OCR GCSE grade boundaries 2025: the marks for every grade
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OCR GCSE grade boundaries June 2025
The tables copy OCR's GCSE (9-1) qualification and notional component raw mark grade boundaries for the June 2025 series (version 1.0, published 21 August 2025). A boundary is the lowest total that earns the grade. Higher papers award 9 to 3 and Foundation papers award 5 to 1.
OCR has two suites in each science. Gateway Science (the A specifications, such as J247 Biology A) and Twenty First Century Science (the B specifications, such as J257 Biology B) each have their own papers, so they have their own boundaries. Look for the code on your entry before you read across.
OCR GCSE grade boundaries 2025: Higher tier
| Higher tier, June 2025 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maths (J560), out of 300 | 258 | 212 | 166 | 126 | 86 | 47 | 27 |
| Biology A (J247), out of 180 | 139 | 128 | 117 | 100 | 83 | 66 | 57 |
| Biology B (J257), out of 180 | 141 | 129 | 118 | 98 | 79 | 60 | 50 |
| Chemistry A (J248), out of 180 | 158 | 145 | 132 | 112 | 92 | 73 | 63 |
| Chemistry B (J258), out of 180 | 141 | 127 | 114 | 94 | 75 | 56 | 46 |
| Physics A (J249), out of 180 | 150 | 138 | 127 | 109 | 92 | 75 | 66 |
| Physics B (J259), out of 180 | 147 | 135 | 123 | 106 | 90 | 74 | 66 |
Maths has three papers of 100 marks, so its total is out of 300. The science GCSEs have two papers of 90 marks, so they are out of 180. Our guides describe each one: OCR GCSE Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
OCR GCSE grade boundaries 2025: Foundation tier
| Foundation tier, June 2025 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maths (J560), out of 300 | 182 | 134 | 95 | 56 | 17 |
| Biology A (J247), out of 180 | 109 | 90 | 66 | 42 | 18 |
| Biology B (J257), out of 180 | 116 | 101 | 80 | 59 | 39 |
| Chemistry A (J248), out of 180 | 113 | 97 | 74 | 51 | 28 |
| Chemistry B (J258), out of 180 | 115 | 95 | 73 | 51 | 29 |
| Physics A (J249), out of 180 | 114 | 101 | 77 | 54 | 31 |
| Physics B (J259), out of 180 | 121 | 108 | 85 | 62 | 40 |
Foundation tops out at grade 5. A Foundation entry cannot lead to a 6, which is why the choice of tier is worth settling with your teacher well before the exam.
OCR GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries 2025
Combined Science is a double award, so it earns a pair of grades such as 5-4. Its total is out of 360 in both suites. The OCR GCSE Combined Science guide describes the six papers.
| Grade | Gateway A Foundation | Gateway A Higher | Twenty First Century B Foundation | Twenty First Century B Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9-9 | - | 280 | - | 259 |
| 9-8 | - | 266 | - | 244 |
| 8-8 | - | 252 | - | 230 |
| 8-7 | - | 239 | - | 216 |
| 7-7 | - | 226 | - | 202 |
| 7-6 | - | 209 | - | 186 |
| 6-6 | - | 192 | - | 170 |
| 6-5 | - | 175 | - | 154 |
| 5-5 | 212 | 158 | 210 | 138 |
| 5-4 | 194 | 142 | 195 | 122 |
| 4-4 | 176 | 126 | 181 | 106 |
| 4-3 | 155 | 118 | 158 | 98 |
| 3-3 | 134 | - | 135 | - |
| 3-2 | 113 | - | 113 | - |
| 2-2 | 92 | - | 91 | - |
| 2-1 | 71 | - | 69 | - |
| 1-1 | 50 | - | 47 | - |
OCR GCSE Computer Science grade boundaries 2025
Computer Science (J277) has no tiers and is out of 160, from two papers of 80 marks. The OCR GCSE Computer Science guide covers them.
| Grade | June 2025 | June 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 141 | 136 |
| 8 | 132 | 126 |
| 7 | 123 | 117 |
| 6 | 108 | 102 |
| 5 | 93 | 87 |
| 4 | 78 | 72 |
| 3 | 58 | 52 |
| 2 | 39 | 32 |
| 1 | 20 | 13 |
How a GCSE mark turns into a grade
OCR sets this out in How do we calculate your GCSE grade?. It adds your component marks to get a total (applying a weighting factor if some components count for more), then compares the total with the qualification grade boundaries. OCR's own example says that if the boundary for a grade 5 is 122 marks, you need at least 122, and a mark of 121 would be a grade 4.
Take a made-up Maths Higher candidate with 52, 44 and 49 on Papers 4, 5 and 6, each out of 100. The total is 145 out of 300. The 2025 boundaries are 166 for a 7, 126 for a 6 and 86 for a 5. 145 is above 126 and below 166, so the grade is a 6, and the candidate was 21 marks short of a 7. A Foundation candidate with the same total could not have reached that grade at all, because the Foundation papers stop at 5.
How 2025 compares with 2024
OCR's June 2024 document, version 1.1 published on 13 March 2025, gives the previous year's boundaries. Here is grade 4 for the main tiers, with the share of the total that the 2025 boundary represents.
| Grade 4 | Out of | 2024 | 2025 | Change | 2025 as a share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maths Higher | 300 | 42 | 47 | +5 | 16% |
| Maths Foundation | 300 | 131 | 134 | +3 | 45% |
| Biology A Higher | 180 | 70 | 66 | −4 | 37% |
| Biology B Higher | 180 | 63 | 60 | −3 | 33% |
| Chemistry A Higher | 180 | 68 | 73 | +5 | 41% |
| Chemistry B Higher | 180 | 45 | 56 | +11 | 31% |
| Physics A Higher | 180 | 66 | 75 | +9 | 42% |
| Physics B Higher | 180 | 70 | 74 | +4 | 41% |
| Chemistry B Foundation | 180 | 70 | 95 | +25 | 53% |
| Physics A Foundation | 180 | 102 | 101 | −1 | 56% |
The Maths Higher grade 4 went up by 5 marks, from 42 to 47, while the Foundation grade 4 moved by +3. In Biology B Higher the grade 4 fell from 63 to 60. The largest single change in the table is Chemistry B Foundation: grade 4 rose from 70 to 95. That is a move of 25 marks in a year on a paper out of 180, and it is the sort of swing that makes last year's figure a poor guide.
The top grades moved as well:
| Higher tier | Grade 7 in 2024 | Grade 7 in 2025 | Grade 9 in 2024 | Grade 9 in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maths (J560) | 145 | 166 | 245 | 258 |
| Biology A (J247) | 121 | 117 | 142 | 139 |
| Biology B (J257) | 119 | 118 | 143 | 141 |
| Chemistry A (J248) | 127 | 132 | 154 | 158 |
| Chemistry B (J258) | 100 | 114 | 128 | 141 |
| Physics A (J249) | 123 | 127 | 147 | 150 |
| Physics B (J259) | 118 | 123 | 144 | 147 |
Maths Higher grade 7 rose by 21 marks, from 145 to 166, and grade 9 rose from 245 to 258. Computer Science grade 4 went from 72 to 78. Ofqual says that grade boundaries often vary from year to year to reflect the difficulty of each paper, so when the marks needed go up, the paper was usually easier.
What the OCR boundaries mean for you
- Look at the share of the total. Grade 4 on the Maths Higher tier is 16% of the marks in 2025, but grade 4 on the Maths Foundation tier is 45%. They are different papers with their own boundaries.
- Know your suite. A Biology A candidate and a Biology B candidate should not read from the same row.
- Do not judge one paper. OCR publishes boundaries for each paper, but the grade is decided on the total of all of them.
- Keep a buffer. A boundary can move by 5 to 20 marks in a year, so aim for a total a little above the grade you want.
Use today's paper to estimate your grade
Choose your subject and tier on our GCSE papers, sit today's paper under timed conditions and mark it. It is a short paper of 8 questions, not a full OCR paper, and it is not written by OCR, so use it as a check on where you are strong and weak. Turn your mark into a percentage and compare it with the share at each boundary. For example, 18 out of 30 is 60 per cent, which sits between the 29% for a Maths Higher grade 5 and the 42% for a grade 6 in 2025.
Try Maths Higher, Maths Foundation, Combined Science Higher, Biology Higher, Chemistry Higher, Physics Higher or Computer Science.
Common mistakes with OCR GCSE boundaries
- Mixing up the two science suites. On the Higher tier a Chemistry B grade 4 was 56 out of 180 in 2025, while a Chemistry A grade 4 was 73. Reading the wrong row would be out by 17 marks.
- Reading a Higher row for a Foundation entry. Foundation papers award 5 to 1 and Higher papers award 9 to 3.
- Forgetting that Combined Science has two grades. A 5-4 is two GCSEs.
- Looking for a mark on one paper. The paper tables are for information only.
Common questions
What were the OCR GCSE grade boundaries for 2025?
What mark do you need for a grade 4 in OCR GCSE Maths in 2025?
What is a grade 9 in OCR GCSE Maths in 2025?
What is the highest grade on the Foundation tier?
Do OCR boundaries differ between Gateway and Twenty First Century Science?
Where is the official OCR document?
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UK · GCSEOCR GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2025: every gradeOCR GCSE Maths (J560) grade boundaries for June 2025, Higher and Foundation, paper by paper, with 2024 for comparison.