GCSE guide · checked October 2026
GCSE Statistics, explained simply
Two exams, no coursework, and a subject that sits alongside GCSE Maths rather than replacing it. This page shows how AQA and Edexcel set the papers, the marks your child really needs for each grade, and how to practise. Pick your exam board and tier and the page changes to match.
- 2 exams
- Calculator allowed
- No coursework
- Grades 9 to 1
Exam board
Tier
Not sure which board? Ask your child's school, or check the front of a mockA practice exam, usually set by school a few months before the real thing. paper. How to find your exam board
The exams at a glance
AQA GCSE Statistics (8382), Higher tier. 2 papers, 3 hours 30 minutes of exams and 160 marks in total. Each paper is worth 50% of the grade.
Specification: AQA GCSE Statistics (8382)
What's in the exams
Neither board publishes a percentage for each topic, so there are no bars here. AQA organises the course into five content areas, A to E (planning a strategy, collecting data, drawing graphs and charts, calculating statistics to compare data, and interpreting results), plus a Statistical Enquiry Cycle question. Edexcel groups it into three: collecting data; processing, representing and analysing data; and probability.
Foundation or Higher?
Foundation
Grades 1 to 5. The questions are more guided and use simpler data. A 5 is the top grade, so it suits students aiming for a standard pass (4) or a strong pass (5).
Higher
Grades 4 to 9, with a 3 allowed if you just miss a 4. Your child must sit both papers at the same tier. The risk: fall below the grade 3 mark and you get no grade at all.
The marks you really need for each grade
You do not need 90% for a top grade. Grade boundaries are set after the exams are marked, so a grade stays the same standard even when the papers are harder. These are the real AQA Higher boundaries from June 2026:
Source: AQA, GCSE grade boundaries June 2026. Boundaries change slightly every year. See grade boundaries for every subject
Your target score in practice papers
Sit a full set of past papers under timed conditions every few weeks. Work out the percentage for each set, ignore your single worst result (everyone has an off day) and average the rest. Aim for:
77%
to secure a grade 9
67%
to secure a grade 8
57%
to secure a grade 7
We add 5 percentage points to last year's boundary, because boundaries move a little each year and exam nerves cost marks.
Past paper mock builder
Pick an exam series and we'll set out the full AQA Higher mock: which papers to sit, how long to allow and where to download them. Then type in your marks to see the grade they would have earned.
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Paper 1, June 2026 · Calculator allowed · 1 hour 45 minutes
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Paper 2, June 2026 · Calculator allowed · 1 hour 45 minutes
Download the papers and mark schemes: AQA official past papers or Save My Exams past papers. Exam boards keep the most recent series for schools only for a while, so if the newest one isn't there, take the one before.
Enter your marks for each paper to see the grade they would have earned.
What Statistics is really about
Where the word comes from
"Statistics" comes from the New Latin statisticum, "of the state", and the Italian statista, a person who works in government. The German scholar Gottfried Achenwall used Statistik in the 1740s for facts a state needed to know about itself.
Where it comes from
Counting people to run a country is old. In 1662 the London shopkeeper John Graunt published the first study of the weekly Bills of Mortality, spotting patterns in who died and where. In the 1850s Florence Nightingale used charts to show that most army deaths in the Crimea were from disease, not wounds, and changed hospital practice. GCSE Statistics teaches the same habit of mind: collect the data, display it fairly, then say what it does and does not show.
Why it's still taught
Almost every subject that uses numbers leans on statistics: psychology, biology, geography, economics, business and the social sciences all ask students to read graphs, judge samples and question claims. GCSE Statistics is a useful extra for those routes, but it does not replace GCSE Maths, which sixth forms, apprenticeships and universities still ask for. Not every school offers it, so ask yours first.
How to do well in GCSE Statistics
Learn the language
Words like sample, bias, outlier, correlation and quartile appear in almost every question. Precise vocabulary earns marks.
Practise with real data
Use a calculator to find means, ranges and quartiles from tables until it is quick and accurate.
Draw graphs by hand
Histograms, box plots, scatter graphs and cumulative frequency curves all appear. Practise drawing them neatly and labelling the axes.
Always comment on the context
Many marks are for saying what a result means for the situation in the question, not just for the calculation.
Rehearse the Statistical Enquiry Cycle
AQA includes a question that follows a whole enquiry, from planning to review. Practise writing about each stage in order.
Mark it, then redo it
After each past paper, mark it with the mark scheme and redo every question you dropped a week later.
Swipe for more tips →
The three best places to revise
Our teachers' picks. We have no connection with these sites.
Maths Genie
A free guide to how the GCSE Statistics papers are set out and what to expect.
Save My Exams: AQA GCSE Statistics
Past papers sorted by paper for AQA. Some content is paid.
Office for National Statistics
Free official UK data on people, jobs, prices and health, ideal for practising how to read real figures.
Online GCSE Statistics tutors
A tutor who knows your exam boardThe organisation that sets and marks the exam, such as AQA, Edexcel or OCR. Each has its own syllabus., live one-to-one on Zoom, Meet or Teams. It starts with a free 45-minute assessment.
From about £30 an hour for one-to-one online lessons. Your exact price depends on the tutor and how many hours a week: use our price calculator.
Questions parents ask
Is GCSE Statistics the same as the statistics in GCSE Maths?
No. GCSE Maths has a short probability and statistics section, worth about 15% of the exam. GCSE Statistics is a separate qualification that goes much deeper into collecting, displaying and interpreting data.
Which exam boards offer GCSE Statistics?
AQA (8382) and Pearson Edexcel (1ST0). OCR does not offer a GCSE Statistics qualification, so this page shows the two boards that do.
Do you need 90% to get a grade 9?
No. The marks needed are set after the exams are marked. In June 2026 a grade 9 on the Higher tier needed 114 out of 160 with AQA (about 71%) and 129 out of 160 with Edexcel (about 81%).
Is a calculator allowed?
Yes, in both papers on both boards. AQA says a calculator must meet the Joint Council for Qualifications rules and have the usual basic functions; statistical functions are helpful but not required.
Can my child take GCSE Statistics instead of GCSE Maths?
No. It is an additional qualification. Most sixth forms and employers still ask for a grade 4 or 5 in GCSE Maths.
When should GCSE Statistics tutoring start?
Early in Year 10 leaves time to learn the vocabulary and graph skills. Many families start in Year 11, and a focused plan built around the past papers still makes a real difference.
Not sure where your child stands?
Our free 45-minute assessment often uses a real past paperA real exam from a previous year, used for practice., so you'll know their likely grade and exactly what to work on. Lessons online across the UK, or at our seven London hubs.