AQA A-level Physics grade boundaries 2025: A* to E for each option

AQA A-level Physics grade boundaries June 2025

From the Physics Adv rows 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 250 that earns the grade. AQA Physics (7408) has three papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2 are 85 marks each, and Paper 3 is 80 marks, made up of 45 marks of practical skills and data analysis in Section A and 35 marks on one optional topic in Section B. That sums to 250. Because each option has its own Section B, AQA publishes a separate boundary row for each.

Check which Section B option your school entered you for before you read the table. Our guides to A-level Physics and AQA A-level Physics cover the content, and the data sheet guide lists what you are given.

Working out a Physics grade

A candidate on the Medical Physics option scores 62 on Paper 1, 60 on Paper 2 and 29 on Paper 3 Section A plus 24 on Section B, which makes 175. The Medical Physics boundaries are A* 181, A 148 and B 123, so 175 is an A, 6 marks short of an A*. In June 2024 the Medical Physics A* boundary was 174, so the same 175 would have been an A*.

The E boundary is only 20% of the total (50 out of 250), so a pass needs about a fifth of the marks.

How 2025 compares with 2024 and 2023

From AQA's 2024 and 2023 documents, the A boundary for each option:

And the A* boundary:

Physics boundaries climbed in each of the three summers, which is not the pattern in Biology or Maths. Astrophysics A went 129, 138, 152, a rise of 23 marks. The 2025 jump of 14 for Astrophysics followed a rise of 9 the year before, and Engineering Physics A rose 20 marks, from 135 to 155.

Section B in AQA's notional figures

AQA's document gives notional boundaries for each Section B option, out of 35, "for illustrative purposes only". They are not used to grade you:

Engineering Physics had the highest notional A* in 2025 (29 out of 35) and Medical Physics the lowest (24). That is consistent with the Medical Physics row having the lowest overall boundaries at most grades.

What the boundaries mean for Physics

• An A is about 59% to 62%. 148 to 155 marks, depending on the option.
• An A* is about 72% to 76%. The lowest A* share among our six subjects.
• The options differ by under 10 marks at A. Your choice of Section B topic should depend on interest, not on the boundary.

Use today's paper to estimate your grade

Sit today's Physics 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 turn the result into a share: 19 out of 30 is 63%, above the A share of 59% to 62% for every option and below the A* share. Average several days with the Mean, Median and Mode Calculator.

Mistakes to avoid

• Reading the wrong option row. Check Section B first.
• Using the notional Section B boundaries. Your grade comes from the 250 total.
• Using 2024 as a guide. The A boundary rose by 9 to 20 marks.

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.