CCEA GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries 2026: raw marks by unit and tier
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CCEA GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries 2026
The tables are taken from CCEA's Raw to Uniform Mark Boundaries for GCSE Chemistry (G9142), Summer 2026, which CCEA loaded on 20 August 2026. Unit 1 is worth 35% of the subject and Unit 2 is worth 40%. Unit 3 is the practical skills unit, worth 25%. Units 1 and 2 are sat at Foundation tier (grades C* to G) or Higher tier (A* to D, with an E allowed). The raw marks available differ by tier: Unit 1 is out of 60 on Foundation and 80 on Higher, and Unit 2 is out of 80 and 100.
| Unit grade | Unit 1, Foundation | Unit 1, Higher | Unit 2, Foundation | Unit 2, Higher | Unit 3, Foundation | Unit 3, Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Out of | 60 | 80 | 80 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| a | - | 54 | - | 58 | - | 58 |
| b | - | 42 | - | 45 | - | 48 |
| c* | 37 | 31 | 35 | 32 | 28 | 39 |
| c | 30 | 20 | 29 | 20 | 24 | 30 |
| d | 24 | 9 | 24 | 8 | 20 | 21 |
| e | 19 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 17 | 16 |
| f | 14 | - | 14 | - | 14 | - |
| g | 9 | - | 9 | - | 11 | - |
Uniform marks at each boundary
| Unit grade | Unit 1, Foundation | Unit 1, Higher | Unit 2, Foundation | Unit 2, Higher | Unit 3, Foundation | Unit 3, Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most you can earn | 102 | 140 | 116 | 160 | 72 | 100 |
| a | - | 112 | - | 128 | - | 80 |
| b | - | 103 | - | 117 | - | 73 |
| c* | 94 | 94 | 108 | 108 | 67 | 67 |
| c | 84 | 84 | 96 | 96 | 60 | 60 |
| d | 70 | 70 | 80 | 80 | 50 | 50 |
| e | 56 | 63 | 64 | 72 | 40 | 45 |
| f | 42 | - | 48 | - | 30 | - |
| g | 28 | - | 32 | - | 20 | - |
Subject grade lines, Summer 2026
| Subject grade | Lowest total uniform mark, out of 400 |
|---|---|
| A* | 369 |
| A | 320 |
| B | 292 |
| C* | 268 |
| C | 240 |
| D | 200 |
| E | 160 |
| F | 120 |
| G | 80 |
The low raw marks on the Higher papers
The Higher columns have a feature the Foundation ones lack: very low bottom boundaries. In 2026 a Higher candidate needed only 3 out of 80 in Unit 1 and 2 out of 100 in Unit 2 for a grade e. Those few marks are worth 63 and 72 uniform marks and a grade e. The same E marks on Foundation take 19 of 60 and 19 of 80.
Foundation also has a ceiling. The units can give at most 102 + 116 + 72 = 290 uniform marks. That clears the C* line of 268 but not the B line of 292.
A worked example: Higher Chemistry at grade c, then grade a
A candidate on exactly the grade c raw boundary in each Higher unit scores 20, 20, 30. Those convert to 84 + 96 + 60 = 240 uniform marks, a C. At grade a the raw marks are 54, 58, 58 and the uniform marks 112 + 128 + 80 = 320, an A. Note Unit 3: its grade a needed 58 out of 100 in 2026, which equals Unit 2's 58.
How 2026 compares with 2025
| Unit and grade | Summer 2024 | Summer 2025 | Summer 2026 | Change in last year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 Higher, c | 23 | 22 | 20 | −2 |
| Unit 1 Higher, e | 8 | 7 | 3 | −4 |
| Unit 2 Higher, c | 26 | 23 | 20 | −3 |
| Unit 2 Foundation, c* | 38 | 38 | 35 | −3 |
| Unit 3 Higher, a | 55 | 49 | 58 | +9 |
| Unit 3 Higher, c | 31 | 25 | 30 | +5 |
| Unit 3 Foundation, c* | 33 | 28 | 28 | 0 |
The written Higher papers needed fewer raw marks again in 2026: Unit 1 grade c went from 22 to 20 and Unit 2 grade c from 23 to 20, the usual sign of a harder paper than in 2025. The practical Unit 3 on Higher moved the opposite way: grade a rose from 49 to 58. The Foundation Unit 3 stayed at 28, 24, 20, 17, 14 and 11. The A* line moved from 371 to 369.
Revising to the boundary
- Choose the tier with your teacher. The Higher papers give A* and A, but a Foundation paper gives you more marks on the grades it covers.
- Do not neglect the practical unit. Booklet B questions are set on any of the nine prescribed practicals, and the unit is 25% of the subject. The CCEA GCSE Chemistry guide lists them.
- Keep the periodic table to hand for every calculation.
For a short timed check, try today's Foundation or Higher Chemistry paper. It has 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks, written by us and not by CCEA. It will point to weak topics.
Common questions
What are the CCEA GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries for 2026?
What raw mark is a grade c in Higher Chemistry Unit 1 in 2026?
Why are the Higher grade e boundaries so low?
What share of the subject is Unit 3?
Can Foundation Chemistry give a B?
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UK · GCSECCEA GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries 2025: raw marks by unitCCEA GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries for Summer 2025: raw and uniform marks for Units 1 to 3 at both tiers, compared with 2024.