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AQA A-level Maths grade boundaries 2026: what each grade needed

Published 12 Nov 20264 min read

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AQA A-level Maths grade boundaries June 2026

From the Mathematics Adv row of AQA's A-level grade boundaries for June 2026 (version 1.0, published 13 August 2026). The figure is the lowest total out of 300 for the grade; below E is a U.

Grade	June 2025	June 2026	Change	Share of 300, 2026
A*	260	260	0	87%
A	221	219	−2	73%
B	183	182	−1	61%
C	145	145	0	48%
D	108	108	0	36%
E	71	72	+1	24%

The 2025 column comes from AQA's 2025 document. The total is three papers of 100 marks, each worth a third. Our guides to A-level Maths and AQA A-level Maths cover the content, and the formula booklet guide lists what you are given. Practice by topic: calculus, statistics and mechanics.

A flat year

The five upper boundaries moved by 2 marks or less. A* stayed at 260 for the second year running, A went from 221 to 219, B from 183 to 182, and C and D did not change at all. Only E went up, by 1 to 72. Compare that with Chemistry, where the A boundary rose by 23 marks in the same year: AQA Maths was one of the steadiest of our six A-level subjects.

Steady boundaries do not mean easy papers. They mean the 2026 papers produced marks very like those of 2025.

Worked example: a total on the line

A candidate scores 73, 71 and 75 on the papers, a total of 219. The 2026 A boundary is 219, so 219 is an A. In 2025 the A boundary was 221, so the same total would have been a B. One mark can change the grade, which is the main reason to check the year's table instead of last year's.

Now take 182. In 2026 that is a B, because B needs 182. In 2025 it would have been a C, because B needed 183.

What AQA's illustrative paper boundaries show

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

Paper (notional, illustration only)	Out of	A*	A	B	C	D	E
Paper 1	100	86	71	58	46	34	22
Paper 2	100	86	72	59	46	34	22
Paper 3	100	88	76	64	52	40	28

In 2026 the notional A boundary for Paper 3 is 76, against 71 for Paper 1 and 72 for Paper 2. That says Paper 3 produced higher marks. The grade still comes from the total.

Using the 2026 numbers

For an A, aim at 73%. 219 marks, so 81 marks can go.
For an A*, 87%. 260 marks, with 40 to spare.
An E is 24%. 72 marks.

Use today's paper to estimate your grade

Try today's algebra and functions, calculus, statistics or mechanics paper, a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks. We write them, so they are not AQA papers. Mark it, turn it into a share, and read it against the table above. 25 out of 33 is 76%, which is above the A share of 73% and below the A* share of 87%. Use the Mean, Median and Mode Calculator to average several days.

Mistakes to avoid

Using the 2025 A boundary. It was 2 marks higher.
Thinking a flat boundary means a flat difficulty. It only says the marks were similar.
Relying on one paper. Only the 300 total counts.

Common questions

What were the AQA A-level Maths grade boundaries in 2026?

A* 260, A 219, B 182, C 145, D 108 and E 72, out of 300.

What mark is an A* in AQA A-level Maths 2026?

260 out of 300, the same as 2025.

What mark is an A in AQA A-level Maths 2026?

219 out of 300.

Did the Maths boundaries change in 2026?

Barely. The A boundary fell by 2, B by 1 and E rose by 1.

When did AQA publish the 2026 boundaries?

13 August 2026.

Revision cards

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