Maths grade boundaries by exam board
Grade boundaries are set after every script is marked, so the marks needed for a grade shift with the difficulty of that year's papers. These guides explain how each board builds your total, how to read a threshold table, and where the official numbers are published — then hand you a calculator so you can test your own marks against them.
Edexcel GCSE Maths grade boundaries
Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · 1MA1
Three papers of 80 marks each are added to a total out of 240, and the thresholds are applied to that total.
AQA GCSE Maths grade boundaries
AQA · GCSE · 8300
The marks from all three papers are combined into one total, and thresholds are applied to that combined total.
Edexcel IGCSE Maths grade boundaries
Pearson Edexcel International · International GCSE · 4MA1
The two papers are added together and thresholds are applied to the combined total for the tier entered.
Cambridge IGCSE Maths grade thresholds
Cambridge International · IGCSE · 0580
Component marks are combined into a syllabus total, and Cambridge publishes thresholds against that total for each variant.
Edexcel A Level Maths grade boundaries
Pearson Edexcel · A Level · 9MA0
Papers 1, 2 and 3 are added into a single qualification total, and thresholds are applied to that total.
AQA A Level Maths grade boundaries
AQA · A Level · 7357
All three papers are marked and combined, then AQA applies the qualification-level thresholds.
OCR A Level Maths grade boundaries
OCR · A Level · H240
Component marks are added to a qualification total before the thresholds published by OCR are applied.
Frequently asked questions
What are grade boundaries in maths?
A grade boundary is the minimum total mark needed for a grade in a particular exam series. Awarding bodies set them after marking so that a grade represents the same standard each year, which is why the marks move even though the grade does not.
Where can I find official maths grade boundaries?
Each awarding body publishes threshold tables on its own website on results day for that series — Pearson Edexcel, AQA, OCR and Cambridge International all maintain archives. Every guide here links straight to the official page for that board.
How do I work out my grade from a practice paper?
Mark the paper against the official mark scheme, add the totals across all papers in the qualification, then compare with boundaries from two or three recent series. Our grade calculators let you type in whichever boundaries you want to test against.
Turn marks into a grade
Enter your paper totals and the boundaries you want to test against — every threshold is editable, so you can model a hard series and an easy one.