WJEC GCSE Combined Science (Science Double Award) grade boundaries 2026
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WJEC GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries June 2026
WJEC's course (3430) is worth two GCSEs. Per the specification, it has six written units of 1 hour 15 minutes and 60 marks, Biology 1, Chemistry 1, Physics 1, Biology 2, Chemistry 2 and Physics 2, each 15% of the grade, plus a practical assessment worth 10%. The board adds the unit uniform marks and reads a double grade from its UMS document. The raw marks come from the grade converter for June 2026.
Double grade totals, out of 800
| Double grade | Uniform marks |
|---|---|
| A*A* | 720 |
| A*A | 680 |
| AA | 640 |
| AB | 600 |
| BB | 560 |
| BC | 520 |
| CC | 480 |
| CD | 440 |
| DD | 400 |
| DE | 360 |
| EE | 320 |
| EF | 280 |
| FF | 240 |
| FG | 200 |
| GG | 160 |
Foundation raw marks, 2026
| Foundation, 2026 | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 Biology 1 | 34 | 30 | 26 | 22 | 18 |
| Unit 2 Chemistry 1 | 31 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 13 |
| Unit 3 Physics 1 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 7 |
| Unit 4 Biology 2 | 35 | 31 | 27 | 24 | 21 |
| Unit 5 Chemistry 2 | 37 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 24 |
| Unit 6 Physics 2 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 20 |
Higher raw marks, 2026
| Higher, 2026 | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 Biology 1 | 41 | 33 | 24 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Unit 2 Chemistry 1 | 49 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 13 | 9 |
| Unit 3 Physics 1 | 44 | 35 | 26 | 17 | 12 | 8 |
| Unit 4 Biology 2 | 42 | 36 | 29 | 22 | 17 | 14 |
| Unit 5 Chemistry 2 | 47 | 38 | 30 | 22 | 17 | 14 |
| Unit 6 Physics 2 | 42 | 36 | 28 | 21 | 18 | 15 |
Unit 7, the practical assessment
| Grade | Raw mark, 2026 | Uniform marks (out of 80) |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 52 | 72 |
| A | 44 | 64 |
| B | 36 | 56 |
| C | 28 | 48 |
| D | 24 | 40 |
| E | 20 | 32 |
| F | 16 | 24 |
| G | 12 | 16 |
A Higher worked example
Consider a Higher tier candidate with raw marks of 30, 36, 28, 30, 32 and 26 in Units 1 to 6, and 40 in the practical. The converter gives 92, 91, 87, 86, 87, 81, 60 uniform marks. They add up to 584 out of 800. That is above the BB boundary of 560 and 16 marks short of AB at 600. A mixed pair such as AB sits halfway between two doubles.
How the raw marks moved from 2025
Here is the raw mark for a Foundation C and a Higher A in both years.
| Unit | Foundation C | Change | Higher A | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 Biology 1 | 30 to 34 | +4 | 32 to 33 | +1 |
| Unit 2 Chemistry 1 | 32 to 31 | −1 | 38 to 40 | +2 |
| Unit 3 Physics 1 | 29 to 25 | −4 | 32 to 35 | +3 |
| Unit 4 Biology 2 | 38 to 35 | −3 | 37 to 36 | −1 |
| Unit 5 Chemistry 2 | 34 to 37 | +3 | 32 to 38 | +6 |
| Unit 6 Physics 2 | 26 to 32 | +6 | 30 to 36 | +6 |
The biggest moves were in the second set of units. Chemistry 2 rose by 3 at Foundation C and by 6 at Higher A, and Physics 2 rose by 6 at both. Foundation Physics 1 went the other way, from 29 to 25, and Foundation Biology 2 fell from 38 to 35.
Will this course still exist?
WJEC says its current science GCSEs, including Science Double Award, continue to be taught until 2027 and have a final assessment in summer 2027, with resits in January 2028. A new Made-for-Wales course, The Sciences (Double Award), is being introduced, and these tables apply only to the current one. See our WJEC GCSE Combined Science guide.
How Wales did in 2026
JCQ's Wales release says 7.8% of Science Double Award candidates got A*/9 to A/7 and 50.8% got C/4 or above in 2026, compared with 7.5% and 50.0% in 2025. JCQ says the Double Award and the separate sciences are the same academic standard, but the separate sciences attract the highest share of the most able students, so the shares differ.
What it means for you
- Six papers, so no single paper decides. Each written unit is 15%, so a poor Physics 1 can be offset by Chemistry 2.
- The practical is 10%. That is 80 uniform marks, worth more than half a written unit.
- Plan on double grades. Neighbouring pairs, such as AA and AB, are 40 uniform marks apart.
Use today's paper as a mock
Our Combined Science Foundation and Combined Science Higher papers are 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, and they are not WJEC papers. They are for practice, so note which science each lost mark belongs to and revise that one first.
Common questions
What are the WJEC GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries for 2026?
Is Combined Science the same as Science (Double Award)?
What raw mark was a C on Foundation Physics 1 in 2026?
What did a Higher A need in Chemistry 2 in 2026?
How many marks is each written unit?
When is the last assessment of this course?
Revision cards
Say it, then flip.
Where to go next
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UK · GCSEWJEC GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries 2025WJEC's June 2025 Science (Double Award) boundaries: the fifteen double grades out of 800, and raw marks for all seven units on Foundation and Higher.