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GCSE grades as percentages

Tier

From the board's grade boundary document for the series you want to compare with.

Leave a paper blank if you have not sat it yet.

AQA 8300 Higher

Choose a grade

Take the boundary from AQA's grade boundaries page. Independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR.

Your result

AQA GCSE Maths has three papers of 80 marks on both tiers, so grades are set on a total out of 240.

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GCSE grade boundaries are set on each qualification's total, which runs from 160 to 420 marks across the 27 GCSE specifications here.

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Questions people ask

What percentage is a grade 4 at GCSE?

It depends on the board, subject and tier, and changes every year. Divide the board's grade 4 boundary by the qualification total (for example out of 240 for AQA and Edexcel Maths) to get it as a percentage.

Is a grade 7 70%?

Not as a rule. A grade 7 is a boundary in marks that the board sets after each series, so as a share of the total it differs by subject, tier and year.

What letter grade is a 5?

A 5 sits between a high C and a low B. The bottom of a 4 lines up with the bottom of the old C (Ofqual).

Why do grade boundaries change?

Boards set them after marking so that a grade means the same standard each year, even when a paper turns out harder or easier.

How we work this out

What it does

Pick your GCSE subject and board, enter the board's boundary for your target grade and your paper marks: see the gap and what the papers left must average.

Paper structures for 27 current GCSE specifications from AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR: the papers, the marks each is out of and the grades on offer. No boundary figures: the boards do not allow their tables to be republished, so you type the boundary from the board's page.

Method

  1. Pick the specification, tier and options you sit. We show the papers and the marks each is out of.
  2. Type the boundary for your target grade from the board's grade boundary document for the series you want to compare with.
  3. Enter your paper marks, leaving blank any paper you have not sat. Where the board scales a paper, its mark is multiplied by the board's factor first.
  4. We add your marks and compare the total with the boundary you typed: the gap, and the share of the remaining marks you would need.