Grade BoundariesOCR AS Grade Boundaries 2027

OCR AS Grade Boundaries 2027: Averages & Why They Matter

Curious about the OCR AS grade boundaries for 2027? If you're sitting your AS exams this year, understanding how grade boundaries work can help you to navigate your results and work out how you've performed.

Grade boundaries are the number of marks you need to hit each grade. It's important to know that they aren't fixed. They shift slightly each year based on how the entire year group finds the exam.

If your paper is particularly difficult, the boundaries might drop to balance things out. Found a paper surprisingly manageable? The boundaries may rise slightly. This system keeps things fair, so students aren't penalised just because they sat a tougher exam than the year before.

This page shows average grade boundaries for OCR AS exams from the past 7 years. These aren't predictions, but they give you a solid idea of what boundaries normally look like.

We'll update this page the moment official 2027 boundaries drop, so bookmark it now and sign up for alerts below.

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Average Grade Boundaries 2027

We've crunched the numbers from the past 7 years to work out average grade boundaries for OCR AS exams. Think of these as your benchmark. It's a way to see what boundaries have typically been in recent years.

All data comes from our Grade Boundary Archive, which tracks consistent patterns across multiple exam sessions.

Subject	Year	Maximum Mark	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AS GCE Classical Greek	2027	160	-	111	97	84	71	58
AS GCE Physical Education: 01 Physiological factors affecting performance	2027	70	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Physical Education: 02 Psychological and socio-cultural themes in physical education	2027	70	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Ancient History	2027	120	-	85	71	57	44	31
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Art, Craft and Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	61	52	44	35
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Fine Art: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	61	52	44	35
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Graphic Communication: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	61	52	44	35
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Photography: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	61	52	44	35
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Textile Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	61	52	44	35
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Three-Dimensional Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	61	52	44	35
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Critical And Contextual Studies: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	61	52	44	35
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Art, Craft and Design: Externally set task	2027	80	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Critical and Contextual Studies: Externally set task	2027	80	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Fine Art: Externally set task	2027	80	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Graphic Communication: Externally set task	2027	80	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Photography: Externally set task	2027	80	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Textile Design: Externally set task	2027	80	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Art and Design: 01 Three-Dimensional Design: Externally set task	2027	80	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Biology A	2027	140	-	84	73	62	52	42
AS GCE Biology B	2027	140	-	78	68	58	48	38
AS GCE Business	2027	120	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Biology B (Advancing Biology)	2027	140	-	24	21	18	14	11
AS GCE Chemistry A	2027	140	-	106	91	77	62	48
AS GCE Chemistry B (Salters)	2027	140	-	16	13	11	8	6
AS GCE Classical Civilisation	2027	130	-	103	92	81	71	61
AS GCE Classical Civilisation: A Option components 11, 21	2027	130	-	100	91	82	73	64
AS GCE Classical Civilisation: B Option components 11, 22	2027	130	-	99	89	79	70	61
AS GCE Classical Civilisation: Option A: 11+21	2027	130	-	97	87	78	69	60
AS GCE Classical Civilisation: Option B: 11+22	2027	130	-	102	92	81	71	61
AS GCE Computer Science	2027	140	-	92	79	66	53	41
AS GCE Design and Technology	2027	180	-	131	114	97	80	64
AS GCE Design and Technology: 01 Design Engineering: Principles of Design Engineering	2027	90	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Design and Technology: 01 Fashion and Textiles: Principles of Fashion and Textiles	2027	90	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Design and Technology: 01 Product Design: Principles of Product Design	2027	90	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Design and Technology: Design Engineering	2027	180	-	139	119	99	79	59
AS GCE Design and Technology: Design Engineering: Product Development (Postal Moderation)	2027	180	-	136	116	96	76	56
AS GCE Design and Technology: Fashion and Textiles	2027	180	-	133	116	99	82	66
AS GCE Design and Technology: Fashion and Textiles: Product Development (Postal Moderation)	2027	180	-	130	113	96	79	63
AS GCE Design and Technology: Product Design	2027	180	-	133	116	99	82	66
AS GCE Design and Technology: Product Design: Product Development (Postal Moderation)	2027	180	-	129	112	95	79	63
AS GCE Drama and Theatre	2027	200	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Economics	2027	120	-	86	75	63	52	41
AS GCE English Language	2027	120	-	86	75	63	52	42
AS GCE English Language: 01 Exploring language	2027	60	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE English Language: 02 Exploring contexts	2027	60	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE English Language and Literature (EMC)	2027	100	-	75	66	57	49	41
AS GCE English Literature	2027	120	-	100	88	75	64	52
AS GCE Film Studies	2027	150	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Further Mathematics A	2027	180	-	88	75	62	49	37
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y532+Y533	2027	180	-	112	98	84	71	57
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y532+Y534	2027	180	-	109	96	82	69	56
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y532+Y535	2027	180	-	109	96	84	71	59
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y533+Y534	2027	180	-	109	96	82	69	56
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y533+Y535	2027	180	-	111	98	86	73	61
AS GCE Further Mathematics A: Option Y531+Y534+Y535	2027	180	-	106	94	81	69	58
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y411+Y412	2027	180	-	111	95	80	64	49
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y411+Y413	2027	180	-	103	88	75	61	48
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y411+Y414	2027	180	-	106	91	77	63	49
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y411+Y415	2027	180	-	103	86	69	52	36
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y412+Y413	2027	180	-	113	99	85	71	58
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y412+Y414	2027	180	-	114	98	83	67	52
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y412+Y416	2027	180	-	118	102	86	70	55
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y413+Y414	2027	180	-	107	93	79	66	53
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI): Option Y410+Y413+Y416	2027	180	-	108	93	78	63	48
AS GCE Geography	2027	150	-	90	78	66	55	44
AS GCE Geology	2027	120	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE History A	2027	100	-	69	59	48	38	27
AS GCE History A (H105)	2027	100	-	67	57	48	39	30
AS GCE History A: Y136-Y138 & Y143 - British period study and enquiry Y243, Y249, Y251-Y253 - Non-British period study	2027	100	-	68	58	48	39	30
AS GCE Latin	2027	160	-	114	100	87	74	61
AS GCE Law	2027	128	-	78	65	51	38	26
AS GCE Mathematics A	2027	150	-	93	78	63	49	34
AS GCE Mathematics B (MEI)	2027	140	-	98	84	71	58	45
Core Maths A (MEI)	2027	144	-	103	90	77	64	52
Core Maths B (MEI)	2027	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Level 3 Certificate Core Maths A (MEI)	2027	144	-	104	91	78	65	52
Level 3 Certificate Core Maths B (MEI)	2027	144	-	103	91	79	67	56
AS GCE Media Studies	2027	100	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Music	2027	250	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Physical Education	2027	200	-	125	109	93	77	62
AS GCE Physics A	2027	140	-	94	81	69	57	45
AS GCE Physics B (Advancing Physics)	2027	140	-	18	16	14	12	10
AS GCE Psychology	2027	150	-	97	86	75	64	53
AS GCE Religious Studies	2027	180	-	137	118	100	81	63
AS GCE Sociology	2027	150	-	-	-	-	-	-
AS GCE Ancient History (01, 02)	2027	120	-	85	72	60	48	36
AS GCE Art and Design: Art, Craft and Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	62	54	46	38
AS GCE Art and Design: Fine Art: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	62	54	46	38
AS GCE Art and Design: Graphic Communication: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	62	54	46	38
AS GCE Art and Design: Photography: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	62	54	46	38
AS GCE Art and Design: Textile Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	62	54	46	38
AS GCE Art and Design: Three-Dimensional Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	62	54	46	38
AS GCE Art and Design: Critical And Contextual Studies: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	71	62	54	46	38
AS GCE Biology A (01, 02)	2027	140	-	87	78	69	60	51
AS GCE Biology B (01, 02)	2027	140	-	78	68	58	48	38
AS GCE Business (01, 02)	2027	120	-	75	65	56	47	38
AS GCE Chemistry A (01, 02)	2027	140	-	113	99	85	72	59
AS GCE Chemistry B (Salters) (01, 02)	2027	140	-	94	79	65	51	37
AS GCE Classical Civilisation Option A: 11+21	2027	130	-	100	90	80	71	62
AS GCE Classical Civilisation Option B: 11+22	2027	130	-	101	91	81	71	61
AS GCE Classical Greek (01, 02)	2027	160	-	114	101	88	75	63
AS GCE Computer Science (01, 02)	2027	140	-	102	88	74	61	48
AS GCE Design and Technology (01, 02, 03)	2027	180	-	135	117	98	80	61
AS GCE Drama and Theatre (01, 02, 03, 04, 05)	2027	200	-	150	131	112	93	74
AS GCE Economics (01, 02)	2027	120	-	79	68	57	46	36
AS GCE English Language and Literature (EMC) (01, 02)	2027	100	-	76	67	58	50	42
AS GCE English Literature (01, 02)	2027	120	-	105	92	79	67	55
AS GCE Film Studies (01, 02, 03)	2027	150	-	113	97	81	65	49
AS GCE Geography (01, 02)	2027	150	-	91	80	70	60	50
AS GCE History A (Y136-Y138 & Y143 Y243, Y249, Y251-Y253)	2027	100	-	67	57	48	39	30
AS GCE Latin (01, 02)	2027	160	-	117	104	91	79	67
AS GCE Law (01, 02)	2027	128	-	74	62	50	38	27
AS GCE Mathematics A (01, 02)	2027	150	-	107	94	81	69	57
AS GCE Further Mathematics A (01) Option Y531+Y532+Y533	2027	180	-	125	111	97	83	69
AS GCE Further Mathematics A (01) Option Y531+Y532+Y534	2027	180	-	125	111	97	83	70
AS GCE Further Mathematics A (01) Option Y531+Y532+Y535	2027	180	-	127	113	99	86	73
AS GCE Further Mathematics A (01) Option Y531+Y533+Y534	2027	180	-	119	104	90	76	62
AS GCE Further Mathematics A (01) Option Y531+Y533+Y535	2027	180	-	121	107	93	79	65
AS GCE Further Mathematics A (01) Option Y531+Y534+Y535	2027	180	-	121	107	93	79	66
AS GCE Mathematics B (MEI) (01, 02)	2027	140	-	99	87	75	63	52
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI) (01) Option Y410+Y411+Y412	2027	180	-	123	109	95	82	69
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI) (01) Option Y410+Y411+Y413	2027	180	-	115	101	87	74	61
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI) (01) Option Y410+Y411+Y414	2027	180	-	125	110	96	82	68
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI) (01) Option Y410+Y412+Y413	2027	180	-	124	110	96	83	70
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI) (01) Option Y410+Y412+Y414	2027	180	-	134	119	105	91	77
AS GCE Further Mathematics B (MEI) (01) Option Y410+Y413+Y414	2027	180	-	126	111	97	83	69
AS GCE Media Studies (01, 02, 03)	2027	100	-	64	55	46	37	29
AS GCE Music (01, 02, 03)	2027	250	-	181	160	140	120	100
AS GCE Physical Education (01, 02, 04, 05, 06)	2027	200	-	128	113	98	83	68
AS GCE Physics A (01, 02)	2027	140	-	93	81	69	57	46
AS GCE Physics B (Advancing Physics) (01, 02)	2027	140	-	98	85	72	59	47
AS GCE Psychology (01, 02)	2027	150	-	95	84	73	62	51
AS GCE Religious Studies (01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07)	2027	180	-	138	120	102	84	67
AS GCE Sociology (01, 02)	2027	150	-	106	94	82	70	58
Ancient History	2027	120	-	85	72	60	48	36
Biology A	2027	140	-	103	92	82	72	62
Biology B	2027	140	-	78	68	58	48	38
Business	2027	120	-	75	65	56	47	38
Chemistry A	2027	140	-	110	96	82	68	55
Chemistry B (Salters)	2027	140	-	101	86	72	58	44
Classical Civilisation Option A 11+21	2027	130	-	101	92	83	74	65
Classical Civilisation Option B 11+22	2027	130	-	101	91	81	71	61
Classical Greek	2027	160	-	114	101	88	75	63
Computer Science	2027	140	-	107	94	81	68	55
Design and Technology	2027	180	-	133	116	99	82	65
Drama and Theatre	2027	200	-	150	131	112	93	74
Economics	2027	120	-	90	79	69	59	49
English Language	2027	120	-	91	79	67	56	45
English Language and Literature (EMC)	2027	100	-	76	67	58	50	42
English Literature	2027	120	-	105	92	80	68	56
Film Studies	2027	150	-	120	104	89	74	59
Geography	2027	150	-	91	80	70	60	50
History A (H105)	2027	100	-	67	57	48	39	30
Latin	2027	160	-	117	104	91	79	67
Law	2027	128	-	89	76	63	50	37
Mathematics A	2027	150	-	109	96	83	71	59
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y532+Y533	2027	180	-	130	115	100	86	72
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y532+Y534	2027	180	-	127	113	99	86	73
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y532+Y535	2027	180	-	127	113	99	85	72
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y533+Y534	2027	180	-	127	112	98	84	70
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y533+Y535	2027	180	-	127	112	97	83	69
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y534+Y535	2027	180	-	124	110	96	83	70
Mathematics B (MEI)	2027	140	-	110	99	88	77	66
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y411+Y412	2027	180	-	130	115	100	85	70
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y411+Y413	2027	180	-	124	109	94	79	64
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y411+Y414	2027	180	-	129	113	97	82	67
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y412+Y413	2027	180	-	131	116	102	88	74
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y412+Y414	2027	180	-	136	121	106	91	77
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y413+Y414	2027	180	-	130	115	100	85	71
Media Studies	2027	100	-	63	54	45	36	28
Physical Education	2027	200	-	124	109	94	79	64
Physics A	2027	140	-	106	93	80	68	56
Physics B (Advancing Physics)	2027	140	-	98	85	72	59	47
Psychology	2027	150	-	95	84	73	62	51
Religious Studies	2027	180	-	137	119	102	85	68
Sociology	2027	150	-	109	97	85	73	61
Art and Design: Art, Craft and Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Fine Art: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Graphic Communication: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Photography: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Textile Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Three-Dimensional Design: Personal Investigation	2027	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Geology	2027	120	-	75	65	55	46	37

Disclaimer: These are not the official grade boundaries for 2027. They are calculated averages based on historical data and should be used as a rough guide only. Actual grade boundaries are set by the exam boards after all exam papers have been marked.

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OCR AS Grade Boundaries 2026

Last year's boundaries can give you a feel for what might happen in 2027. Here's how they looked:

Subject	Year	Maximum Mark	A*	A	B	C	D	E
Ancient History	2026	120	-	85	72	60	48	36
Art and Design: Art, Craft and Design: Personal Investigation	2026	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Fine Art: Personal Investigation	2026	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Graphic Communication: Personal Investigation	2026	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Photography: Personal Investigation	2026	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Textile Design: Personal Investigation	2026	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Art and Design: Three-Dimensional Design: Personal Investigation	2026	80	-	72	63	54	46	38
Biology A	2026	140	-	103	92	82	72	62
Biology B	2026	140	-	78	68	58	48	38
Business	2026	120	-	75	65	56	47	38
Chemistry A	2026	140	-	110	96	82	68	55
Chemistry B (Salters)	2026	140	-	101	86	72	58	44
Classical Civilisation Option A 11+21	2026	130	-	101	92	83	74	65
Classical Civilisation Option B 11+22	2026	130	-	101	91	81	71	61
Classical Greek	2026	160	-	114	101	88	75	63
Computer Science	2026	140	-	107	94	81	68	55
Design and Technology	2026	180	-	133	116	99	82	65
Drama and Theatre	2026	200	-	150	131	112	93	74
Economics	2026	120	-	90	79	69	59	49
English Language	2026	120	-	91	79	67	56	45
English Language and Literature (EMC)	2026	100	-	76	67	58	50	42
English Literature	2026	120	-	105	92	80	68	56
Film Studies	2026	150	-	120	104	89	74	59
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y532+Y533	2026	180	-	130	115	100	86	72
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y532+Y534	2026	180	-	127	113	99	86	73
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y532+Y535	2026	180	-	127	113	99	85	72
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y533+Y534	2026	180	-	127	112	98	84	70
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y533+Y535	2026	180	-	127	112	97	83	69
Further Mathematics A (H235) Option Y531+Y534+Y535	2026	180	-	124	110	96	83	70
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y411+Y412	2026	180	-	130	115	100	85	70
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y411+Y413	2026	180	-	124	109	94	79	64
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y411+Y414	2026	180	-	129	113	97	82	67
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y412+Y413	2026	180	-	131	116	102	88	74
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y412+Y414	2026	180	-	136	121	106	91	77
Further Mathematics B (MEI) (H635) Option Y410+Y413+Y414	2026	180	-	130	115	100	85	71
Geography	2026	150	-	91	80	70	60	50
Geology	2026	120	-	75	65	55	46	37
History A (H105)	2026	100	-	67	57	48	39	30
Latin	2026	160	-	117	104	91	79	67
Law	2026	128	-	89	76	63	50	37
Mathematics A	2026	150	-	109	96	83	71	59
Mathematics B (MEI)	2026	140	-	110	99	88	77	66
Media Studies	2026	100	-	63	54	45	36	28
Physical Education	2026	200	-	124	109	94	79	64
Physics A	2026	140	-	106	93	80	68	56
Physics B (Advancing Physics)	2026	140	-	98	85	72	59	47
Psychology	2026	150	-	95	84	73	62	51
Religious Studies	2026	180	-	137	119	102	85	68
Sociology	2026	150	-	109	97	85	73	61

Source: OCR

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What to do after the 2027 OCR AS grade boundaries are released: Next steps

Once the 2027 OCR AS grade boundaries go live on results day, you'll want to check where your final mark fits in them. Here's what to do, whether you smashed it or came up short.

1. Compare your marks to the boundaries

Grab your marks and stack them up against the official boundaries for your exam board. This shows you exactly how close you were to each grade and whether it's worth requesting a remark.

2. Understand what it means for you

Didn't get what you hoped for? Don't worry. It's not the end of the road. Plenty of students resit their AS exams, while others shift their future plans. Our AS revision resources can help you get back on track and build your confidence.

3. Plan your next move

Not everyone continues studying. But, if you're heading to sixth form or college, our revision resources can help you throughout the next stage of your journey. If you missed your grades, our Clearing guide explains how to find a course that works for you.

What are weighted boundaries?

Some subjects have more than one exam paper or component, and they don't all contribute the same amount to your final grade. Exam boards assign each paper a weighting factor.

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.

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

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

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

When are the OCR AS grade boundaries released?

Grade boundaries are typically released at 8:00am on results day, just before students receive their official grades. In the meantime, you can use our 2027 grade boundary averages to get an idea of what the OCR AS grade boundaries may look like.

Where can I find the official 2027 OCR AS grade boundaries?

We'll be updating our comprehensive OCR AS grade boundaries resource as soon as the 2027 grade boundaries have been published, so be sure to visit this page on results day for live updates. Each exam board will also publish their results on their official websites. Once they're released, you'll be able to find them here:

How are grade boundaries set?

After exams have taken place, senior examiners from each exam board review how students have performed. They look closely at:

How difficult the paper was compared to previous years.
The quality of student responses across the country.
Whether certain questions were considered unexpectedly hard or easy.

Ofqual asks exam boards to follow a rule called 'comparable outcomes'. This means that students with similar ability levels should get roughly the same grades each year, even if the exams are considered more or less difficult.

How do grade boundaries work?

Grade boundaries show exactly how many marks you need to achieve each grade, whether that's a 9, 7 or 5 at GCSE, or an A, B or C at A Level.

For example, if the grade boundary for a grade 6 at GCSE is 61 marks, then a student who scores 63 would be awarded a grade 6.

If a paper is harder than expected, the grade boundaries may be lower, meaning students need fewer marks than usual to achieve a particular grade.