OCR GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries 2025: Gateway A and Twenty First Century B
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OCR GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries 2025
Every number below is from OCR's June 2025 GCSE boundaries PDF. Chemistry has two papers of 90 marks at each tier. Higher awards 9 to 3 and Foundation awards 5 to 1.
| Grade, June 2025 | Gateway A Higher, out of 180 | Gateway A Foundation, out of 180 | Twenty First Century B Higher, out of 180 | Twenty First Century B Foundation, out of 180 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 158 | - | 141 | - |
| 8 | 145 | - | 127 | - |
| 7 | 132 | - | 114 | - |
| 6 | 112 | - | 94 | - |
| 5 | 92 | 113 | 75 | 115 |
| 4 | 73 | 97 | 56 | 95 |
| 3 | 63 | 74 | 46 | 73 |
| 2 | - | 51 | - | 51 |
| 1 | - | 28 | - | 29 |
The two suites are close in structure but far apart in numbers. If your school teaches J248 you read the Gateway columns, and if it teaches J258 you read the Twenty First Century columns. Our OCR GCSE Chemistry guide covers the Gateway papers, and the wider OCR GCSE boundaries for 2025 cover everything else.
Why the two Chemistry suites sit so far apart
A Chemistry A Higher grade 4 was 41% of the total and a Chemistry B Higher grade 4 was 31%. Higher grade 7 was 73% against 63%. OCR sets each suite's boundaries from that suite's own papers, so a lower number does not mean an easier grade, it means that the B papers were harder to score on. On Foundation the two suites are much closer: grade 4 was 97 on A and 95 on B.
Chemistry A paper by paper, 2025
| Chemistry A Foundation papers, 2025 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 01: Paper 1, out of 90 | 63 | 54 | 42 | 30 | 17 |
| Paper 02: Paper 2, out of 90 | 50 | 43 | 32 | 21 | 11 |
| Chemistry A Higher papers, 2025 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 03: Paper 3, out of 90 | 82 | 77 | 72 | 63 | 53 | 44 | 39 |
| Paper 04: Paper 4, out of 90 | 76 | 68 | 60 | 49 | 39 | 29 | 24 |
Higher Paper 3 needed 82 for a notional 9 and 44 for a 4. Higher Paper 4 needed 76 and 29. The gap at grade 4 is 15 marks. Paper 3 covers C1 to C3 and C7, and Paper 4 covers C4 to C6 and C7, so the second paper was the harder one to score on.
Comparing 2025 with 2024
| Chemistry boundaries | 2024 | 2025 | Change, 2024 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway A Higher, grade 7 | 127 | 132 | +5 |
| Gateway A Higher, grade 4 | 68 | 73 | +5 |
| Gateway A Foundation, grade 5 | 114 | 113 | −1 |
| Gateway A Foundation, grade 4 | 100 | 97 | −3 |
| Twenty First Century B Higher, grade 7 | 100 | 114 | +14 |
| Twenty First Century B Higher, grade 4 | 45 | 56 | +11 |
| Twenty First Century B Foundation, grade 5 | 86 | 115 | +29 |
| Twenty First Century B Foundation, grade 4 | 70 | 95 | +25 |
Chemistry A Higher rose by 5 marks at grade 4 and 5 at grade 7. The movement on Twenty First Century B is far larger. A B Higher grade 4 was only 45 in 2024 and became 56 in 2025, and the B Foundation grade 5 jumped from 86 to 115, a rise of 29 marks. OCR's 2024 document (version 1.1, 13 March 2025) gives the earlier figures. A change of that size on one paper is why last year's Chemistry B boundaries make a poor guide for the next.
Ofqual's explanation is that boundaries vary from year to year to reflect the difficulty of each paper.
From paper marks to grade: Chemistry examples
- Chemistry A Higher. 60 on Paper 3 and 55 on Paper 4 is 115. The 2025 boundaries are 112 for a 6 and 132 for a 7, so the grade is a 6 with 17 marks to find for a 7.
- Chemistry B Foundation. 47 and 45 is 92. The boundary for a 3 was 73 and for a 4 was 95, so this is a grade 3, 3 marks short of a 4.
Chemistry-specific advice
- Do not drop the calculation questions. Moles, concentration and yield questions turn up on both papers, and a calculator is allowed in all of them.
- Keep the multiple choice for the end of each section. Each Chemistry A paper includes 15 marks of multiple choice, which is a fast way to bank marks.
- Learn the six mark answers. Each Chemistry A paper has an extended response, and these are marked on levels, so a structured answer beats a list of facts.
- Expect your suite to behave differently from the other. The Higher grade 9 was 158 on A and 141 on B.
Practise with today's Chemistry paper
Use Chemistry Higher or Chemistry Foundation for a short timed paper of 8 questions. It is not an OCR paper. Convert your mark to a percentage and set it against the 2025 shares: a Chemistry A Higher grade 6 was 62%, and a Chemistry B Higher grade 6 was 52%.
Common questions
What were the OCR GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries for 2025?
What is a grade 4 in OCR GCSE Chemistry in 2025?
Why is Chemistry B so much lower than Chemistry A?
Which Chemistry A paper has lower boundaries?
How many marks is OCR GCSE Chemistry?
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UK · GCSEOCR GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries 2026: every gradeOCR GCSE Chemistry June 2026 boundaries for Gateway A and Twenty First Century B, paper by paper, with three years of figures.