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Can I get a grade 9?

Tier

Across full past-paper sets, marked to the mark scheme.

How much do your totals vary?

Typical: about 12 marks either way (about 5% of the marks).

Edexcel Maths Higher

Enter your typical mark

Questions people ask

What mark do I need for a grade 9 in GCSE Maths?

It changes every year. In June 2026, Higher tier grade 9 needed 219 of 240 at AQA, 208 of 240 at Pearson Edexcel and 264 of 300 at OCR.

How many people get a grade 9?

In June 2026, 3.8% of Pearson Edexcel's 530,142 Maths entries (UK), 3.5% of AQA's 182,547 and 3.0% of OCR's 84,036 got a 9, across both tiers. That is a share of everyone, not anyone's chance.

How many people get all 9s?

Very few. Among 16-year-olds in England taking seven or more GCSEs in 2026, Ofqual reports 0.2% got all grade 9s. You cannot multiply subject chances to get this: results in different subjects are linked.

Keep going

How we work this out

What it does

Test your typical mark against the last three grade 9 boundaries, with the spread and improvement you choose.

GCSE (9-1) Maths, English Language, English Literature, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Combined Science from AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR, in England. Higher tier and untiered subjects; Foundation cannot award a 9.

Method

  1. You give your typical total on full past-paper sets, how much it varies and any improvement you want to assume.
  2. We treat your summer total as a Normal spread around that average, and ask how often it reaches the grade boundary, rounding to whole marks: chance for one year = Φ((average + improvement − (boundary − 0.5)) ÷ spread).
  3. We do that for each of the last three comparable summer boundaries and average them with equal weight.
  4. Example: Pearson Edexcel Maths Higher, average 210 of 240, spread 12 marks, no improvement, against 197, 217 and 208 gives 58% in this scenario; year by year it runs from 29% to 87%.

Published figures

Grade 9 boundaries since 2018

No exams were sat in 2020 or 2021; 2022 was graded more generously on purpose.

Maths Higher and English, June series. Checked 26 September 2026.
Subject2018201920222023202420252026
AQA Maths Higher /240201206214214219219219
Edexcel Maths Higher /240202198194203197217208
OCR Maths Higher /300256256242242245258264
AQA English Language /160128127119121121119122
Edexcel English Language /160133135127131132131132
OCR English Language /160129131126129130129132
AQA English Literature /160135141–135137136142
Edexcel English Literature /160133132–132133135136
OCR English Literature /160142136100/120134133133135

How many 16-year-olds got all 9s in 2026 (England)

Ofqual, by number of GCSEs taken
GCSEs takenStudentsAll grade 9All grade 7+
19,08513.4%29.4%
215,4406.3%22%
312,5305.5%23.7%
413,2103.1%15%
520,4701.2%8%
646,1050.4%3.1%
7107,6400.1%1.8%
8172,5900.1%2.5%
9189,6100.2%5.7%
1073,2050.8%16%
118,6701%21%
12 or more240Suppressed20.7%