Grade BoundariesGCSE AQA Grade Boundaries 2022

What are the AQA GCSE Grade Boundaries in 2022 and Why Do They Matter?

Grade boundaries are the marks you need to hit specific grades in your AQA GCSE exams. They’re different for each exam series, which means the 2022 boundaries will be different from previous years. And, AQA 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 AQA GCSE 2022 grade boundaries, and discover how to use the tools that’ll help you smash your exams.

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2022 Grade Boundaries by Subject

35 AQA GCSE subjects · Source: AQA

Subject	Month	Max	Grade 9	Grade 8	Grade 7	Grade 6	Grade 5	Grade 4	Grade 3	Grade 2	Grade 1
Art & Design (3D Design)	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Art,Craft & Des)	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Fine Art)	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Graphic Comm)	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Photography)	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Textiles Design)	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Bengali Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	135	110	81	52	24
Bengali Tier H	Jun	240	200	177	154	130	106	83	71	-	-
Biology Tier F	Jun	200	-	-	-	-	126	109	79	49	20
Biology Tier H	Jun	200	132	118	104	86	68	51	42	-	-
Business	Jun	180	127	116	106	92	78	64	46	28	10
Chemistry Tier F	Jun	200	-	-	-	-	126	104	76	48	20
Chemistry Tier H	Jun	200	144	123	103	80	58	36	25	-	-
Chinese (Spoken Mand) Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	96	82	62	43	24
Chinese (Spoken Mand) Tier H	Jun	240	185	149	114	98	83	68	60	-	-
Citizenship Studies	Jun	160	133	122	112	96	80	64	47	30	13
Computer Science Opt A (C#)	Jun	180	148	130	113	95	77	59	43	27	11
Computer Science Opt B (Python)	Jun	180	148	130	113	95	77	59	43	27	11
Computer Science Opt C (Vb.Net)	Jun	180	148	130	113	95	77	59	43	27	11
Dance	Jun	400	318	289	261	229	197	165	124	83	43
Design And Technology	Jun	200	166	151	137	119	101	83	61	39	18
Drama	Jun	200	164	151	139	122	106	90	69	49	29
Economics	Jun	160	133	124	115	101	88	75	55	36	17
Engineering	Jun	200	168	157	146	128	111	94	70	46	22
English Language	Nov	160	120	110	101	91	81	71	52	34	16
English Language	Jun	160	119	109	100	90	80	70	52	34	16
English Literature Option NM	Jun	130	111	99	87	74	62	50	36	23	10
English Literature Option PM	Jun	130	112	100	88	75	62	49	35	22	9
English Literature Option PN	Jun	130	109	97	86	73	60	48	35	22	9
Food Preparation And Nutrition	Jun	200	167	153	140	124	108	92	69	46	24
French Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	143	131	95	59	24
French Tier H	Jun	240	183	159	136	120	104	89	81	-	-
Geography	Jun	252	193	173	154	134	114	94	68	42	17
German Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	145	130	94	59	24
German Tier H	Jun	240	189	166	143	124	105	86	76	-	-
History A01	Jun	124	80	72	65	56	48	40	30	20	10
History A04	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History A05	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History A06	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History A07	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	51	43	32	21	10
History A08	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	30	20	10
History A09	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	38	28	19	10
History A10	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	30	20	10
History A11	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	10
History A12	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	53	44	32	21	10
History A13	Jun	124	87	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	10
History A14	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A15	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	41	30	20	10
History A16	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	10
History A17	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History A18	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A20	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A22	Jun	124	81	74	67	58	49	41	30	20	10
History A23	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	10
History A24	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History A25	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A26	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History A27	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A28	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History A29	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	9
History A30	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	50	41	30	19	9
History A31	Jun	124	83	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	9
History A33	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	37	27	18	9
History A34	Jun	124	85	76	68	58	48	39	29	19	9
History A35	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	37	27	18	9
History A37	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	39	29	19	9
History A39	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	39	29	19	9
History B01	Jun	124	84	75	67	59	51	43	32	21	10
History B02	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	41	30	20	10
History B04	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	45	33	21	10
History B06	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	45	33	21	10
History B07	Jun	124	87	78	70	62	54	46	34	22	10
History B08	Jun	124	87	78	69	60	51	43	32	21	10
History B09	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History B10	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History B11	Jun	124	87	80	73	63	54	45	33	21	10
History B12	Jun	124	91	82	74	65	56	47	34	22	10
History B13	Jun	124	92	82	73	63	54	45	33	21	10
History B14	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	46	34	22	10
History B15	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	52	44	32	21	10
History B17	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	21	10
History B18	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B20	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B22	Jun	124	87	78	69	60	52	44	32	21	10
History B23	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History B24	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	21	10
History B25	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B27	Jun	124	91	82	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B28	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	55	47	34	22	10
History B29	Jun	124	80	74	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History B30	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	20	9
History B31	Jun	124	83	76	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History B32	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	51	43	31	20	9
History B35	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	29	19	9
History B36	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	50	41	30	19	9
History B37	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	9
History B39	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	9
History C01	Jun	124	78	73	68	59	51	43	32	21	10
History C03	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	43	32	21	10
History C04	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History C06	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History C07	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	54	46	34	22	10
History C08	Jun	124	88	79	70	61	52	43	32	21	10
History C09	Jun	124	90	80	70	60	50	41	30	20	10
History C10	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	52	43	32	21	10
History C11	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	54	45	33	21	10
History C12	Jun	124	92	83	75	65	56	47	34	22	10
History C13	Jun	124	92	83	74	64	54	45	33	21	10
History C14	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C15	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History C16	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	51	42	31	20	10
History C17	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	53	44	32	21	10
History C18	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C20	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C21	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	47	34	22	10
History C22	Jun	124	90	80	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History C23	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	51	42	31	20	10
History C24	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	53	44	32	21	10
History C25	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C26	Jun	124	92	83	75	66	57	48	35	22	10
History C27	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C28	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	47	34	22	10
History C29	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	51	42	31	20	9
History C30	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History C31	Jun	124	89	79	70	60	51	42	31	20	9
History C33	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	50	40	29	19	9
History C35	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	50	40	29	19	9
History C36	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	19	9
History C37	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	52	42	31	20	9
History C39	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	52	42	31	20	9
History D01	Jun	124	81	73	65	57	49	41	30	19	9
History D03	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	41	30	19	9
History D04	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	31	20	9
History D06	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	31	20	9
History D07	Jun	124	85	76	68	60	52	44	32	20	9
History D08	Jun	124	85	76	67	58	49	41	30	19	9
History D09	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	9
History D10	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	19	9
History D11	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	31	20	9
History D12	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	9
History D13	Jun	124	89	80	71	61	52	43	31	20	9
History D14	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	20	9
History D15	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	50	42	31	20	9
History D16	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	29	19	9
History D17	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History D18	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D19	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	46	33	21	9
History D20	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D22	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	50	42	31	20	9
History D23	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	29	19	9
History D24	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History D25	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D26	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	46	33	21	9
History D27	Jun	124	89	80	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D28	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	53	45	33	21	9
History D29	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	29	18	8
History D31	Jun	124	85	76	67	58	49	40	29	18	8
History D33	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	38	28	18	8
History D35	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	38	28	18	8
History D37	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	29	18	8
History D39	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	29	18	8
History E01	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	50	42	31	20	10
History E02	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	30	20	10
History E08	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History E10	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	10
History E13	Jun	124	90	81	73	63	53	44	32	21	10
History E14	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History E15	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	32	21	10
History E22	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	32	21	10
History E23	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History E24	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History E26	Jun	124	91	82	74	65	56	47	34	22	10
History E27	Jun	124	90	81	73	63	54	45	33	21	10
History E29	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	19	9
History E37	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	41	30	19	9
Italian Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	135	114	84	54	24
Italian Tier H	Jun	240	206	181	156	132	108	84	72	-	-
Mathematics (Foundation)	Nov	240	-	-	-	-	167	130	97	64	31
Mathematics (Higher)	Nov	240	201	172	143	111	79	48	32	-	-
Mathematics Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	172	135	101	67	33
Mathematics Tier H	Jun	240	214	185	156	121	86	51	33	-	-
Media Studies	Jun	240	181	165	149	128	108	88	67	46	26
Modern Hebrew Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	153	128	93	58	24
Modern Hebrew Tier H	Jun	240	193	162	131	115	99	83	75	-	-
Music	Jun	240	188	174	160	146	133	120	99	78	57
Panjabi Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	170	151	108	66	24
Panjabi Tier H	Jun	240	209	188	168	149	130	111	101	-	-
Physical Education	Jun	260	204	191	178	160	143	126	96	67	38
Physics Tier F	Jun	200	-	-	-	-	135	115	83	52	21
Physics Tier H	Jun	200	150	134	119	98	77	56	45	-	-
Polish Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	152	145	104	64	24
Polish Tier H	Jun	240	200	179	158	145	132	120	114	-	-
Psychology	Jun	200	159	145	132	114	96	79	59	39	19
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt A	Jun	102	86	79	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt B	Jun	102	84	77	70	60	50	41	30	20	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt C	Jun	102	85	78	71	60	49	38	28	19	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt D	Jun	102	86	79	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt E	Jun	102	88	81	74	63	53	43	31	20	9
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt F	Jun	102	85	78	71	60	49	39	29	19	10
Religious Studies A Option BA	Jun	204	176	164	152	136	120	104	76	48	21
Religious Studies A Option BB	Jun	204	171	158	146	127	108	89	66	43	21
Religious Studies A Option CA	Jun	204	173	160	148	131	114	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option DA	Jun	204	177	164	152	134	117	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option EA	Jun	204	176	163	151	133	115	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option FA	Jun	204	177	164	152	134	117	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option GB	Jun	204	164	151	139	119	100	81	61	41	21
Religious Studies A Option HA	Jun	204	174	161	149	132	115	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option JA	Jun	204	175	161	148	130	113	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option JB	Jun	204	167	154	142	121	101	81	61	41	21
Religious Studies A Option LA	Jun	204	172	160	148	132	116	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option MA	Jun	204	177	164	152	135	118	102	75	48	21
Religious Studies A Option MB	Jun	204	171	158	146	126	106	87	65	43	21
Religious Studies A Option NA	Jun	204	173	162	151	134	117	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option NB	Jun	204	170	157	145	125	105	85	63	42	21
Religious Studies A Option OA	Jun	204	182	167	152	135	118	102	75	48	21
Religious Studies A Option OB	Jun	204	171	158	146	126	106	87	65	43	21
Religious Studies A Option PA	Jun	204	173	160	148	130	113	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option QA	Jun	204	172	159	147	129	111	94	69	45	21
Religious Studies A Option RA	Jun	204	173	160	148	130	113	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option SA	Jun	204	178	164	151	132	114	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option TA	Jun	204	177	164	152	134	116	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option UA	Jun	204	176	163	151	132	114	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies B Option XA	Jun	204	179	164	150	129	108	87	63	39	16
Religious Studies B Option YA	Jun	204	178	164	150	129	108	88	64	40	16
Religious Studies B Option YB	Jun	204	181	161	142	121	101	81	59	37	16
Sociology	Jun	200	143	131	120	104	88	73	53	33	13
Spanish Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	147	134	97	60	24
Spanish Tier H	Jun	240	192	166	140	123	106	89	80	-	-
Statistics Tier F	Jun	160	-	-	-	-	87	69	49	30	11
Statistics Tier H	Jun	160	113	97	82	66	51	36	28	-	-
Urdu Tier F	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	140	119	87	55	24
Urdu Tier H	Jun	240	211	190	170	147	125	103	92	-	-

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How to interpret 2022 grade boundaries for AQA GCSE exams

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

AQA 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’ AQA GCSE grade boundaries gives you a pretty good idea of what you’ll need to score in 2022 for your target grade. Match this up with your scores on AQA GCSE 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, AQA lowered the GCSE 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 AQA to see if your course uses weighted scores.

What is the best way to prepare for your GCSE AQA exam?

If there’s one golden rule to follow, it’s to start early. Make a list of every topic across all your GCSE 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 AQA GCSE 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 2022 AQA GCSE 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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AQA GCSE grade boundaries from other years

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