Grade BoundariesAS OCR Grade Boundaries 2023

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

Grade boundaries are the marks you need to hit specific grades in your OCR AS exams. They're different for each exam series, which means the 2023 boundaries will be different from previous years. And, OCR doesn't release these boundaries until after your exams are marked, so you won't know the exact numbers before you sit your papers.

Read on to find out the OCR AS 2023 grade boundaries, and discover how to use the tools that'll help you smash your exams.

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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

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How to interpret 2023 grade boundaries for OCR AS exams

Exam boards like OCR set grade boundaries based on how students perform each year. These boundaries only get decided after all the marking is finished.

OCR uses a mix of statistical analysis and examiner expertise to keep things fair and consistent with previous years. Because every exam paper is slightly different, one year's paper might be a bit harder than another's. If lots of students struggle with a particularly tough paper, the grade boundary drops slightly. That way, nobody gets unfairly penalised.

Checking previous years' OCR AS grade boundaries gives you a pretty good idea of what you'll need to score in 2023 for your target grade. Match this up with your scores on OCR AS past papers and you'll see where you currently stand. You'll spot exactly how many extra marks you need for that higher grade. Then you can focus your revision to bridge that gap.

Important: During the COVID-19 pandemic, OCR lowered the AS grade boundaries for 2020-2022 to help students who'd missed school during lockdowns. Those years aren't typical, so don't rely on them too heavily when predicting your grade.

How do weighted grade boundaries work?

Some courses have more than one exam paper (or component) and not all of them count equally. To make sure each paper gets the importance it deserves, exam boards use something called weighting factors.

Working out your weighted grade

Here's a simple step-by-step guide to how it happens:

You get a raw mark for each paper (this is just the mark the examiner gives you).
Each paper gets multiplied by a weighting factor, which turns it into a weighted mark.
All your weighted marks are added up to give you your total course mark.
This total gets compared with the grade-threshold table for your exam session to decide your final grade.

A quick example

Let's say you're sitting two papers:

Paper 1:
- You score 64 out of 80
- The weighting is 1.25
- So your weighted mark is 64 × 1.25 = 80
Paper 2:
- You score 70 out of 100
- The weighting is 1
- So your weighted mark is 70 × 1 = 70
Your total:
- 150 weighted marks

If the grade B boundary is 150, congratulations – that's your grade!

Remember, grade boundaries change each exam series. This means the same total mark might lead to a different grade in another year. So, don't compare your marks with your friend who sat the exam last summer — the boundaries could be completely different!

Check with OCR to see if your course uses weighted scores.

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

If there's one golden rule to follow, it's to start early. Make a list of every topic across all your AS courses and highlight the ones that make you feel less confident. Then build a revision timetable with short, focused sessions - giving extra time to your more tricky topics.

It's important to revise everything covered in your syllabus. However, focusing on your weaker areas first means you'll see the biggest jump in marks where it counts.

At Save My Exams, our teacher-written resources pinpoint exactly what to revise, help you identify your weak points, and show you how to improve, so you can walk into your exams confident and prepared. Try this:

Use revision notes to nail the OCR AS content.
Then move onto flashcards to test yourself and make information stick.
Once you've got the basics down, practise with some exam questions. They'll show you exactly what you know (and what you don't).

Tip: Practice with 2023 OCR AS past papers under real exam conditions. Set a timer, sit somewhere quiet, and work through the whole paper. This builds your time management skills and, just as importantly, your exam stamina.

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