CCEA GCSE grade boundaries 2026: the marks for every grade

CCEA GCSE grade boundaries 2026: the subject-level table

The numbers below come from CCEA's document GCSE Subject Level Uniform Mark Grade Boundaries with A*, Summer 2026, which CCEA's grade boundaries page lists as updated on 20 August 2026, and which agrees with each subject's own Raw to Uniform document. Each figure is the lowest total uniform mark (UMS) that earns the grade. Our papers cover the GCSE subjects below. Computer Science is not a CCEA GCSE: its nearest subject is Digital Technology, Programming route.

The grades from A to G are the same every year for the lifetime of the specification, so you can plan from them now. The only line that changes is the A* row. CCEA now sets the A* boundary separately in every series, subject by subject.

Double Award Science, 2026

Double Award Science counts as two GCSEs and carries a pair of grades, such as BC*. Its total is out of 600. This is our Combined Science paper in Northern Ireland. The A*A* and A*A lines move each series; the rest stay fixed.

From raw marks to a CCEA GCSE grade

There are two conversions, and the second is the one the table above shows.

1. Raw to uniform, unit by unit. Every unit has its own raw mark boundaries, set again each series. Beside them sits a fixed uniform mark for each grade. A raw mark on the boundary earns that boundary's uniform mark, and a mark between two boundaries earns a uniform mark between the two values.
2. Uniform to grade, for the whole subject. Add the uniform marks from every unit, then read the grade from the subject-level table.

A worked example on Higher Tier Physics, with a candidate who lands exactly on the grade c boundary in all three units: 39 raw marks in Unit 1 earn 90 uniform marks, 34 in Unit 2 earn 90, and 36 in the practical Unit 3 earn 60. The total is 240, which is exactly the C line of 240. The same candidate on the grade a boundaries earns 120 + 120 + 80 = 320, which is the A line of 320. Unit grades are written in lower case in CCEA's documents, and subject grades in capitals.

Units 1 and 2 are marked out of different totals at Foundation and Higher, so the same grade needs a different raw mark. Our Physics page sets the tiers side by side.

What CCEA grades mean next to 9 to 1

CCEA states that its A* aligns with grade 9, its A covers grades 8 and 7, B aligns with 6, C* with 5, and C with 4. C* is the grade CCEA added in 2019. If a college asks for a 5 in Maths, a C* meets it, and a plain C is a 4. Our Northern Ireland grades guide goes through the rest, including the small share of candidates who receive 9 to 1 grades.

The A* boundary moves, so track it

CCEA calls the A* boundary a derived value that is set again in each series. Here is how it has moved, as read from each subject's own Raw to Uniform document for the Summer series:

Maths has barely moved: 394, 394 and 393. Biology sat on 355 for three years. Single Award Science swung by seven in a year, from 360 to 367 and back to 362. Digital Technology (Programming) fell each year, from 277 to 270, which is the A* getting easier to reach on a 300 total. Even the biggest swing is under 10 uniform marks out of 400, so it is worth knowing, but it is not worth planning around.

How to use this when you are revising

• Work from the total, not the paper. Because of the uniform mark scale, a weak unit can be offset by a strong one. A 320 total is an A however it is made up.
• Aim at the boundary above the grade you want. A candidate on C* needs 268; leave 10 or more uniform marks of safety.
• Check the tier. A Foundation unit stops at C*. A candidate who needs a B or above must sit Higher tier units.
• Raw boundaries change, uniform ones do not. Use last year's raw marks only as a loose guide to the unit.

Use today's paper to estimate your grade

Sit today's paper for your subject on our UK papers. It is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, written by us, not by CCEA. Mark it, then turn the result into a percentage of its total. A candidate at 60% is in the region of the C line of 240 out of 400, since 240 is 60% of 400, and one at 80% is near the A line of 320. That is only a rough guide, because real units are tiered and weighted differently. Repeat on several days for a better picture.

CCEA GCSE subjects we cover

• CCEA GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2026, with units M1 to M8
• CCEA GCSE Physics grade boundaries 2026
• CCEA GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries 2026
• CCEA GCSE Biology grade boundaries 2026
• CCEA GCSE Double Award Science grade boundaries 2026
• CCEA GCSE Digital Technology (Programming) grade boundaries 2026

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UK · GCSECCEA GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2026: raw marks by unitCCEA GCSE Maths grade boundaries for Summer 2026: raw marks for units M1 to M8, the 400 mark subject lines and the grade each route can reach.