AQA publishes its grade boundaries at 8am on results day, one document each for GCSE, A level and AS, with the subject boundaries that decide grades and, in a separate section, the notional boundaries for each paper. This page is the June 2026 figures for the subjects most students take, with June 2025 beside the GCSE ones, and notes on the Trilogy double award and the subjects whose boundaries depend on the options taken. How boundaries are set, and the three boards side by side, is on GCSE grade boundaries 2026 explained.
Download the AQA June 2026 grade boundaries table (PDF) (GCSE by tier with 2025 beside each, Trilogy on both tiers, the A level table, and a mock-marking worksheet; two pages, free).
GCSE, June 2026, with June 2025 in brackets
Maths (8300, out of 240)
| Tier | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher 8300H | 219 (219) | 192 (191) | 166 (164) | 131 (130) | 97 (96) | 63 (63) | 46 (46) | ||
| Foundation 8300F | 187 (188) | 154 (160) | 115 (119) | 76 (79) | 38 (39) |
English (out of 160)
| Subject | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language 8700 | 122 (119) | 112 (109) | 103 (100) | 93 (91) | 84 (82) | 75 (73) | 55 (54) | 35 (35) | 16 (16) |
| English Literature 8702 | 142 (136) | 127 (122) | 113 (108) | 97 (92) | 81 (77) | 66 (62) | 49 (46) | 33 (30) | 17 (15) |
Combined Science: Trilogy (8464, double award, out of 420)
| Tier | 9-9 | 9-8 | 8-8 | 8-7 | 7-7 | 7-6 | 6-6 | 6-5 | 5-5 | 5-4 | 4-4 | 4-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher 8464H | 298 (299) | 280 (281) | 262 (263) | 245 (245) | 228 (228) | 208 (206) | 188 (184) | 168 (162) | 149 (140) | 130 (118) | 111 (96) | 101 (85) |
| Tier | 5-5 | 5-4 | 4-4 | 4-3 | 3-3 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 1-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation 8464F | 276 (271) | 257 (251) | 238 (231) | 208 (202) | 178 (173) | 149 (145) | 120 (117) | 91 (89) | 62 (61) |
The Higher tier's lower grades rose by 6 to 16 marks on 2025 while its top grades stayed put, which is what happens when a paper's easier questions are more accessible than the year before and its hard questions are not.
The separate sciences (out of 200)
| Subject | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology Higher 8461H | 133 (141) | 120 (127) | 107 (113) | 88 (94) | 70 (75) | 52 (56) | 43 (46) | ||
| Biology Foundation 8461F | 144 (140) | 127 (121) | 91 (87) | 55 (53) | 19 (19) | ||||
| Chemistry Higher 8462H | 155 (150) | 137 (132) | 120 (115) | 94 (90) | 68 (66) | 43 (42) | 30 (30) | ||
| Chemistry Foundation 8462F | 132 (132) | 110 (109) | 81 (80) | 52 (52) | 24 (24) | ||||
| Physics Higher 8463H | 157 (152) | 142 (139) | 128 (126) | 107 (107) | 87 (88) | 67 (70) | 57 (61) | ||
| Physics Foundation 8463F | 141 (144) | 126 (131) | 92 (95) | 58 (59) | 24 (24) |
Options
| Subject (max) | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography 8035 (252) | 204 (199) | 185 (180) | 166 (161) | 148 (142) | 130 (124) | 112 (106) | 82 (77) | 53 (48) | 24 (20) |
| Business 8132 (180) | 133 (131) | 124 (122) | 115 (114) | 102 (102) | 89 (90) | 77 (78) | 55 (57) | 34 (36) | 13 (15) |
| Psychology 8182 (200) | 168 (170) | 154 (156) | 141 (142) | 122 (122) | 104 (103) | 86 (84) | 62 (61) | 38 (38) | 14 (15) |
History 8145 and Religious Studies A 8062 have a boundary per paper and option (for example, History Paper 1A Option A, out of 40, had grade 9 at 26 and grade 4 at 12 in June 2025); AQA's document gives every option, and the subject grade is on the total of the chosen options. French 8658 and Spanish 8698 moved to new specifications first awarded in 2026; for reference, June 2025 Higher-tier French (out of 240) had grade 9 at 205, 7 at 159 and 4 at 106, and Spanish 203, 155 and 101.
A level, June 2026, with June 2025 in brackets where the specification was unchanged
| Subject | Max | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics 7357 | 300 | 260 (260) | 219 (221) | 182 (183) | 145 (145) | 108 (108) | 72 (71) |
| Biology 7402 | 260 | 199 (192) | 174 (165) | 146 (139) | 118 (113) | 90 (88) | 63 (63) |
| Chemistry 7405 | 300 | 255 (239) | 220 (197) | 181 (162) | 142 (127) | 104 (93) | 66 (59) |
| Physics 7408, Astrophysics option | 250 | 191 | 162 | 136 | 111 | 86 | 61 |
| Physics 7408, Medical physics option | 250 | 186 | 157 | 132 | 107 | 82 | 57 |
| Physics 7408, Engineering physics option | 250 | 190 | 161 | 135 | 109 | 83 | 58 |
| Physics 7408, Turning points option | 250 | 187 | 158 | 133 | 108 | 83 | 58 |
| Physics 7408, Electronics option | 250 | 188 | 159 | 134 | 109 | 85 | 61 |
| English Language 7702 | 500 | 432 (433) | 397 (397) | 343 (341) | 290 (285) | 237 (229) | 184 (174) |
| Geography 7037 | 300 | 246 (241) | 219 (213) | 189 (183) | 160 (153) | 131 (123) | 102 (94) |
| Economics 7136 | 240 | 178 (177) | 154 (153) | 132 (130) | 110 (107) | 88 (84) | 66 (61) |
| Business 7132 | 300 | 212 (219) | 192 (197) | 165 (168) | 138 (139) | 111 (110) | 85 (82) |
| Psychology 7182 | 288 | 229 (222) | 205 (198) | 170 (163) | 135 (128) | 101 (94) | 67 (60) |
| Sociology 7192 | 240 | 186 (190) | 167 (171) | 142 (147) | 118 (123) | 94 (99) | 70 (76) |
| History 7042 (by option pair) | 200 | 156 to 161 | 133 to 138 | 111 to 115 | 88 to 92 | 65 to 70 | 43 to 49 |
| French 7652 | 400 | 362 | 329 | 290 | 251 | 212 | 174 |
| Spanish 7692 | 400 | 351 | 313 | 265 | 218 | 171 | 124 |
| Physical Education 7582 | 300 | 231 (223) | 211 (205) | 184 (178) | 157 (151) | 130 (125) | 103 (99) |
| Drama and Theatre 7262 | 200 | 157 (159) | 142 (145) | 122 (125) | 102 (105) | 82 (85) | 63 (66) |
| Philosophy 7172 | 200 | 156 | 134 | 108 | 83 | 58 | 33 |
| Accounting 7127 | 240 | 179 | 153 | 128 | 103 | 78 | 54 |
English Literature A 7712 and Computer Science 7517 publish boundaries per paper and option (Computer Science Paper 1 in each programming language, out of 100: A* at 82, A at 66, B at 54, C at 42, D at 30, E at 18 in June 2026) rather than a single subject line; AQA's document has each.
Reading the table: AQA A level maths has been stable for two years (an A* at 260 of 300 both years, 87 percent); chemistry's boundaries rose by 16 to 23 marks in 2026, which means the papers were easier than 2025's, and a student who compares a 2026 mock against the 2025 table would overestimate the grade by one band. The 2027 boundaries will move again; the standard will not.
How to use this page
- Mark a mock against your tier and subject row and write the gap to the next grade in marks; then find which paper is behind, using the notional component boundaries in AQA's document.
- Combined Science is one grade for two subjects' worth of papers: a 4-4 on Higher needed 111 of 420 in 2026, 26 percent, but 5-5 needed 149 and 7-7 228; the whole spread from 4-4 to 9-9 is 187 marks, so every ten marks is roughly half a grade.
- In the sciences a grade 7 on Higher was 107 (Biology), 120 (Chemistry) and 128 (Physics) of 200 in 2026: 54 to 64 percent. Students who assume 80 percent is needed for a 7 are aiming at the wrong number and often choose the Foundation tier they do not need.
- Plan ten marks clear of the grade needed; boundaries moved by up to 16 marks between 2025 and 2026 in the sciences.
How we teach for AQA
1-on-1 online in UK after-school hours, with AQA's past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports, every mock graded against the latest June boundaries by component. The first 30-minute class is free: send the subject, the tier and the last mock marks on WhatsApp or the contact page. The subject pages are GCSE combined science, GCSE maths, GCSE biology, A level chemistry and A level biology; the Edexcel figures are on Edexcel grade boundaries June 2026 and the A level comparison on A level grade boundaries June 2026.
Download the AQA June 2026 grade boundaries table (PDF)
Sources: AQA, Grade boundaries, June 2026 exams: GCSE (published 20 August 2026), A-level and AS (published 13 August 2026); AQA, Grade boundaries, June 2025 exams: GCSE and A-level; all from aqa.org.uk, read 27 October 2026. AQA publishes the next set at 8am on 12 August 2027 (A level) and 19 August 2027 (GCSE).
Questions parents ask
1What were the AQA GCSE maths grade boundaries in June 2026?
2What were the AQA Combined Science Trilogy grade boundaries in June 2026?
3How many marks for a grade 4 in AQA GCSE English Language 2026?
4What were the AQA A level maths and chemistry grade boundaries in June 2026?
See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →
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