Higher Biology grade boundaries 2025: A, B, C, D marks

Higher Biology grade boundaries 2025

The figures are the Biology row of the Higher sheet in the SQA's Grade boundaries 2025 (release 25GB, 5 August 2025); the grade counts are from the SQA's 2025 course report.

An A took 71.3% of the marks and a C exactly 50%. See the Higher Biology guide.

What the 150 marks are made of

In 2025 the course had two question papers and an assignment. Paper 1 was 25 multiple-choice marks in 40 minutes and Paper 2 was 95 marks in 2 hours 20 minutes, together 120 marks and 80% of the grade. The 20-mark assignment is scaled by 1.5 to 30, for 150 in total. The improving assessment paper lists these arrangements as the ones before the 2027 merger into one paper.

How many candidates got each grade in 2025

A little under three in ten candidates got an A, 2,039 or 29.1%, and 14.0% got No Award, 978 candidates. C and B were each about a fifth. Entries were 7,010, down slightly from 7,129.

Turning a mark into a grade

A candidate scores 19 on Paper 1 and 68 on Paper 2, so 87 out of 120, and 14 of 20 on the assignment, which becomes 21 of 30. The total is 108. That is above the A boundary of 107, by one mark, so it is an A. It would be a B at 106, and the upper A is 129.

For the lines: A is 107 and C is 75, a gap of 32. B = 75 + ⌊65 ÷ 4⌋ = 75 + 16 = 91, and D = 75 − ⌈63 ÷ 4⌉ = 75 − 16 = 59.

2025 against earlier years

In 2024 the lines were A 102, B 85, C 68 and D 51. In 2025 they were 107, 91, 75 and 59, which are 5, 6, 7 and 8 marks higher. The C line moved from 45.3% to 50.0%. In 2019 the A was 105 of 150 and C 73, so 2025 sits just above the pre-pandemic levels. The 2022 and 2023 columns are out of 120.

What the SQA said about the 2025 papers

The report says Paper 1 was slightly less demanding than intended, and so was the overall level of Paper 2, and both were considered when the boundaries were set. That fits every line rising. The assignment had the intended level of demand.

On Paper 1, only some candidates stated how many tRNA molecules would have only one uracil base (question 2), named the molecules needed for glycolysis (8), or identified the feature of field trial design that accounts for variability (20). On Paper 2, few explained why an enzyme reaction rate stops increasing as substrate rises (6(c)(i)), few handled the electron transport chain (7(c)), few explained that lactate production is reversible (8(d)), and few stated a conclusion from results with a change in the trend (11(c)). Only some explained kin selection (13(c)) or how a deletion mutation affects protein structure (2(a)(ii)).

What the 2025 numbers mean for you

The C boundary sits exactly on the 50% starting point, and the A at 71.3% is a little above the 70% one. The named losses are from the less-visited parts of the course, such as the electron transport chain and kin selection, so a candidate who revises every key area stands out. The DNA Translator is useful for the tRNA and protein questions.

The next series is Higher Biology grade boundaries 2026. For every course see SQA grade boundaries 2025.

Check yourself with today's paper

Sit today's Higher Biology paper, a short timed paper of 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks written by us, with no assignment. Divide your mark: 22 out of 30 is 73.3%, above the A share of 71.3%, and 14 out of 30 is 46.7%, below the C share of 50.0%.

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Scotland · HigherHigher Biology grade boundaries 2026: A, B, C, D marksHigher Biology grade boundaries 2026 from Qualifications Scotland: A needed 105 of 150, B 89, C 74 and D 58, with 32.7% getting an A, and 2025 compared.