What do
I need?

June 2026 · GCSE and A-level

The grade
boundary report2026

Compare the highest and lowest thresholds, the biggest moves and the spread across subjects.

Dataset: 68 qualifications · 3 boards · Snapshot 15 September 2026

How wide is
the gap?

For GCSE grade 9, the thresholds in this dataset run from 66.5% to 91.3%. The matching A-level A* range is 60.0% to 88.0%.

That is a striking spread of percentages. It tells us what the published assessments required for those grades. It does not measure the relative effort, ability or knowledge needed in each subject.

GCSE views exclude Foundation and Combined Science. A board’s separate entry options remain separate, labelled rows. This is a report on our coverage, not a complete national census. Each chart shows one ranked entry per qualification; exact option labels are retained.

GCSE: the highest grade 9 thresholds

All 42 entries →
MathematicsAQA · 8300 · Higher tier91.3%Chemistry A: GatewayOCR · J248 · Higher tier90.6%Computer ScienceAQA · 8525 · C# (8525A)88.9%English LiteratureAQA · 870288.8%DramaOCR · J31688.5%Computer ScienceOCR · J27788.1%MathematicsOCR · J560 · Higher tier88.0%MusicPearson Edexcel · 1MU087.0%

A level: the highest A* thresholds

All 29 entries →
Drama and TheatrePearson Edexcel · 9DR088.0%MathematicsAQA · 735786.7%Chemistry AOCR · H43286.7%Economics APearson Edexcel · 9EC086.0%ChemistryAQA · 740585.0%MathematicsPearson Edexcel · 9MA084.7%Mathematics AOCR · H24083.3%Computer ScienceOCR · H44682.6%

The lower end of the GCSE scale

Order from lowest →
BiologyAQA · 8461 · Higher tier66.5%PsychologyPearson Edexcel · 1PS068.9%BusinessAQA · 813273.9%English LanguageAQA · 870076.3%ChemistryAQA · 8462 · Higher tier77.5%

Grade 9 can start at a lower percentage where an assessment makes marks harder to obtain. Coursework, component weighting, mark schemes and candidate cohorts further complicate comparisons. Here is the fuller explanation, with Ofqual sources.

GCSE grade 9 · 2025 → 2026

The biggest rises

BusinessOCR · J204 · GCSE+5.0 ppEnglish LiteratureAQA · 8702 · GCSE+3.8 ppChemistry A: GatewayOCR · J248 · Higher tier+2.8 ppComputer ScienceAQA · 8525 · C# (8525A)+2.8 pp

Same grade, same entry, same maximum

The biggest falls

BiologyAQA · 8461 · Higher tier-4.0 ppComputer SciencePearson Edexcel · 1CP2 · GCSE-4.0 ppMathematicsPearson Edexcel · 1MA1 · Higher tier-3.8 ppDramaOCR · J316 · GCSE-1.0 pp

These are percentage-point movements, not percentage changes. A five-point rise is not evidence that an exam became five per cent harder.

We’ll score our
2027 predictions

The 2027 guesses are frozen now. You can inspect the backtest and download them. When the real boundaries are published, we’ll compare every guess with the actual result.

Open the 2027 forecast →
Report coverage, source checks and reproducibility

The dataset includes AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel records. 102 qualification-option-year records include direct source URLs and page references. Earlier records retain their official source URLs and provenance tags; not every historical record has received a fresh line-by-line source audit.

Every percentage is 100 × boundary ÷ the published qualification maximum. Rankings use unrounded values. Ties use competition ranks. There is no averaging across boards or conversion of Combined Science double grades into single grades. The comparison tool can download its filtered table.

The entry count depends on level, year, grade, tier and board. Multiple routes within one qualification can appear separately. This can affect the composition of rankings and summary statistics.

Open the official source list →