade on a paper or a whole qualification. Exam boards set them after marking, so they can make up for a paper being a little harder or easier than usual.
- When are grade boundaries published?
- On results day, in August for the summer exams (and in January for November resits). Until then, use last year’s boundaries as a guide.
- Why do grade boundaries change every year?
- Each year’s papers are slightly different. If a paper was harder, the boundaries go down so students are not penalised; if it was easier, they go up. That keeps a grade 5 worth the same from year to year.
- How do I use grade boundaries with past papers?
- Do a past paper under timed conditions, mark it with the mark scheme, then look up that paper’s boundaries for the same exam series. On LycoLearn, the past paper pages do this for you.
- What is the difference between paper and subject boundaries?
- Paper boundaries are for one exam paper. Subject boundaries are for your total across all the papers, which is what decides your final grade.