GCSE Science grade boundaries
This page outlines the GCSE Science Grade Boundaries for AQA exam board.
Each year the exam boards endeavour to make sure that exam papers are designed to be no easier or harder to achieve a particular grade than previous years. This does mean that each year the percentage required for each grade changes slightly depending on how hard the exam paper is. And so, Oxford Revise has collected all the grade boundaries for the last 5 years of exams, giving you an idea of what percentage you will need to achieve to get a specific grade.
Grade boundaries for your AQA Biology, Chemistry and Physics are not published before the exams take place. Boundaries are set after exams have been completed and papers have been marked.
Check below for the GCSE AQA exam board and see what was required in previous years for Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy Higher
| 2023 June | 2022 June | 2021 Nov | 2020 Nov | 2019 June | 2018 June | |
| 9-9 | 291/420 (69%) | 276/420 (66%) | 258/420 (61%) |
262/420 (62%) |
269/420 (64%) |
289/420 (69%) |
| 9-8 | 273/420 (65%) | 257/420 (61%) | 238/420 (57%) |
244/420 (58%) |
251/420 (60%) |
270/420 (64%) |
| 8-8 | 255/420 (61%) | 238/420 (57%) | 219/420 (52%) |
226/420 (54%) |
233/420 (55%) |
251/420 (60%) |
| 8-7 | 237/420 (56%) | 220/420 (52%) | 200/420 (48%) |
208/420 (50%) |
216/420 (51%) |
232/420 (55%) |
| 7-7 | 220/420 (52%) | 202/420 (48%) | 181/420 (43%) |
190/420 (45%) |
199/420 (47%) |
213/420 (51%) |
| 7-6 | 199/420 (47%) | 183/420 (44%) | 163/420 (39%) |
171/420 (41%) |
180/420 (43%) |
193/420 (46%) |
| 6-6 | 179/420 (43%) | 164/420 (39%) | 145/420 (35%) |
153/420 (36%) |
161/420 (38%) |
174/420 (41%) |
| 6-5 | 159/420 (39%) | 145/420 (35%) | 127/420 (30%) |
135/420 (32%) |
142/420 (34%) |
155/420 (37%) |
| 5-5 | 139/420 (33%) | 126/420 (30%) | 109/420 (26%) |
117/420 (28%) |
123/420 (29%) |
136/420 (32%) |
| 5-4 | 119/420 (28%) | 107/420 (25%) | 91/420 (22%) |
99/420 (24%) |
105/420 (25%) |
117/420 (28%) |
| 4-4 | 99/420 (24%) | 89/420 (21%) | 74/420 (18%) |
81/420 (19%) |
87/420 (21%) |
98/420 (23%) |
AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy Foundation
| 2023 June | 2022 June | 2021 Nov | 2020 Nov | 2019 June | 2018 June | |
| 5-5 | 270/420 (64%) | 242/420 (58%) | 230/420 (55%) |
231/420 (55%) |
243/420 (58%) |
253/420 (60%) |
| 5-4 | 250/420 (60%) | 222/420 (53%) | 208/420 (50%) |
208/420 (50%) |
221/420 (53%) |
235/420 (56%) |
| 4-4 | 230/420 (55%) | 203/420 (48%) | 187/420 (45%) |
185/420 (44%) |
200/420 (48%) |
218/420 (52%) |
| 4-3 | 202/420 (48%) | 175/420 (42%) | 162/420 (39%) |
160/420 (38%) |
173/420 (41%) |
193/420 (46%) |
| 3-3 | 174/420 (41%) | 148/420 (35%) | 137/420 (33%) |
135/420 (32%) |
146/420 (35%) |
168/420 (40%) |
| 3-2 | 146/420 (35%) | 121/420 (26%) | 112/420 (27%) |
110/420 (26%) |
119/420 (28%) |
143/420 (34%) |
| 2-2 | 118/420 (28%) | 94/420 (22%) | 87/420 (21%) |
85/420 (20%) |
93/420 (22%) |
119/420 (28%) |
AQA GCSE Science: Biology
| 2023 June | 2022 June | 2021 Nov | 2020 Nov | 2019 June | 2018 June | |
| 9 | 132/200 (66%) | 132/200 (66%) | 130/200 (65%) |
131/200 (66%) |
134/200 (67%) |
132/200 (66%) |
| 8 | 118/200 (59%) | 118/200 (59%) | 114/200 (57%) |
116/200 (58%) |
120/200 (60%) |
117/200 (59%) |
| 7 | 104/200 (52%) | 104/200 (52%) | 98/200 (49%) |
101/200 (51%) |
107/200 (54%) |
102/200 (51%) |
| 6 | 86/200 (43%) | 86/200 (43%) | 81/200 (41%) |
82/200 (41%) |
89/200 (45%) |
85/200 (43%) |
| 5 | 69/200 (35%) | 68/200 (34%) | 64/200 (32%) |
63/200 (32%) |
72/200 (36%) |
69/200 (35%) |
| 4 | 52/200 (26%) | 51/200 (25%) | 48/200 (24%) |
45/200 (23%) |
55/200 (28%) |
53/200 (27%) |
AQA GCSE Science: Chemistry
| 2023 June | 2022 June | 2021 Nov | 2020 Nov | 2019 June | 2018 June | |
| 9 | 149/200 (75%) | 144/200 (72%) | 138/200 (69%) |
139/200 (70%) |
144/200 (72%) |
150/200 (75%) |
| 8 | 131/200 (66%) | 123/200 (62%) | 117/200 (59%) |
118/200 (59%) |
125/200 (63%) |
131/200 (66%) |
| 7 | 113/200 (57%) | 103/200 (52%) | 96/200 (48%) |
98/200 (49%) |
107/200 (54%) |
112/200 (56%) |
| 6 | 91/200 (46%) | 80/200 (40%) | 77/200 (39%) |
78/200 (39%) |
88/200 (44%) |
92/200 (46%) |
| 5 | 69/200 (35%) | 58/200 (29%) | 58/200 (29%) |
58/200 (29%) |
69/200 (34%) |
72/200 (36%) |
| 4 | 48/200 (24%) | 36/200 (18%) | 39/200 (20%) |
38/200 (19%) |
50/200 (25%) |
52/200 (26%) |
AQA GCSE Science: Physics
| 2023 June | 2022 June | 2021 Nov | 2020 Nov | 2019 June | 2018 June | |
| 9 | 147/200 (74%) | 150/200 (75%) | 142/200 (71%) |
140/200 (70%) |
143/200 (67%) |
135/200 (68%) |
| 8 | 133/200 (67%) | 134/200 (67%) | 122/200 (61%) |
120/200 (60%) |
125/200 (63%) |
119/200 (60%) |
| 7 | 120/200 (60%) | 119/200 (60%) | 102/200 (51%) |
101/200 (51%) |
108/200 (54%) |
103/200 (52%) |
| 6 | 102/200 (51%) | 98/200 (49%) | 82/200 (41%) |
80/200 (40%) |
89/200 (45%) |
85/200 (43%) |
| 5 | 84/200 (42%) | 77/200 (39%) | 62/200 (31%) |
60/200 (30%) |
70/200 (35%) |
68/200 (34%) |
| 4 | 67/200 (34%) | 56/200 (28%) | 43/200 (22%) |
40/200 (20%) |
51/200 (26%) |
51/200 (26%) |