WJEC GCSE Physics grade boundaries 2026: raw and uniform marks
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WJEC GCSE Physics grade boundaries June 2026
Physics (3420) has two written units, Electricity, Energy and Waves (Unit 1) and Forces, Space and Radioactivity (Unit 2). Per the specification, each is an 80-mark paper of 1 hour 45 minutes and 45% of the grade. A third unit is the practical. The fixed totals come from WJEC's UMS document and the raw marks from its converter.
| Grade | Unit 1 or 2 UMS (out of 180) | Unit 3 UMS (out of 40) | Subject total (out of 400) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A* | 162 | 36 | 360 |
| A | 144 | 32 | 320 |
| B | 126 | 28 | 280 |
| C | 108 | 24 | 240 |
| D | 90 | 20 | 200 |
| E | 72 | 16 | 160 |
| F | 54 | 12 | 120 |
| G | 36 | 8 | 80 |
Physics Foundation, raw marks 2026
| Foundation, 2026 | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 42 | 34 | 27 | 20 | 13 |
| Unit 2 | 41 | 35 | 29 | 23 | 17 |
Physics Higher, raw marks 2026
| Higher, 2026 | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 54 | 42 | 31 | 21 | 14 | 8 |
| Unit 2 | 57 | 46 | 32 | 19 | 14 | 8 |
Physics practical, Unit 3, 2026
| Grade | Raw mark, 2026 | Uniform marks |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 26 | 36 |
| A | 22 | 32 |
| B | 18 | 28 |
| C | 14 | 24 |
| D | 12 | 20 |
| E | 10 | 16 |
| F | 8 | 12 |
| G | 6 | 8 |
What moved between 2025 and 2026
| Paper | Grade | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 Foundation | C | 28 | 42 | +14 |
| Unit 1 Foundation | G | 10 | 13 | +3 |
| Unit 1 Higher | A* | 48 | 54 | +6 |
| Unit 1 Higher | C | 16 | 21 | +5 |
| Unit 2 Foundation | C | 42 | 41 | −1 |
| Unit 2 Foundation | G | 21 | 17 | −4 |
| Unit 2 Higher | A* | 54 | 57 | +3 |
| Unit 2 Higher | C | 24 | 19 | −5 |
Unit 1 got harder to score on at both tiers: Foundation needed 3 to 14 more raw marks for each grade, and Higher needed 2 to 6 more. Unit 2 split. Higher A* and A went up by 3, but B, C, D and E went down by up to 5, and Foundation fell by 1 to 4 at every grade. The practical rose by 1 at every grade.
A Foundation example
A Foundation candidate gets 40 raw marks in Unit 1, 38 in Unit 2 and 20 in the practical. The converter gives 104, 99 and 30 uniform marks, a total of 233 out of 400. That is above the D boundary of 200 and 7 marks short of the C boundary of 240. In 2026 the 40 raw marks in Unit 1 were worth 104 uniform marks, just under the 108 that a C needs on a unit. The 2025 converter would have given the same 40 raw marks 125.
Why the cap matters on Foundation
WJEC's UMS document says the highest uniform mark on Foundation is set one mark below the B grade. For a Physics written unit that is 125 of 180. In 2026 the Foundation Unit 1 reached that cap at 50 raw marks and Unit 2 at 47. A Foundation candidate who scores more than that gains nothing more, so the C and D range is where the marks count.
How Wales did in Physics in 2026
According to JCQ's Wales release, 46.5% of Physics candidates got A*/9 to A/7 and 89.4% got C/4 or above in 2026. In 2025 it was 44.4% and 90.0%. Physics had the highest top-grade share of the three single sciences both years.
What it means for you
- Do not trust last year's raw marks. Foundation Unit 1 moved by 14 marks at a C. Use the uniform marks to plan, and treat the raw marks as that year's conversion.
- Unit 2 can reward a Higher candidate. The C needed 5 fewer raw marks this year than in 2025.
- Aim for the practical. The Unit 3 grade bands are narrow: an A needs 22 raw marks and a C needs 14.
Use today's paper as a Physics check
Our Physics Higher and Physics Foundation papers are 8-question mocks worth 25 to 35 marks, written by us. Mark one and look at your share. Physics papers reward showing the equation, the substitution and the unit, so check where you lose marks and redo it. A single result is a sample, so keep a record across a fortnight.
Common questions
What are the WJEC GCSE Physics grade boundaries for 2026?
What raw mark was a C on WJEC Physics Foundation Unit 1 in 2026?
What raw mark was an A on Physics Higher Unit 2 in 2026?
Why did Foundation Unit 1 change so much?
Does the practical count for both tiers?
Are the totals the same in 2027?
Revision cards
Say it, then check.
Where to go next
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UK · GCSEWJEC GCSE Physics grade boundaries 2025: marks per gradeWJEC's June 2025 GCSE Physics boundaries: the fixed UMS totals, raw marks for Units 1 to 3 on both tiers and how the Foundation cap works.