Autumn series after cancelled summer exams
GCSE grade boundaries November 2021
The marks needed for each grade in Maths, English Language and Combined Science, copied from each exam board's published document. Every row links to its source.
Quick answers
- What was the grade 4 boundary in GCSE Maths in November 2021?
- In November 2021, grade 4 needed: Edexcel Higher 37 out of 240; Edexcel Foundation 134 out of 240. Figures from each exam board's published grade boundaries.
- What was the grade 4 boundary in GCSE English Language in November 2021?
- In November 2021, grade 4 needed: AQA 68 out of 160; Edexcel 74 out of 160; OCR 59 out of 160. Figures from each exam board's published grade boundaries.
- What was the grade 4-4 boundary in GCSE Combined Science in November 2021?
- In November 2021, grade 4-4 needed: AQA Higher 74 out of 420; AQA Foundation 187 out of 420; OCR Higher 82 out of 360; OCR Foundation 130 out of 360. Figures from each exam board's published grade boundaries.
GCSE Maths
| Board | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edexcel Higher | 240 | 187 | 154 | 122 | 93 | 65 | 37 | 23 | – | – | |
| Edexcel Foundation | 240 | – | – | – | – | 166 | 134 | 100 | 66 | 32 |
Grade 4 boundary compared with November 2020: Edexcel Higher no change; Edexcel Foundation 2 marks lower.
GCSE English Language
| Board | Out of | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA | 160 | 121 | 111 | 101 | 90 | 79 | 68 | 50 | 32 | 14 | |
| Edexcel | 160 | 130 | 119 | 109 | 97 | 85 | 74 | 52 | 31 | 10 | |
| OCR | 160 | 125 | 112 | 99 | 85 | 72 | 59 | 43 | 28 | 13 |
Grade 4 boundary compared with November 2020: AQA no change; Edexcel 1 mark lower; OCR 1 mark lower.
AQA GCSE English Language grade calculator · Edexcel GCSE English Language grade calculator · OCR GCSE English Language grade calculator
GCSE Combined Science
| Board | Out of | 9-9 | 9-8 | 8-8 | 8-7 | 7-7 | 7-6 | 6-6 | 6-5 | 5-5 | 5-4 | 4-4 | 4-3 | 3-3 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 1-1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA Higher | 420 | 258 | 238 | 219 | 200 | 181 | 163 | 145 | 127 | 109 | 91 | 74 | 65 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| AQA Foundation | 420 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 230 | 208 | 187 | 162 | 137 | 112 | 87 | 63 | 39 | |
| OCR Higher | 360 | 239 | 222 | 205 | 188 | 172 | 157 | 142 | 127 | 112 | 97 | 82 | 74 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| OCR Foundation | 360 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 166 | 148 | 130 | 112 | 94 | 76 | 59 | 42 | 25 |
Grade 4-4 boundary compared with November 2020: AQA Higher 7 marks lower; AQA Foundation 2 marks higher; OCR Higher 2 marks lower; OCR Foundation 1 mark lower.
AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy grade calculator · OCR GCSE Combined Science A (Gateway) grade calculator
Boundaries are set after each exam and change every series, so use them as a guide, not a prediction. There were no summer exams in 2021. This autumn series was for students who wanted to sit exams to improve on the grade they had been given, so it isn't comparable with a normal year.
On Higher, the lowest grades shown (3 in Maths; 4-3 in Combined Science) are a safety net for students who only just miss grade 4. A dash (–) means the board didn't set that grade for that tier or series.
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