National 5 Applications of Maths grade boundaries 2025
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National 5 Applications of Maths grade boundaries 2025
The figures are the Applications of Mathematics row of the National 5 sheet in the SQA's Grade boundaries 2025 (release 25GB, 5 August 2025). The distribution of grades is from the SQA's course report for the year. Qualifications Scotland took over from the SQA in February 2026.
| Upper A | A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest mark, out of 90 | 78 | 65 | 55 | 46 | 36 |
| Share of the total | 86.7% | 72.2% | 61.1% | 51.1% | 40.0% |
An A took 72.2% of the marks and a C took 51.1%. See the National 5 Applications of Maths guide for what the course covers.
What the 90 marks are made of
The course is two question papers. Paper 1 has no calculator and is worth 35 marks in 50 minutes. Paper 2 allows one and is worth 55 marks in 1 hour 40 minutes, so 90 in all. Most questions are set in a real situation, and Paper 2 includes case studies. The structure is in the course specification.
How many candidates got each grade in 2025
| Grade | Lowest mark | Candidates | Share | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 65 | 8,060 | 29.1% | 29.1% |
| B | 55 | 4,809 | 17.4% | 46.4% |
| C | 46 | 4,328 | 15.6% | 62.1% |
| D | 36 | 4,130 | 14.9% | 77.0% |
| No Award | Below 36 | 6,379 | 23.0% | 100% |
The A rate here was 29.1%, against 39.6% for National 5 Maths in the same year, and 6,379 candidates, 23.0%, got No Award. Entries grew by 14% to 27,706, from 24,285 in 2024.
Turning a mark into a grade
A candidate gets 20 out of 35 on Paper 1 and 30 out of 55 on Paper 2, a total of 50. That is above the C line of 46 and below the B line of 55, so it is a C, 5 marks from a B. If the Paper 1 mark had been 11 rather than 20, the total of 41 would fall between D at 36 and C at 46, so it would be a D.
The B boundary follows from A and C. With A at 65 and C at 46, the gap is 19: B = 46 + ⌊39 ÷ 4⌋ = 46 + 9 = 55. For D, 46 − ⌈37 ÷ 4⌉ = 46 − 10 = 36. The formulas are on the SQA grading page.
2025 against earlier years
| Year | Out of | Upper A | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 90 | 78 | 65 | 55 | 46 | 36 |
| 2024 | 90 | 76 | 63 | 53 | 43 | 33 |
| 2023 | 90 | 76 | 63 | 52 | 41 | 30 |
| 2022 | 90 | 76 | 62 | 51 | 41 | 30 |
| 2019 | 110 | 93 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 41 |
A rose from 63 in 2023 and 2024 to 65 in 2025, and C from 41 and 43 to 46. D went from 33 in 2024 to 36. In 2019, when the course was out of 110, A was 77 and C was 53, which are 70% and 48.2%. In 2025 the same grades took 72.2% and 51.1%, so both climbed a little over the years.
What the SQA said about the 2025 papers
The course report says the papers performed in line with expectations but the level of demand was slightly lower than intended, so the boundaries were adjusted. Question 5 on Paper 1 and questions 7(b) and 10(b) on Paper 2 were less challenging than expected.
Marks went on number skills and on choosing a strategy. On Paper 1, most candidates did not answer the critical path question correctly, with some simply adding all the times, and most did not make a suitable comment comparing interquartile ranges, often using the phrase "on average". Many scored nothing on the probability question 8(a) and the ratio question 9 because they had no valid strategy. On Paper 2, most candidates did not convert centimetres to metres in question 1, many missed the 0% band in the National Insurance calculation, and most did not calculate a percentage increase in 10(c).
What the 2025 numbers mean for you
The report says many candidates lost marks on Paper 1 because their basic number skills were not there. Practise fractions, percentages and ratios without a calculator, and round to the figures the question asks for: the report notes candidates who did not round their final answer. The Significant Figures Calculator checks your rounding.
For the next series see National 5 Applications of Maths grade boundaries 2026. All courses are in SQA grade boundaries 2025.
Check yourself with today's paper
We do not have a daily paper for National 5 Applications of Maths. The nearest is the National 5 Maths paper, which is a short timed paper of 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks, written by us. Use it for non-calculator practice with percentages, fractions and statistics, and divide your mark by the total to get a percentage. In 2025 a 55% on that paper would sit just under the B share of 61.1% and above the C share of 51.1%.
Common questions
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Scotland · National 5National 5 Applications of Maths grade boundaries 2026National 5 Applications of Maths grade boundaries 2026 from Qualifications Scotland: A needed 65 of 90, B 56, C 48 and D 39, with 31.9% getting an A.