Advanced Higher Maths grade boundaries 2026, from Qualifications Scotland

Advanced Higher Maths grade boundaries 2026

Qualifications Scotland replaced SQA on 1 February 2026 and published Grade boundaries 2026 (reference 26GB) on 4 August 2026. The A, B, C and D figures below equal the minimum marks in its 2026 Advanced Higher Mathematics course report.

A boundary is the least total that earns that grade, stated as a mark out of 115, not a percentage. There are two question papers, with no coursework. The Advanced Higher Maths guide sets out the topics for each paper.

How 2026 compares with 2025

The A boundary fell from 83 to 81 and the C boundary from 60 to 56, the largest drop. The course report gives a split verdict. Paper 1 was less demanding than intended, particularly question 6(a). Paper 2 was more demanding than intended, particularly question 8. Both effects were taken into account, and with Paper 2 carrying 80 of the 115 marks, the net result was lower boundaries.

Question 8 in Paper 2 is the one to study. The report says many candidates did not use a negative value for the rate of change of volume with respect to time, despite the context, and a few did not differentiate the volume with respect to the depth correctly.

Worked example: reading a grade off the table

1. Paper 1 gives 29 and Paper 2 gives 41, so the total is 70 out of 115.
2. 70 is at least 68 (the B boundary) and below 81 (the A boundary).
3. The grade is a B, 11 marks short of an A and 14 above the C line.
4. Seventy is 61% of 115. Set against 2025, the same 70 was a C, since B started at 71 that year.

The B and D boundaries are not chosen separately. Qualifications Scotland sets C, A and upper A, then calculates the rest. Here C is 56 and A is 81, which gives B = 56 + ⌊(2 × 25 + 1) ÷ 4⌋ = 68 and D = 56 − ⌈(2 × 25 − 1) ÷ 4⌉ = 43.

Advanced Higher Maths boundaries 2022 to 2026

The 2026 A boundary is 70.4% of 115, and the C boundary is 49%. Both are within a point of the notional targets of 70% and 50%, which suggests the standard held steady even though the two papers pulled in opposite directions. The 2022 and 2023 rows are out of 100, so compare shares.

Entries and results in 2026

There were 4,784 resulted entries in 2026, against 4,469 in 2025. The report says its statistics are prepared before appeals are complete.

The A rate was 41.3% for the second year running, but No Award fell from 16.9% to 15.4%. Lower boundaries let more candidates over the line without changing how many reached the top.

What to practise from the 2026 report

• Integrating factor questions. Many candidates did well on 13(b) in Paper 2 once they had found the integrating factor.
• Proof by induction. The report says omitting certain words or phrases can invalidate a proof, and not every induction question involves summation.
• Matrix names. Keep the inverse, transpose and adjoint distinct, and do not "divide" one matrix by another.
• Contrapositive. Many candidates did not state the contrapositive correctly in 15(a).

Estimate your grade from today's paper

Do today's Advanced Higher Maths paper, a short timed paper of 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks. Mark it with the worked answers that appear once it is marked. A score of 70% sits a fraction under the 2026 A line of 70.4%, and 49% matches the C line. Treat the result as a rough guide and average a few days.

Read next

Scotland · Advanced HigherAdvanced Higher Maths grade boundaries 2025: A to D marksSQA's official 2025 Advanced Higher Maths grade boundaries out of 115, how 83 marks became an A, and how they moved from 2024. Check your mark.