AQA A-level Chemistry grade boundaries 2025: marks for A* to E

AQA A-level Chemistry grade boundaries June 2025

From the Chemistry Adv row of AQA's A-level grade boundaries for June 2025 (version 1.0, published 14 August 2025). Each figure is the lowest total out of 300 that earns the grade, and below E is a U. AQA Chemistry (7405) is three papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2 are 105 marks each, and Paper 3 is 90 marks, which includes 40 marks on practical techniques and data analysis and 30 marks of multiple choice. They add to 300.

Our guides to A-level Chemistry and AQA A-level Chemistry cover the content, and the data sheet guide lists what you are given.

A Chemistry total, worked through

A candidate scores 58 on Paper 1, 55 on Paper 2 and 52 on Paper 3, a total of 165 out of 300. The 2025 B boundary is 162 and the A boundary is 197, so 165 is a B, 3 marks above the B line. In 2023 B needed 173, so the same 165 would have been a C.

The 30 multiple-choice marks in Paper 3 are 10% of the total, which is worth thinking about: the gap between an A and a B in 2025 was 35 marks, so those 30 marks are nearly the whole distance.

2025 against 2024 and 2023

From AQA's 2024 and 2023 documents:

Of our six A-levels, Chemistry is the only one where 2023 had the highest boundaries of the three summers to 2025. The A* boundary fell from 250 in 2023 to 239 in 2024 and stayed at 239 in 2025. The A boundary went 210, 198, 197. The lower grades were nearly flat between 2024 and 2025, with a rise of 1 to 4 marks at C, D and E.

Paper by paper

AQA's notional boundaries for each paper, "for illustrative purposes only":

Paper 1 had the highest notional A* (84 out of 105, 80%), then Paper 2 (82) and Paper 3 (73 out of 90). These are not grade boundaries for the paper. Your grade comes from the 300 total.

What these boundaries mean for Chemistry

• An A* is 80%. 239 marks, so 61 marks can go.
• An A is 66%. 197 marks.
• An E is 20%. 59 marks, about a fifth of the paper.

Use today's paper to estimate your grade

Sit today's Chemistry Paper 1 or Paper 2. Each is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, written by us and not by AQA. Mark it and divide by the total. 19 out of 30 is 63%, which is below the A share of 66% and above the B share of 54%. Repeat on a few days and take the mean with the Mean, Median and Mode Calculator.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using the 2023 table. The A boundary was 13 marks higher then.
• Treating Paper 3 as practical only. It also carries 30 marks of multiple choice.
• Marking one paper against the total. Boundaries apply to the 300.

Read next

UK · A-levelAQA A-level grade boundaries 2025: marks for every gradeAQA's official June 2025 A-level grade boundaries for Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science, with 2024 and 2023.