AQA A-level grade boundaries 2026: what changed since 2025

AQA A-level grade boundaries June 2026

The table copies AQA's Grade boundaries, June 2026 exams: A-level (version 1.0, published 13 August 2026). Read each figure as the lowest total that earns the grade, out of the total in the second column. Below E is a U. Where a subject has options, AQA publishes a row for each.

Physics has five rows because Paper 3 Section B is an option: Astrophysics (7408A), Medical Physics (7408B), Engineering Physics (7408C), Turning Points (7408D) and Electronics (7408E). Further Maths has DS, MD and SM rows for its three pairings of Paper 3 topics. Computer Science has a single row, because all four languages share boundaries. Subject pages: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science.

What changed since 2025

AQA's 2025 document was published on 14 August 2025. Here are the A* and A boundaries in both years, and how far each moved:

Maths is the quiet one: A* stayed at 260, and A went from 221 to 219. Further Maths moved by a few marks in both directions, and its Statistics and Mechanics option did not change at A. The sciences and Computer Science went up, and the largest rises came in Chemistry (A* +16, A +23) and Computer Science (A* +14). In Physics the options rose by between 6 and 10 marks at A, while Engineering Physics held its A* at 190.

Boundaries are set after the papers are marked, so a higher boundary mostly means students scored more on that year's papers. It does not mean the grade became harder to reach in any lasting way. Think of it as a correction for the paper, not for you.

How marks become a grade: a Chemistry example

Chemistry has three papers: 105, 105 and 90 marks, which add to 300. Suppose you score 72, 68 and 60. That is 200 out of 300. Against the 2026 row, 200 is above the B boundary of 181 and below the A boundary of 220, so it is a B, 20 marks short of an A. The same 200 would have been an A in 2025, when the boundary was 197, and a B in 2023, when A needed 210. A total on a boundary earns that grade, so 181 is a B and not a C.

That is why every guide that says "you need 80%" for an A* is only a rough one. The boundary you face is the one set for your own summer.

Marks as a share of the total

Subjects have different totals, so a share is the fair way to line them up. Here are the 2026 boundaries as rounded shares:

Chemistry's A* now sits at 85% of the marks, almost the same as Maths at 87%, while Biology's is 77%. At the other end, an E is 22% to 24% of the marks in almost every subject, which is the quickest way to see that a pass is a modest share of the paper. For the E boundary in 2026, Further Maths needs 22% and Biology 24%.

Use today's paper to estimate your grade

Pick today's paper in your subject from our A-level papers. Each is a short timed paper of 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks. We write them, so they are a quick mock and not an AQA paper. Once it is marked:

1. Turn your mark into a share. 24 out of 32 is 75%.
2. Read along your subject's row in the share table. In Chemistry, 75% sits between the A share of 73% and the A* share of 85%, so it points to an A.
3. Do it again on other days and average the shares. A single paper is noisy, and a week of papers is a better guide.
4. Use a range, not a number. Next year's boundaries will move, and in 2026 several subjects moved by 10 marks or more at A.

Papers: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science. To go from a grade to a UCAS prediction, read A-level predicted grades.

Mistakes to avoid when reading the table

• Quoting the 2025 boundary for 2026 results. The Chemistry A moved by 23 marks, so last year's number would have put you in the wrong grade.
• Using the wrong Physics option. Medical Physics needed 157 for an A and Astrophysics needed 162, so check which option you sat.
• Forgetting the total. You need every paper added together, plus the NEA in Computer Science.
• Reading AS as A-level. AQA publishes AS boundaries in a separate document.

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