Edexcel GCSE grade boundaries 2025

Edexcel GCSE grade boundaries June 2025

These are the figures in Grade Boundaries, Edexcel GCSE (9-1), June 2025. Pearson's results-day notice for summer 2025 gave GCSE results to students on 21 August 2025 and put the boundaries on its website from results day. A boundary is the lowest mark for the grade: Pearson's example is a grade 6 boundary of 70, where 69 is a grade 5.

Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics each have a Higher and a Foundation table, because the tiers sit different papers. The mark is the total of every paper.

GCSE grade boundaries 2025: Higher tier

GCSE grade boundaries 2025: Foundation tier

Foundation Maths grade 5 needed 175 of 240, which is 73%. Our guides to Edexcel GCSE Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics list the papers behind each total. Each of these subjects also has its own 2025 boundaries page: Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

Combined Science and Computer Science

Combined Science (1SC0) is two GCSEs, graded as pairs from 9-9 to 1-1, out of 360 over six papers. Higher covers 9-9 down to 4-3 and Foundation covers 5-5 down to 1-1. Each table sets June 2025 beside June 2024.

Computer Science (1CP2) has one tier, out of 150. The Edexcel GCSE Computer Science guide sets out its two papers, and the Combined Science guide does the same for six. The subject pages are Combined Science and Computer Science.

What changed from 2024

Pearson's June 2024 document gives the previous year. Between the two summers the Higher boundaries rose, and by a lot in some subjects:

Chemistry Higher grade 4 went from 45 to 62, 17 more marks, and Maths Higher grade 4 from 42 to 53, 11 more. Biology Higher grade 4 rose 13, from 71 to 84. Physics grew by only 5 at grade 4. At grade 9 the picture is calmer: Biology rose by 1 and Physics did not change at 161.

The Foundation tier moved only a few marks, up in some subjects and down in others:

Ofqual explains that grade boundaries often vary from year to year to reflect the difficulty of each paper, so these movements tell you about the papers, not about the people who sat them.

A mark-to-grade example for each tier

• Physics, Foundation. 58 on Paper 1 and 66 on Paper 2 is 124 out of 200. In 2025 that is above 114 (grade 4) and below 131 (grade 5), so a grade 4, 7 marks short of a 5.
• Biology, Higher. 52 and 59 is 111 out of 200: above 104 (grade 5) and below 124 (grade 6). That is a grade 5, 13 marks short of a 6.
• Combined Science, Higher. 198 out of 360 is above 207 (7-6) and below 227 (7-7): a 7-6, 29 short of a 7-7.

In each case add the papers first. Then find the highest boundary your total reaches.

The boundaries as shares of the total

On Foundation a grade 4 asked for 52% to 60% of the marks in 2025. The Higher grade 4 asked for far less: Maths 22%, Biology 42%, Chemistry 31% and Physics 36%. The two tiers sit different papers, so the same grade carries a different mark on each.

Check your own progress against 2025

Today's paper for each subject is on our UK papers. It is 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, not an Edexcel paper, and it is not written by Pearson. It gives a share you can hold against the table above.

1. Do the paper under test conditions and mark it.
2. Turn the mark into a percentage.
3. Hold it against your tier and subject. On Chemistry Higher, 31% was grade 4 and 42% was grade 5, so a share of 45% would be a grade 5.
4. Keep a running average of a week of results with the Mean, Median and Mode Calculator.

Mistakes that waste marks on the table

• Quoting the 2024 line. Several Higher lines rose in 2025, and a 2024 target would be too low.
• Mixing Foundation and Higher. A Foundation grade 4 is a different mark from a Higher grade 4.
• Reading Combined Science as one number. It is a pair, and the two tiers cover different pairs.
• Expecting a 50% pass mark. Grade 4 on Higher was 22% of the total in Maths in 2025, not 50%.

Exam answers

Answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once it is marked. We do not publish official answers, past papers or Pearson mark schemes. Every daily question is our own.

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UK · GCSEEdexcel GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2025: every gradeEdexcel GCSE Maths boundaries for June 2025: Higher grade 4 was 53 and grade 7 was 156 out of 240, with Foundation and 2024 for comparison.