GCSE maths grade boundaries: how many marks is a 4 or a 5?
GCSE maths grade boundaries are the lowest marks that get each grade, and the exam boards set them again after every series of exams. In June 2026, a 4 on the foundation tier needed between 121 and 154 marks out of 240 on the AQA, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC Eduqas papers, and 133 out of 300 on OCR. The boundaries move every time, so one year's numbers can't tell you what a mark will be worth next time.
What are GCSE maths grade boundaries?
A grade boundary is the lowest mark that gets a grade. If the boundary for a 6 is 70 marks, then 70 is a 6 and 69 is a 5. GCSE maths is graded from 9, the highest, down to 1, and a student who doesn't reach the boundary for a 1 (or, on the higher tier, a 3) gets a U.
Your child doesn't get a grade for each paper. All the papers are taken in the same exam series, the marks are added up, and the total is compared with the boundaries for the whole GCSE. How many papers there are, and the total they add up to, depends on the exam board:
| Exam board (specification) | Papers and total marks |
|---|---|
| AQA (8300) | 3 papers of 80 marks: 240 in total |
| Pearson Edexcel (1MA1) | 3 papers: 240 in total |
| OCR (J560) | 3 papers of 100 marks: 300 in total |
| WJEC Eduqas (C300) | 2 papers of 120 marks: 240 in total |
How grade boundaries are set
Grade boundaries are set by each exam board after the papers have been marked, not before. The board looks at data on how this year's students did compared with students in earlier years, which shows whether the papers turned out a little harder or easier. Senior examiners then read students' work on and around the possible boundaries and compare it with work that got the same grades the year before. Together, the data and the examiners' judgement give the final boundaries.
Ofqual, the exams regulator in England, sets the rules the boards follow. The aim is that the standard of work needed for each grade stays the same from one year to the next and between exam boards. There are no quotas: no fixed number of students has to pass or fail, and there's no cap on how many can get each grade.
Why do the boundaries change every series?
The boundaries change because the papers change. Each series has new questions, and some papers turn out harder than others. If a paper is harder, the boundaries go down a little, so that a 4 still needs the same standard of work. A lower boundary doesn't mean a 4 was easier to get.
You can see this in one board's results over three series. For AQA GCSE Mathematics foundation tier (8300F), out of 240 marks:
| Series | Marks needed, out of 240 |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | 160 for a 4, 188 for a 5 |
| November 2025 | 158 for a 4, 186 for a 5 |
| June 2026 | 154 for a 4, 187 for a 5 |
November is the resit series, for students taking GCSE maths again.
What do a 4 and a 5 mean in GCSE maths?
A 4 is a standard pass and a 5 is a strong pass. These are the Department for Education's terms. The bottom of grade 4 lines up with the bottom of the old grade C, and the bottom of grade 7 with the bottom of the old grade A.
A 4 in maths matters after Year 11. Students in England who don't get a 4 carry on studying maths as part of their education or training after 16, and full-time students with a 3 work towards the GCSE again. Colleges, sixth forms and employers set their own entry requirements, so check the courses your child is interested in.
Which grades can you get on foundation and higher?
The foundation tier gives grades 5 to 1. The higher tier gives grades 9 to 4, and a student who only just misses a 4 can be given a 3. Your child's school decides which tier to enter them for. Our guides to GCSE maths foundation and GCSE maths higher go through what's on each.
A 4 is the same grade on either tier. The higher papers have harder questions, so a 4 needs fewer marks there.
How many marks is a 4 in GCSE maths foundation?
In June 2026, a 4 on the foundation tier needed between 121 and 154 marks out of 240 on AQA, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC Eduqas, and 133 out of 300 on OCR. That's between about 44% and 64% of the marks, depending on the board. A 5, the top grade on foundation, needed between about 61% and 78%.
GCSE maths foundation tier, June 2026:
| Exam board (specification) | Marks needed |
|---|---|
| AQA (8300F) | 154 for a 4, 187 for a 5, out of 240 |
| Pearson Edexcel (1MA1 foundation) | 151 for a 4, 181 for a 5, out of 240 |
| OCR (J560 foundation) | 133 for a 4, 183 for a 5, out of 300 |
| WJEC Eduqas (C300PF) | 121 for a 4, 154 for a 5, out of 240 |
How many marks for a 4, 5, 7 or 9 on the higher tier?
GCSE maths higher tier, June 2026:
| Exam board (specification) | Marks needed |
|---|---|
| AQA (8300H), out of 240 | 63 for a 4, 97 for a 5, 166 for a 7, 219 for a 9 |
| Pearson Edexcel (1MA1 higher), out of 240 | 50 for a 4, 82 for a 5, 146 for a 7, 208 for a 9 |
| OCR (J560 higher), out of 300 | 57 for a 4, 94 for a 5, 170 for a 7, 264 for a 9 |
| WJEC Eduqas (C300PH), out of 240 | 28 for a 4, 57 for a 5, 116 for a 7, 185 for a 9 |
The allowed grade 3 on the higher tier needed 46 marks on AQA, 34 on Pearson Edexcel, 38 on OCR and 13 on WJEC Eduqas.
These figures are for June 2026 only. They will be different in November 2026, June 2027 and every series after that.
Reading the boundaries: two worked examples
Example 1. A student takes AQA foundation in June 2026 and scores 170 out of 240 across the three papers. 170 is more than the 154 needed for a 4, but less than the 187 needed for a 5, so the grade is a 4. They were 187 − 170 = 17 marks short of a 5.
Example 2. A student takes OCR higher in June 2026 and scores 31, 28 and 40 on the three papers. Add the papers first: 31 + 28 + 40 = 99, out of 300. 99 is at least the 94 needed for a 5 and less than the 132 needed for a 6, so the grade is a 5.
The boards also publish boundaries for each paper, but these are only a guide. The grade comes from the total, so a student can do better on one paper and worse on another and still get the grade the total gives.
Why you can't use grade boundaries to predict a grade
You can't, because the boundaries for your child's exams don't exist yet. They're set after those papers have been marked, and they'll be different from every set before them. A mock exam marked against an old set of boundaries gives a rough idea at best, especially if it uses papers from an earlier year, or not all of them. Your child's teachers know the course and the papers best, so ask them how your child is getting on.
Where to find each board's official grade boundaries
Each exam board publishes its grade boundaries after every series. AQA's for June 2026, for example, were published on 20 August 2026.
- AQA grade boundaries (and the AQA archive for earlier series)
- Pearson Edexcel grade boundaries
- OCR grade boundaries
- WJEC Eduqas grade boundaries
Look for the GCSE document for the series you want, then find Mathematics and the right tier. If you're not sure which board your child is taking, ask the school. Each board also has a GCSE maths qualification page, with the specification and assessment materials: AQA 8300, Pearson Edexcel 1MA1, OCR J560 and WJEC Eduqas.
What to watch for
- Treating a percentage as the pass mark. There's no fixed pass mark. "About 60% for a 4" might be close one year and well off the next.
- Mixing up boards and tiers. The boundaries for a different board, or the other tier, don't apply to your child's papers. OCR's papers add up to 300, not 240, so compare marks on the same board only.
- Adding up the paper boundaries. The paper-by-paper boundaries are only a guide. Use the boundaries for the whole GCSE.
- Thinking a 4 on higher is worth more. It's the same grade. The difference is that higher can go on to a 9, and foundation stops at a 5.
How to help at home
- Find out the board and tier. Then you'll know which papers and boundaries to look at.
- Aim past the boundary. The boundary for your child's own exams isn't known in advance, so a target of "just over last year's 4" leaves no room. Every extra mark helps.
- Make the formulae familiar. Students are given a formula sheet in the exam, and knowing what's on it saves time. Our guide to GCSE maths formulae explains what's on the sheet and what isn't.
- Use the official papers. Papers from previous years and their mark schemes show how marks are given for working, not just answers. The school can tell you which ones fit your child's course.
Questions to try
Use the June 2026 tables above.
- A student scores 150 out of 240 on Pearson Edexcel foundation. Which grade is that? (The boundary for a 3 was 110.)
- A student scores 64 and 70 on the two WJEC Eduqas foundation papers. What's their total, and which grade does it give?
- A student scores 100 out of 240 on AQA higher. Which grade is that? (The boundary for a 6 was 131.)
- A student has 120 out of 300 on OCR foundation. How many more marks would they have needed for a 4?
- A student scores 40 out of 240 on AQA higher. Which grade is that?
Answers
- A 3. 150 is one mark below the 151 needed for a 4, and above the 110 needed for a 3.
- 64 + 70 = 134, which is a 4 (at least 121, and less than the 154 needed for a 5).
- A 5. 100 is at least 97 and less than 131.
- 133 − 120 = 13 more marks.
- A U. The lowest grade on AQA higher, the allowed 3, needed 46 marks.
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Sources
We check every method and fact on this page against these official documents.
- How GCSE and A level grading works: teachers' and headteachers' guide (Ofqual). Used for: how exam boards set grade boundaries after marking, using data and senior examiners' review of students' work, and why boundaries vary from year to year while the standard for each grade stays comparable.
- Ofqual student guide to exams and assessments in 2026 (Ofqual). Used for: that boundaries are set after marking, with no quotas or caps on grades, and are comparable between years and exam boards; that the school chooses the tier; the grades available on foundation (5 to 1) and higher (9 to 4, with a 3 for students who just miss a 4).
- GCSE new grading scale: factsheets (Department for Education). Used for: grade 4 as a standard pass and grade 5 as a strong pass, and how grades 4 and 7 line up with the old grades C and A.
- 16 to 19 funding: maths and English condition of funding (Department for Education). Used for: that students without a grade 4 in GCSE maths keep studying maths after 16, and that full-time students with a grade 3 study towards the GCSE again (2026 to 2027 guidance).
- Grade boundaries (GCSE grade boundaries June 2026, and the archive for June and November 2025) (AQA). Used for: the subject grade boundaries for GCSE Mathematics 8300, foundation (8300F) and higher (8300H), out of 240, for June 2026, and for June 2025 and November 2025 from the archive.
- Grade boundaries (Edexcel GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries, June 2026) (Pearson Edexcel). Used for: the overall grade boundaries for GCSE Mathematics 1MA1, foundation and higher, out of 240, for June 2026, and the definition of a grade boundary as the lowest mark for a grade.
- Grade boundaries (GCSE (9-1) qualification and notional component raw mark grade boundaries, June 2026 series) (OCR). Used for: the overall grade boundaries for GCSE Mathematics J560, foundation and higher, out of 300, for June 2026, and that component grades don't automatically add up to the qualification grade.
- Grade boundaries (Eduqas GCSE grade points, June 2026) (WJEC Eduqas). Used for: the overall grade boundaries for GCSE Mathematics C300, foundation (C300PF) and higher (C300PH), out of 240, for June 2026.