What are the OCR AS Grade Boundaries in 2023 and Why They Matter

Grade boundaries set by OCR are the minimum number of marks you need to score in your AS exam to achieve a certain grade. The grade boundaries change for every exam series, so they will be different in 2023 than they were in previous years. Grade boundaries are set after your OCR AS exams have been marked, so you won’t know the exact grade boundaries for the 2023 exams before you take them.

This article will provide you with the grade boundaries for OCR AS 2023, help you interpret them, and provide tools to help you succeed in your exams.

Subject	Year	Maximum Mark	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AS GCE Ancient History	2023	120	-	85	72	59	46	33
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Art, Craft and Design: Personal Investigation	2023	80	-	72	63	54	45	37
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Critical And Contextual Studies: Personal Investigation	2023	80	-	72	63	54	45	37
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Fine Art: Personal Investigation	2023	80	-	72	63	54	45	37
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Graphic Communication: Personal Investigation	2023	80	-	72	63	54	45	37
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Photography: Personal Investigation	2023	80	-	72	63	54	45	37
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Textile Design: Personal Investigation	2023	80	-	72	63	54	45	37
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Three-Dimensional Design: Personal Investigation	2023	80	-	72	63	54	45	37
AS GCE Biology A	2023	140	-	86	75	64	54	44
AS GCE Business	2023	120	-	80	70	60	51	42
AS GCE Chemistry A	2023	140	-	108	93	78	63	49
AS GCE Chemistry B (Salters)	2023	140	-	91	77	63	49	36
AS GCE Classical Civilisation: Option A: 11+21	2023	130	-	99	89	79	70	61
AS GCE Classical Civilisation: Option B: 11+22	2023	130	-	103	92	81	70	60
AS GCE Classical Greek	2023	160	-	114	101	88	75	63
AS GCE Computer Science	2023	140	-	96	82	68	55	42
AS GCE Design and Technology: Design Engineering	2023	180	-	139	119	99	79	59
AS GCE Design and Technology: Fashion and Textiles	2023	180	-	133	116	99	82	66
AS GCE Design and Technology: Product Design	2023	180	-	133	116	99	82	66
AS GCE Drama and Theatre	2023	200	-	150	131	112	93	74
AS GCE Economics	2023	120	-	87	76	65	54	44
AS GCE English Language	2023	120	-	91	79	67	55	44
AS GCE English Language and Literature (EMC)	2023	100	-	76	67	58	50	42
AS GCE English Literature	2023	120	-	103	91	79	68	57
AS GCE Film Studies	2023	150	-	116	99	82	66	50
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y532+Y533	2023	180	-	120	105	91	77	63
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y532+Y534	2023	180	-	115	101	87	73	59
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y532+Y535	2023	180	-	109	95	82	69	56
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y533+Y534	2023	180	-	119	105	91	78	65
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y533+Y535	2023	180	-	113	100	87	74	62
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y534+Y535	2023	180	-	108	95	82	70	58
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y411+Y412	2023	180	-	125	111	97	83	70
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y411+Y413	2023	180	-	114	101	88	76	64
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y411+Y414	2023	180	-	120	106	92	78	64
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y412+Y413	2023	180	-	127	114	101	89	77
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y412+Y414	2023	180	-	133	119	105	91	77
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y413+Y414	2023	180	-	122	109	96	83	71
AS GCE Geography	2023	150	-	91	80	69	59	49
AS GCE Geology	2023	120	-	57	48	40	32	24
AS GCE History A: Y136-Y138 & Y143 - British period study and enquiry Y243, Y249, Y251-Y253 - Non-British period study	2023	100	-	68	58	48	39	30
AS GCE Latin	2023	160	-	116	103	90	78	66
AS GCE Law	2023	128	-	77	64	51	39	27
AS GCE Mathematics A	2023	150	-	96	81	67	53	39
AS GCE Mathematics B (MEI)	2023	140	-	105	93	81	70	59
AS GCE Media Studies	2023	100	-	64	55	46	37	29
AS GCE Music	2023	250	-	183	162	141	120	100
AS GCE Physical Education	2023	200	-	129	113	97	82	67
AS GCE Physics A	2023	140	-	89	76	64	52	40
AS GCE Physics B (Advancing Physics)	2023	140	-	98	85	72	59	47
AS GCE Psychology	2023	150	-	101	90	79	68	57
AS GCE Religious Studies	2023	180	-	142	125	108	91	74
AS GCE Sociology	2023	150	-	106	93	80	68	56

Source: OCR

Examiner-written AS revision resources that improve your grades 2x

Written by expert teachers and examiners
Aligned to exam specifications
Everything you need to know, and nothing you don’t

What is the best way to prepare for your AS OCR exam?

The best way to prepare for your OCR AS exam is to start your revision early. Begin with a list of topics for all your AS courses and highlight the ones you are the most unsure about. Create a revision timetable with short periods of focus, giving the most time to these topics.

Ideally, you will want to revise all the topics for each subject, but often there just isn’t time. Prioritising topics will help you make the best use of the time you do have, and will give you the biggest increase in marks for your AS exams.

Use revision notes to revise OCR AS content. Flashcards are a great tool to practice recall, reinforce key concepts and boost memory retention. Then use exam questions to test your understanding and identify any areas that you are still unsure of.

It is also super helpful to use 2023 OCR AS past exam papers to practice your exam technique. Set a timer for the amount of time allowed for your OCR AS exam, and sit the paper under exam conditions. This will help you to manage your time more effectively. It will also help increase your exam stamina! It is difficult to concentrate and to write for extended periods, so you need to practice this before the big day.

Explore AS Study Tools

How to interpret 2023 grade boundaries for OCR AS exams

Grade boundaries are established by exam boards such as OCR to reflect student performance in any given year. It is important to understand that the AS grade boundaries are set after the AS exams have been marked.

A variety of methods are used to ensure the grade boundaries are set fairly. Statistical analysis and examiner judgement are used to ensure the grade boundaries are fair and consistent with previous years.

Each AS exam paper is different, so the level of difficulty of the paper as a whole can fluctuate slightly from year to year. For example, if an entire cohort of students finds an exam paper particularly difficult, the grade boundary is lowered slightly so that students are not unfairly penalised.

Looking at the OCR AS grade boundaries for previous years can help you get an idea of the marks you need in 2023 to achieve the grade you want. With this information and your OCR AS past paper scores, you can get an idea of the grade you are currently working at. You will be able to see how many marks you would have needed to get the higher grade. Armed with this information and an effective revision process, you can successfully work to increase your grade.

A word of caution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the OCR AS grade boundaries were lowered to minimise the disadvantage faced by students who missed school due to lockdowns. Therefore, the grade boundaries for the OCR AS years 2020 to 2022 will not be representative of other years.

Looking for OCR AS subject specific grade boundaries?

OCR AS grade boundaries from other years

Share this article