Calculation methodology

Qualification totals

The calculator adds marks entered for completed or estimated components. Empty boxes are treated as papers still to come. The selected qualification boundary is then reduced by the marks already entered.

The required percentage is calculated from the marks available in the empty components. The result is rounded up to the next whole mark because grade boundaries use whole raw marks.

Published series

An exact-year calculation answers a historical question: what grade would these marks have received under that June series? The first release includes 2019 and 2022–2025.

The recent-range view uses June 2023, June 2024 and June 2025. It reports the lowest, median and highest boundary for the selected grade. June 2022 remains available as a separate exact-year comparison because grading arrangements were transitional.

Qualification boundaries

Final grades are awarded from the combined qualification mark. Notional component boundaries can help with paper-level analysis, though individual paper grades do not combine to create the final qualification grade. The calculations on this site use subject-level qualification boundaries.

Tiers, options and endorsements

Foundation and Higher tiers have separate grade scales and boundary records. AQA Physics optional topics have separate qualification rows where the board publishes them. Spoken-language and practical endorsements are displayed as separate assessment information and contribute no marks to the numerical grade.

Limits

A future boundary cannot be derived from earlier years with certainty. Paper difficulty, cohort performance and awarding decisions all affect the final value. Estimated marks from an unofficial mark scheme may also change before results are issued.