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CCEA GCSE Biology grade boundaries 2025: raw marks by unit and tier

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CCEA GCSE Biology grade boundaries 2025, by unit and tier

The figures come from CCEA's Raw to Uniform Mark Boundaries for GCSE Biology, Summer 2025. The Higher and Foundation papers share a number of marks, but they do not share boundaries. Each column below is one unit at one tier.

Unit gradeUnit 1, FoundationUnit 1, HigherUnit 2, FoundationUnit 2, HigherUnit 3, FoundationUnit 3, Higher
Out of75759090100100
a-51-68-49
b-42-58-39
c*413450484029
c362643383220
d311837282511
e27143123196
f23-26-13-
g19-21-7-
Unit gradeUnit 1, FoundationUnit 1, HigherUnit 2, FoundationUnit 2, HigherUnit 3, FoundationUnit 3, Higher
Most you can earn10214011616072100
a-112-128-80
b-103-117-73
c*94941081086767
c848496966060
d707080805050
e566364724045
f42-48-30-
g28-32-20-

Subject lines, Summer 2025

Subject gradeLowest total uniform mark, out of 400
A*355
A320
B292
C*268
C240
D200
E160
F120
G80

A worked example from 2025

A Higher candidate who took exactly the grade d raw mark in each unit, 18, 28, 11, earned 70 + 80 + 50 = 200 uniform marks, a D at 200. Moving up to grade c needs 26, 38, 20, which is 240, a C. On Foundation the c boundaries were 36, 43, 32 and the uniform marks 84 + 96 + 60 = 240. All are tied to the same uniform scale, so the grade is fair whichever paper you sat.

The 2025 story: Unit 2 Higher went up

Unit and gradeSummer 2024Summer 2025Change in last year
Unit 2 Higher, a6468+4
Unit 2 Higher, c*4348+5
Unit 2 Higher, c3338+5
Unit 2 Higher, e1823+5
Unit 2 Foundation, c*5450−4
Unit 3 Foundation, c*40400
Unit 3 Higher, a5149−2

Unit 2 Higher was the unit that shifted: grade c* up five (43 to 48), grade c up five, grade d up five and grade e up five. A boundary that rises by the same amount at four grades in a row suggests that the paper's marks were easier to collect overall. The Foundation Unit 2 paper moved the other way, grade c* falling from 54 to 50. Unit 3 Foundation did not change at all: 40, 32, 25, 19, 13 and 7 in both 2024 and 2025. The A* stayed at 355.

Thinking about the tier

A boundary of 38 out of 90 for a Higher grade c looks low beside the Foundation 43. The tiers are different papers on a common uniform scale, so the two numbers are not rivals. If your teacher enters you for Higher, you accept a paper where a grade c is worth fewer raw marks but where the questions reach A* and A. The Foundation paper tops out at C*.

  • The practical Unit 3 is 25% and moved little for Foundation in 2025.
  • Resits are allowed once per unit.
  • Use the Biology guide to match topics to units.

Try today's Foundation or Higher paper as a quick timed check. It is 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks, set by us.

Common questions

What were the CCEA GCSE Biology grade boundaries in 2025?
Out of 400: A* 355, A 320, B 292, C* 268, C 240, D 200, E 160, F 120, G 80.
What was a grade c in Higher Biology Unit 2 in 2025?
38 out of 90, which is worth 96 uniform marks.
Did the Biology boundaries rise in 2025?
For Unit 2 Higher, yes, by about five marks at every grade from a to e. For Unit 2 Foundation they fell.
How big is each Biology unit?
Unit 1 is 75 raw marks, Unit 2 is 90 and Unit 3 is 100, on both tiers.
What is the Biology A* in 2025?
355 out of 400.

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UK · GCSECCEA GCSE Biology grade boundaries 2026: raw marks by unitCCEA GCSE Biology grade boundaries for Summer 2026: raw and uniform marks for Units 1 to 3 at both tiers, plus the 400 mark subject lines.