OCR GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2026: the mark for each grade

OCR GCSE Maths grade boundaries 2026

The figures below come from OCR's June 2026 GCSE boundaries PDF. Three papers of 100 marks give a total of 300, and the tier you were entered for decides which row applies.

A Higher grade 4 at 19% of the marks looks surprisingly low, and the Foundation grade 5 at 61% looks high. Both are correct. OCR sets each tier's boundaries on its own papers, and the Higher papers are written to separate the top grades, so a mark that is low as a share of 300 can still be a safe pass. If you are unsure which tier you are on, ask your teacher, because the grade ceiling for Foundation is a 5. The OCR GCSE Maths guide covers the papers and the OCR GCSE boundaries for 2026 page covers the other subjects.

Three years of Maths boundaries

Read down any column in the Higher table and the grade rises each year. Grade 4 is 42, then 47, then 57. Grade 7 goes 145, 166, 170. That is a rise of 25 marks at grade 7 across two years. Foundation is different: grade 5 was 180, 182 and 183, and grade 4 was 131, 134 and 133, a gentle drift. The 2024 figures are from OCR's document of 13 March 2025.

A rising Higher boundary says the papers were friendlier to score on. Ofqual's explanation is that boundaries are recommended by senior examiners once marking is nearly complete, and that is why they differ even when the course is the same.

Each paper in 2026

Paper 6 on the Higher tier had the steepest top end, with 92 for a notional 9 against 84 for Paper 5 and 88 for Paper 4. Paper 5, the non-calculator paper, had the lowest of the three. At Foundation the first paper stood out, with null for a 5, compared with null for Paper 3.

Marks to grade: a 2026 example for each tier

A Higher candidate with 70, 52 and 71 on Papers 4, 5 and 6 has 193 out of 300. The 2026 boundaries are 170 for a 7 and 217 for an 8, so 193 is a grade 7, 23 marks above the line and 24 short of an 8. The same total in 2025 would have been a 7 too, but only 27 marks above its boundary of 166.

A Foundation candidate with 40, 35 and 38 has 113. The 2026 boundaries are 133 for a 4 and 96 for a 3, so this is a grade 3 with 20 marks to find for a 4.

What to take from the Maths boundaries

• The Higher tier gives you room. You can drop a lot of marks and still reach grade 5 (94, which is 31%), so a steady attempt at every question beats a perfect attempt at half.
• Foundation grade 5 is demanding. At 61% it asks for most of the marks, so accuracy on the early questions matters.
• Use the same calculator for revision as for the exam. Papers 1 and 3 (Foundation) and 4 and 6 (Higher) allow a calculator, and the other two do not.
• Do not use last year's Higher numbers as a target. They have been rising, and a grade 7 target set on 2024 would have been 25 marks short by 2026.

Sit today's Maths paper

Try Maths Higher or Maths Foundation and mark it. It is a short paper, so a good score means your method is in place, and it should not be read as a predicted grade on its own. If you average 60 per cent across a week of daily papers, you are above the 57% share for a 2026 Higher grade 7, and a long way ahead of the 32% for Foundation grade 3.

Read next

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.