National 5 Chemistry grade boundaries 2026: A, B, C, D marks

National 5 Chemistry grade boundaries 2026

These are the Chemistry row of the National 5 sheet in Grade boundaries 2026 (release 26GB, 4 August 2026); the counts are from the 2026 course report. Qualifications Scotland replaced the SQA on 1 February 2026.

An A took 68.8% of the marks, a B 58.4%, a C 48.8% and a D 38.4%. The 2026 course was the last on the old format; see the National 5 Chemistry guide for 2027.

What the 125 marks are made of

The paper had two sections, 25 objective marks and 75 written marks, over 2 hours 30 minutes, for 100 marks and 80% of the grade. The assignment was 20 marks, scaled to 25. In 2027 the paper is shorter, so a boundary of 61 out of 125 will have no direct counterpart.

How many candidates got each grade in 2026

Of 15,070 candidates, 6,633 got an A, 44.0%, down from 45.3%, and 1,662 got No Award, 11.0%, up from 8.6% in 2025. B was 19.1%, C 14.4% and D 11.5%. Entries were a little lower than the 15,211 of 2025.

Turning a mark into a grade

Consider 14 on Section 1 and 46 on Section 2, so 60 on the paper, and 12 of 20 on the assignment, which becomes 15. The total is 75. That is above B at 73 and 11 short of A at 86, so it is a B. Remove 3 marks and it would be 72, a C.

For D, a − c = 86 − 61 = 25, so D = 61 − ⌈49 ÷ 4⌉ = 61 − 13 = 48. For B: 61 + ⌊51 ÷ 4⌋ = 61 + 12 = 73. Both match the table. Because D is calculated from A and C, a change at A of 3 and at C of 1 gave a D boundary that did not move.

2026 against earlier years

Against 2025 the changes were upper A 108 to 105, A 89 to 86, B 75 to 73, C 62 to 61 and D unchanged at 48. In shares that is A from 71.2% to 68.8% and C from 49.6% to 48.8%. A over three series on the 125 scale: 86, 89, 86.

What Qualifications Scotland said about the 2026 papers

The report says the paper was fair but challenging and slightly more demanding than 2025's. Section 1 was more demanding than intended, and question 4 did not perform as intended, so the grade boundaries were adjusted. Section 2 performed as intended. The assignment performed as intended and gave the full range of marks, with rates of reaction and electrochemical cells among the topics, while alcohols as fuels was much less popular.

The marks that went: few candidates identified the gas with the most electrons in one mole (Section 1, question 4), and only some chose the best radioactive source for a use, with most picking a source with the right radiation but a poor half-life (22). In Section 2, few calculated the mass of one mole of heavy water (1(b)(iii)(A)), few gained all 3 marks for calculating energy absorbed by water (5(a)), and few gained 3 marks for describing the role of electrons in chemistry (6). Few explained why the formation of radium and polonium from uranium must include alpha decay (8(d)).

What the 2026 boundaries mean for you

The losses the report names are mostly calculations and explanations. The method to practise is the same each time: use the mass of the water, not the fuel, in the energy formula, and write the gram formula mass before the mole ratio. The Molarity Calculator checks concentration questions.

The previous series is National 5 Chemistry grade boundaries 2025, and every course is in SQA grade boundaries 2026.

Check yourself with today's paper

Today's National 5 Chemistry paper is a short timed mock of 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks, written by us, with no assignment. Divide: 21 out of 30 is 70%, above the 68.8% an A took in 2026; 15 out of 30 is 50%, above the C share of 48.8%.

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Scotland · National 5National 5 Chemistry grade boundaries 2025: A, B, C, D marksNational 5 Chemistry grade boundaries 2025 from the SQA: A needed 89 of 125, B 75, C 62 and D 48, with 45.3% getting an A, and 2024 compared.