June 2026 · AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR
GCSE and A-Level grade boundaries
The marks needed for the key grades in June 2026, for every subject in our guides and each exam board, with the percentage of the total marks. Boundaries change every year, so use them as a guide to what a grade usually takes.
Grade boundaries by subject
9 subjects shown.
GCSE Maths
AQA 8300 Foundation, out of 240
Grade 5: 187 (78%) · Grade 4: 154 (64%)
AQA 8300 Higher, out of 240
Grade 9: 219 (91%) · Grade 7: 166 (69%) · Grade 5: 97 (40%) · Grade 4: 63 (26%)
Pearson Edexcel 1MA1 Foundation, out of 240
Grade 5: 181 (75%) · Grade 4: 151 (63%)
Pearson Edexcel 1MA1 Higher, out of 240
Grade 9: 208 (87%) · Grade 7: 146 (61%) · Grade 5: 82 (34%) · Grade 4: 50 (21%)
OCR J560 Foundation, out of 300
Grade 5: 183 (61%) · Grade 4: 133 (44%)
OCR J560 Higher, out of 300
Grade 9: 264 (88%) · Grade 7: 170 (57%) · Grade 5: 94 (31%) · Grade 4: 57 (19%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026; Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026.
GCSE English Language
AQA 8700 out of 160
Grade 9: 122 (76%) · Grade 7: 103 (64%) · Grade 5: 84 (52%) · Grade 4: 75 (47%)
Pearson Edexcel 1EN0 out of 160
Grade 9: 132 (82%) · Grade 7: 115 (72%) · Grade 5: 96 (60%) · Grade 4: 87 (54%)
OCR J351 out of 160
Grade 9: 132 (82%) · Grade 7: 110 (69%) · Grade 5: 86 (54%) · Grade 4: 75 (47%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026; Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026.
GCSE Combined Science
AQA 8464 Foundation, out of 420
Grade 5-5: 276 (66%) · Grade 4-4: 238 (57%)
AQA 8464 Higher, out of 420
Grade 9-9: 298 (71%) · Grade 7-7: 228 (54%) · Grade 5-5: 149 (35%) · Grade 4-4: 111 (26%)
Pearson Edexcel 1SC0 Foundation, out of 360
Grade 5-5: 231 (64%) · Grade 4-4: 194 (54%)
Pearson Edexcel 1SC0 Higher, out of 360
Grade 9-9: 282 (78%) · Grade 7-7: 221 (61%) · Grade 5-5: 145 (40%) · Grade 4-4: 108 (30%)
OCR J250 Foundation, out of 360
Grade 5-5: 209 (58%) · Grade 4-4: 174 (48%)
OCR J250 Higher, out of 360
Grade 9-9: 275 (76%) · Grade 7-7: 222 (62%) · Grade 5-5: 154 (43%) · Grade 4-4: 121 (34%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026 (Combined Science: Trilogy); Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026 (Combined Science A, Gateway).
GCSE English Literature
AQA 8702 out of 160
Grade 9: 142 (89%) · Grade 7: 113 (71%) · Grade 5: 81 (51%) · Grade 4: 66 (41%)
Pearson Edexcel 1ET0 out of 160
Grade 9: 136 (85%) · Grade 7: 116 (72%) · Grade 5: 88 (55%) · Grade 4: 75 (47%)
OCR J352 out of 160
Grade 9: 135 (84%) · Grade 7: 104 (65%) · Grade 5: 66 (41%) · Grade 4: 47 (29%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026; Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026.
GCSE Biology
AQA 8461 Foundation, out of 200
Grade 5: 144 (72%) · Grade 4: 127 (64%)
AQA 8461 Higher, out of 200
Grade 9: 133 (66%) · Grade 7: 107 (54%) · Grade 5: 70 (35%) · Grade 4: 52 (26%)
Pearson Edexcel 1BI0 Foundation, out of 200
Grade 5: 132 (66%) · Grade 4: 115 (58%)
Pearson Edexcel 1BI0 Higher, out of 200
Grade 9: 170 (85%) · Grade 7: 147 (74%) · Grade 5: 105 (52%) · Grade 4: 84 (42%)
OCR J247 Foundation, out of 180
Grade 5: 112 (62%) · Grade 4: 93 (52%)
OCR J247 Higher, out of 180
Grade 9: 141 (78%) · Grade 7: 121 (67%) · Grade 5: 86 (48%) · Grade 4: 69 (38%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026; Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026 (Biology A, Gateway).
GCSE Chemistry
AQA 8462 Foundation, out of 200
Grade 5: 132 (66%) · Grade 4: 110 (55%)
AQA 8462 Higher, out of 200
Grade 9: 155 (78%) · Grade 7: 120 (60%) · Grade 5: 68 (34%) · Grade 4: 43 (22%)
Pearson Edexcel 1CH0 Foundation, out of 200
Grade 5: 137 (68%) · Grade 4: 118 (59%)
Pearson Edexcel 1CH0 Higher, out of 200
Grade 9: 165 (82%) · Grade 7: 127 (64%) · Grade 5: 79 (40%) · Grade 4: 55 (28%)
OCR J248 Foundation, out of 180
Grade 5: 120 (67%) · Grade 4: 100 (56%)
OCR J248 Higher, out of 180
Grade 9: 163 (91%) · Grade 7: 139 (77%) · Grade 5: 97 (54%) · Grade 4: 76 (42%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026; Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026 (Chemistry A, Gateway).
GCSE Physics
AQA 8463 Foundation, out of 200
Grade 5: 141 (70%) · Grade 4: 126 (63%)
AQA 8463 Higher, out of 200
Grade 9: 157 (78%) · Grade 7: 128 (64%) · Grade 5: 87 (44%) · Grade 4: 67 (34%)
Pearson Edexcel 1PH0 Foundation, out of 200
Grade 5: 135 (68%) · Grade 4: 118 (59%)
Pearson Edexcel 1PH0 Higher, out of 200
Grade 9: 163 (82%) · Grade 7: 134 (67%) · Grade 5: 92 (46%) · Grade 4: 71 (36%)
OCR J249 Foundation, out of 180
Grade 5: 123 (68%) · Grade 4: 108 (60%)
OCR J249 Higher, out of 180
Grade 9: 152 (84%) · Grade 7: 131 (73%) · Grade 5: 97 (54%) · Grade 4: 80 (44%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026; Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026 (Physics A, Gateway).
GCSE Computer Science
AQA 8525 out of 180
Grade 9: 160 (89%) · Grade 7: 136 (76%) · Grade 5: 93 (52%) · Grade 4: 72 (40%)
Pearson Edexcel 1CP2 out of 150
Grade 9: 118 (79%) · Grade 7: 88 (59%) · Grade 5: 60 (40%) · Grade 4: 46 (31%)
OCR J277 out of 160
Grade 9: 141 (88%) · Grade 7: 124 (78%) · Grade 5: 92 (58%) · Grade 4: 77 (48%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026 (same for all three language options); Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026; OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026.
GCSE Geography
AQA 8035 out of 252
Grade 9: 204 (81%) · Grade 7: 166 (66%) · Grade 5: 130 (52%) · Grade 4: 112 (44%)
Edexcel A 1GA0 out of 256
Grade 9: 207 (81%) · Grade 7: 176 (69%) · Grade 5: 140 (55%) · Grade 4: 123 (48%)
Edexcel B 1GB0 out of 256
Grade 9: 215 (84%) · Grade 7: 182 (71%) · Grade 5: 140 (55%) · Grade 4: 120 (47%)
OCR B J384 out of 200
Grade 9: 157 (78%) · Grade 7: 133 (66%) · Grade 5: 106 (53%) · Grade 4: 93 (46%)
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026; Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026 (Geography A); Pearson, Grade boundaries Edexcel GCSE (9-1) June 2026 (Geography B); OCR, GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries June 2026 (Geography B).
Questions about grade boundaries
What are grade boundaries?
Grade boundaries are the minimum marks needed for each grade in an exam. Exam boards set them after each exam series, once papers are marked, so they can go up or down from one year to the next.
Why do boundaries change every year?
Boards set boundaries after marking, taking account of how hard the papers turned out to be, so a harder paper usually has lower boundaries. That is why last year’s boundaries are a guide, not a promise.
Where do these figures come from?
Each figure comes from the exam board’s own published grade boundaries for the series shown, listed under each subject. Our subject guides show every grade, paper by paper.
How can I use these boundaries?
Mark a past paper using the board’s mark scheme, add up your total and compare it with the boundaries to see roughly what grade it would have been. Aim a little above the boundary to leave a safety margin.
Related: All subject guidesExam dates 2027Exam boards explainedHow to use mark schemes like an examiner
Aiming for a higher grade?
Our GCSE students typically improve by 2 grades over 12 weeks of weekly lessons (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment.