AQA GCSE Computer Science grade boundaries 2025: marks for every grade
GCSE Computer Science
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AQA GCSE Computer Science grade boundaries June 2025
Taken from the Computer Science rows of AQA's GCSE grade boundaries for June 2025 (version 1.0, published 21 August 2025). Each figure is the lowest total out of 180 for the grade. The boundaries are the same whichever programming language you answered Paper 1 in: C#, Python or VB.NET.
| Grade | Lowest total out of 180 | Share of the total |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 155 | 86% |
| 8 | 142 | 79% |
| 7 | 130 | 72% |
| 6 | 111 | 62% |
| 5 | 92 | 51% |
| 4 | 74 | 41% |
| 3 | 55 | 31% |
| 2 | 36 | 20% |
| 1 | 18 | 10% |
Paper 1 and Paper 2 are each marked out of 90. Unlike Maths and the sciences, Computer Science has no Foundation and Higher tiers, so there is only one set of boundaries. The GCSE Computer Science guide and AQA GCSE Computer Science guide cover both papers, and the pseudocode guide covers the notation they use.
Working out a grade from two papers
Add Paper 1 and Paper 2. A candidate with 64 and 65 has 129 out of 180. The 2025 grade 6 boundary is 111 and grade 7 is 130, so 129 is a grade 6, 1 mark short of a 7. In 2024 grade 7 needed only 128, so the same total would have been a grade 7. Boundaries went up by 2 to 6 marks at every grade in 2025.
At the other end, a total of 40 out of 180 is a grade 2 (grade 2 starts at 36, grade 3 at 55), and 17 marks falls below grade 1, which needs 18.
2025 compared with 2024 and 2023
The same subject across three summers, from AQA's 2024 and 2023 documents:
| Grade | June 2023 | June 2024 | June 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 150 | 152 | 155 |
| 8 | 136 | 140 | 142 |
| 7 | 123 | 128 | 130 |
| 6 | 105 | 108 | 111 |
| 5 | 88 | 88 | 92 |
| 4 | 71 | 68 | 74 |
| 3 | 52 | 50 | 55 |
| 2 | 33 | 32 | 36 |
| 1 | 15 | 14 | 18 |
Every grade was higher in 2025 than in 2024. Grade 9 climbed 150, 152, 155 over the three years, a rise of 5 marks. Grade 4 dipped in 2024 (71 to 68) before jumping to 74.
What the shares mean for Computer Science
- A grade 4 is 41%. 74 marks, so a candidate can lose close to 60% of the marks and still reach it.
- A grade 7 is 72%. 130 marks, up from 68% in 2023.
- A grade 9 is 86%. 155 marks, which leaves 25 to lose across both papers. One mistake on a long programming question can use up several of them.
Use today's paper to estimate your grade
Sit today's Computer Science paper. It is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, written by us and not by AQA, so it samples both theory and programming without matching either real paper. Mark it, divide by the total, and compare with the shares above. 18 out of 27 is 67%, which is above the grade 6 share of 62% and below the grade 7 share of 72%. See the GCSE Computer Science mock paper guide for how to sit it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Looking for a tier. There is only one set of boundaries, so grade 9 is open to every candidate.
- Expecting your language to matter. C#, Python and VB.NET share the same boundaries.
- Using 2024 for 2025 results. Grade 7 needed 2 more marks.
Common questions
What were the AQA GCSE Computer Science grade boundaries in 2025?
What mark was a grade 4 in AQA GCSE Computer Science 2025?
What mark was a grade 9 in AQA GCSE Computer Science 2025?
Do the boundaries change by programming language?
When did AQA publish them?
Revision cards
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Where to go next
- Solve it
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UK · GCSEAQA GCSE Computer Science grade boundaries 2026AQA's official June 2026 GCSE Computer Science (8525) grade boundaries for every grade from 9 to 1, compared with June 2025.