What is a grade 5 at GCSE? The strong pass and its old equivalent

What is a grade 5 at GCSE?

A grade 5 sits one step above the standard pass. AQA's page on the 9 to 1 grades calls it a "strong pass" and says it is "equivalent to a high C and low B on the old grading system". Ofqual's comparable points do not include grade 5, because only the bottoms of grades 7, 4 and 1 are fixed to the old letters. A 5 is therefore a grade between the C and B bands, not a conversion of either.

Northern Ireland shows the same idea in letters. CCEA added a ninth grade, the C*, and its guide says the C* equates to a grade 5, with grade 6 equal to a B and grade 4 equal to a C. Read GCSE grades in Northern Ireland for the full scale. The grade below is a 4, see What is a grade 4 at GCSE?.

A grade 5 on the Foundation and Higher tiers

Grade 5 is the top grade on the Foundation tier, so it is the most a Foundation entry can earn. It is also available on the Higher tier, where the boundaries are much lower. On AQA in June 2026, the same grade 5 needed 40% of the marks on Higher Maths and 78% on Foundation Maths. If you are aiming for a 5, ask your teacher which tier gives you the best chance of it.

How many students get a grade 5 or above

Just over half of results reach a 5: 52.1% in England in 2026 (55.5% for 16-year-olds). Only 16.5% sit exactly on a 5, the biggest slice of any single grade bar the 3.

More than four in five Biology, Chemistry and Physics results were a grade 5 or above, against 41.0% in Maths and 44.1% in English Language. The separate sciences attract the highest proportion of the most able students, so their results are not typical of all students.

How many marks you need for a grade 5

Here is where AQA drew the strong-pass line in June 2026, tier by tier: Source: AQA's June 2026 document.

The step from a grade 4 to a grade 5 on the Higher tier is Maths 34, Biology 18, Chemistry 25, Physics 20, Computer Science 21 marks. That is the extra you need to move from standard pass to strong pass.

Is a grade 5 good enough?

A grade 5 is a pass, and a strong one, and GOV.UK lists it as a level 2 qualification along with grades 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Whether it opens a course is decided by each sixth form, college or university, which set their own entry requirements by subject. Check the prospectus.

Aim for a 5 on a timed paper

Try a Biology Higher or Physics Higher paper and mark it. Our typical Higher cut-off for a 5 is 39% and for a Foundation 5 it is 75%, so the tier you sit changes the target a lot.

Read next

UK · GCSEWhat is a grade 6 at GCSE? Equivalent to a BA grade 6 at GCSE sits above the strong pass and below the old A. How many students get one, the marks AQA needed in 2026, and which tier you need.