GCSE and A-Level Grade Boundaries Explained (And How to Use Them While You Revise)
Every August, thousands of students open an envelope and think the same thing: how did 62 marks turn into a grade 6? Grade boundaries are one of the most misunderstood parts of the exam system, and one of the most useful things to understand while you are still revising. This guide explains what grade boundaries actually are, why they move every year, where to find the real ones, and how to use them to make your revision sharper rather than more anxious. What a grade boundary actually is A grade boundary is the minimum number of marks needed to achieve a particular grade. If the grade 6 boundary in a GCSE is 148 out of 240, then 148 marks is a 6 and 147 marks is a 5. Nothing else about the two scripts matters. Two things about that usually surprise students: Boundaries are set in marks, not percentages. There is no fixed rule that 70 per cent is an A or that 50 per cent is a pass. Boundaries are set after every paper has been marked , not before. Nobody knew the number on the day you...