National 5 Computing Science grade boundaries 2026

National 5 Computing Science grade boundaries 2026

The table is the Computing Science row of the National 5 sheet in Qualifications Scotland's Grade boundaries 2026 (release 26GB, 4 August 2026). Qualifications Scotland replaced the SQA on 1 February 2026.

An A needed exactly 70.0% of the marks, which is the starting point. B was 59.2%, C 48.3% and D 37.5%. See the National 5 Computing Science guide.

What the 120 marks are made of

The course is a question paper of 80 marks and an assignment of 40 marks, 120 in all. The paper lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. The grade is based on the total across both, as the course specification says, and it is the same structure as in 2025. The paper's first section, 55 marks, is for everyone, and the next 25 marks are on database or web design, your choice. The assignment is a 25-mark software task plus a 15-mark database or web task.

What we cannot yet say about 2026

Qualifications Scotland had not published a course report for National 5 Computing Science 2026 as of 11 November 2026, so there are no candidate numbers for the year, no grade shares and no notes on which questions were adjusted. Its provisional attainment summary lists only the five biggest subjects at each level, and Computing Science is not one of them. The boundary table is complete, because the workbook covers every course, and that is all the official data this page uses. The 2025 course report remains the latest word on how the assessment performs.

Turning a mark into a grade

Imagine 55 out of 80 on the paper and 25 out of 40 on the assignment: 80 in all. That is above B at 71 and 4 below A at 84, so it is a B. With 4 more marks it would be an A. A candidate with 45 exactly would have a D, 13 marks short of a C.

For the D line, with A at 84 and C at 58 the gap is 26, so D = 58 − ⌈51 ÷ 4⌉ = 58 − 13 = 45. B = 58 + ⌊53 ÷ 4⌋ = 58 + 13 = 71. Both agree with the published table.

2026 against earlier years

Every line fell: the 2025 boundaries were 86, 74, 62 and 50, and 2026's are 84, 71, 58 and 45, with the upper A going from 104 to 102. Against 2024 (A 84, B 72, C 60, D 48) the 2026 A matches, B is 1 lower, C 2 lower and D 3 lower. The sequence for C is 57, 56, 60, 62, 58 from 2022 to 2026.

What we can say from earlier reports

With no 2026 report, the most useful official comment is from 2025. It said candidates were improving on the higher-tariff problem-solving questions, found "describe" and "explain" questions demanding, and that about 60% of candidates took the database options and 40% the web options. It also said the 2025 paper was slightly less demanding than intended, which is why the A and C lines were raised that year. The lower 2026 lines suggest a harder paper or weaker answers than 2025, but only the course report would say which, and it has not appeared.

What the 2026 numbers mean for you

A C at 58 out of 120 is 48.3%, a shade under the notional 50%, so a candidate with half the marks was still safe. The coursework is 40 of the 120 marks and you control it: check each task against the marking criteria before you hand it in. The Number Base Converter is handy for the data representation questions.

The earlier series is National 5 Computing Science grade boundaries 2025, and every course is in SQA grade boundaries 2026.

Check yourself with today's paper

Today's National 5 Computing Science paper is a short timed mock of 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks, written by us, with no assignment. Divide your mark: 21 out of 30 is 70%, equal to the A share of 70.0%, and 15 out of 30 is 50%, above the C share of 48.3%.

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Scotland · National 5National 5 Computing Science grade boundaries 2025National 5 Computing Science grade boundaries 2025 from the SQA: A needed 86 of 120, B 74, C 62 and D 50, with 49.8% getting an A, and 2024 compared.