GCSE grade boundaries, 2026.
The marks each grade took in the June 2026 GCSEs, across every paper together, for AQA, Edexcel and OCR. Move the score, or tap a grade.
A boundary gives the grade, not the reason. A tutor marks a real paper and shows where the marks went: paper marking.
Same grade, different marks.
In AQA Maths a 4 took 154 marks on Foundation and 63 on Higher, out of 240. Higher questions are harder, and Foundation stops at a 5.
Foundationgrades 1 to 5
- 1: 38 marks
- 2: 76 marks
- 3: 115 marks
- 4: 154 marks
- 5: 187 marks
Highergrades 3 to 9
- 3: 46 marks
- 4: 63 marks
- 5: 97 marks
- 6: 131 marks
- 7: 166 marks
- 8: 192 marks
- 9: 219 marks
Their school decides the tier. On Higher, a 3 can be awarded when a 4 is just missed. GCSE Maths tutoring
Every boundary, June 2026.
Total marks for each grade across every paper, as each board published them. A 4 is a standard pass, and in English and maths a 5 is a strong pass.
| Grade | AQA8300 | Edexcel1MA1 | OCRJ560 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 187 | 181 | 183 |
| 4 | 154 | 151 | 133 |
| 3 | 115 | 110 | 96 |
| 2 | 76 | 69 | 59 |
| 1 | 38 | 29 | 23 |
| Out of | 240 | 240 | 300 |
| Grade | AQA8300 | Edexcel1MA1 | OCRJ560 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 219 | 208 | 264 |
| 8 | 192 | 177 | 217 |
| 7 | 166 | 146 | 170 |
| 6 | 131 | 114 | 132 |
| 5 | 97 | 82 | 94 |
| 4 | 63 | 50 | 57 |
| 3 | 46 | 34 | 38 |
| Out of | 240 | 240 | 300 |
| Grade | AQA8700 | Edexcel1EN0 | OCRJ351 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 122 | 132 | 132 |
| 8 | 112 | 123 | 121 |
| 7 | 103 | 115 | 110 |
| 6 | 93 | 105 | 98 |
| 5 | 84 | 96 | 86 |
| 4 | 75 | 87 | 75 |
| 3 | 55 | 67 | 58 |
| 2 | 35 | 47 | 42 |
| 1 | 16 | 27 | 26 |
| Out of | 160 | 160 | 160 |
| Grade | AQA8525 | Edexcel1CP2 | OCRJ277 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 160 | 118 | 141 |
| 8 | 148 | 103 | 132 |
| 7 | 136 | 88 | 124 |
| 6 | 114 | 74 | 108 |
| 5 | 93 | 60 | 92 |
| 4 | 72 | 46 | 77 |
| 3 | 54 | 33 | 56 |
| 2 | 37 | 20 | 35 |
| 1 | 20 | 8 | 14 |
| Out of | 180 | 150 | 160 |
From each board’s grade boundaries for June 2026: AQA, Edexcel and OCR (PDFs). Each board’s papers carry different marks, so read a total against its own board. Boundaries move a little every year, and one paper on its own is only a rough guide. What each grade means.
Where are their marks going?
A boundary gives the grade. Their free Exam Plan shows where the marks go, from their own answers.
Get their free GCSE Exam PlanFree · No card · Years 9–11 and resits
Keep going
- Grades explainedUnderstand the 9 to 1 GCSE grades, what a pass is and how they compare with the old letters.
- Paper markingGet a real GCSE paper marked and see where the marks went.
- Exam PlanSee what the free Exam Plan gives my child before starting it.
- GCSE MathsDecide whether weekly GCSE Maths tutoring fits my child.