GCSE results day has arrived now in England and Wales, with plenty of students hoping they can get the results needed to progress to sixth form, college or training.

With a variety of exams available to sit and different exam boards issuing the papers, the grade boundaries can be different.

To help you see how many marks (the minimum) you needed to get each grade, we have rounded up the grade boundaries for AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel.

GCSE grades are expected to be similar to 2019 across both England and Wales, seeing an improvement back to pre-pandemic levels.



2024 GCSE exam grade boundaries for AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel

AQA

If you've taken any AQA exams you can find the grade boundaries for GCSEs on their website here.

Subjects that fall under AQA include Art & Design, Computer Science, Drama, Economics, History, Geography and Religious Studies.

Edexcel

Students who have taken subjects like History, Mathematics, Design & Technology and Religious Studies might be interested in the Pearson Edexcel margins.

You can find the grade boundaries for these subjects on the website here.

OCR

OCR covers subjects such as Mathematics, Music, Media Studies and Physical Education.

You can find the grade boundaries for these subjects on the website here.

WJEC

Grade boundaries for exams from WJEC are available to find on their website here.

Subjects that fall under WJEC include Biology, Chemistry, History, Physics, German, French, Spanish, English Literature and Welsh Literature.

How do grade boundaries differ in England and Wales?

In England, GCSEs are graded using a numerical system from 9 to 1 rather than from A* to G – with 9 being the highest grade.


A grade 7 and above is roughly equivalent to an A and above, while a grade 4 and above – which is considered a “standard pass” – is roughly equivalent to a C and above.

The rollout of the numerical grading system began in 2017 in England, and by 2020, all subjects were graded in numbers.

Meanwhile, in Wales, the traditional eight-category grade scale A*- G has been retained.