AQA GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2026: what each grade needed

AQA GCSE Maths grade boundaries June 2026

These are the Mathematics (8300) rows of AQA's GCSE grade boundaries for June 2026 (version 1.0, published 20 August 2026). A figure is the lowest total out of 240 for that grade, and a dash means the tier does not award it.

Three papers of 80 marks add to the 240. Our guides to GCSE Maths and AQA GCSE Maths cover the three papers topic by topic, and the AQA GCSE Maths formula sheet guide lists what you are given.

What changed from 2025

AQA's 2025 document was published on 21 August 2025. Here is the comparison:

Higher hardly moved. Grade 9 stayed at 219 for a third summer running (2024, 2025 and 2026), while grades 8, 7 and 6 each rose by 1 or 2 marks. Foundation is where the news is: grade 5 dipped by 1, but grade 4 fell from 160 to 154 and grade 3 from 119 to 115. Ofqual says boundaries vary to reflect the difficulty of the papers, so a lower boundary means the marks were lower that year, not that the grade got easier.

A worked example for 2026

A Foundation student scores 52, 50 and 54, a total of 156 out of 240. The grade 4 boundary is 154, so 156 is a grade 4, 31 marks below a 5. In 2025 the same 156 would have been a grade 3, because grade 4 needed 160. That is a real difference to a student on the pass line.

For Higher, 129 out of 240 is 54% of the marks and sits between the grade 5 boundary of 97 and the grade 6 boundary of 131, so it is a grade 5. The 2 marks short of a 6 would be 2.

What the 2026 numbers mean for revision

• If you are on Foundation, aim for 78% to reach the top grade. 187 out of 240 for a 5, and a safe grade 4 at 154.
• If you are on Higher, a 7 is 69%. That is 166 marks, and every 10 marks you lose on the papers takes you toward the grade 6 line at 131.
• The pass mark matters more than the average. The Higher grade 4 line is 63, which is only 26% of the total, so one weak paper does not end a Higher entry.

Use today's paper to estimate your grade

Try today's Foundation paper or Higher paper, then mark it and convert the result into a share of the marks. 21 out of 30 is 70%, which on Foundation is above the grade 4 share of 64% and short of the grade 5 share of 78%. Repeat on different days and average the shares. Use GCSE predicted grades to see how teachers read the results.

Mistakes to avoid in 2026

• Using the 2025 table. Foundation grade 4 moved by 6 marks, so last year's number would have misled you.
• Comparing raw marks across tiers. 156 is a grade 4 on Foundation and nowhere near that on Higher.
• Adding paper boundaries. AQA's notional paper boundaries are for illustration only.

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UK · GCSEAQA GCSE grade boundaries 2026: marks for every gradeAQA's official June 2026 GCSE grade boundaries for Maths, Combined Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer Science, compared with 2025.