A grade boundary is the lowest total mark that earns a grade. Exam boards set them after the exams, once marking is nearly complete, and they change from year to year with how demanding the papers were (Ofqual). To use them with a past paper, add up your child's marks across all of that year's papers and compare the total with that year's row, which is out of the same maximum. Each year links to its papers.
June 2026, board by board
The marks needed for grade C and A in June 2026, as a share of each board's maximum. Each board writes its own papers and sets boundaries for them, so a lower boundary doesn't mean a board's exam is easier to pass.
AQA
AQA past papersSpecification 7192, Sociology.
Grade C needed 118 out of 240 marks (49%) in June 2026; in the June series from 2017 to 2025 it ranged from 44% (2022) to 51% (2025).
June 2026 out of 240
- A*
- 186 78%
- A
- 167 70%
- B
- 142 59%
- C
- 118 49%
- D
- 94 39%
- E
- 70 29%
Grade C as a share of the maximum: June 2017 49%, June 2018 50%, June 2019 50%, June 2022 44%, June 2023 48%, June 2024 49%, June 2025 51%, June 2026 49%. Grade A as a share of the maximum: June 2017 67%, June 2018 68%, June 2019 68%, June 2022 65%, June 2023 69%, June 2024 70%, June 2025 71%, June 2026 70%.
Every mark, every series
| Series | Out of | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 240 | 18678% | 16770% | 14259% | 11849% | 9439% | 7029% |
| June 2025 | 240 | 19079% | 17171% | 14761% | 12351% | 9941% | 7632% |
| June 2024 | 240 | 18678% | 16770% | 14259% | 11749% | 9238% | 6728% |
| June 2023 | 240 | 18577% | 16569% | 13958% | 11448% | 8937% | 6427% |
| June 2022 | 240 | 17774% | 15765% | 13155% | 10544% | 7933% | 5423% |
| November 2021 | 240 | 17171% | 15163% | 12853% | 10544% | 8335% | 6125% |
| November 2020 | 240 | 17473% | 15565% | 13255% | 10945% | 8636% | 6326% |
| June 2019 | 240 | 18376% | 16468% | 14259% | 12050% | 9841% | 7732% |
| June 2018 | 240 | 18276% | 16468% | 14259% | 12150% | 10042% | 7933% |
| June 2017 | 240 | 17975% | 16067% | 13858% | 11749% | 9640% | 7531% |
Raw marks for the whole qualification, with the share of the maximum.The chart shows June series only; November and January sittings, mostly resits, are in the table.No exams were sat in 2020 or 2021, when grades were assessed by teachers, so those years are blank. From AQA's A level grade boundary documents: June 2026, June 2025, June 2024, June 2023, June 2022, November 2021, November 2020, June 2019, June 2018, June 2017.
OCR
OCR past papersSpecification H580, Sociology.
Grade C needed 155 out of 300 marks (52%) in June 2026; in the June series from 2017 to 2025 it ranged from 50% (2022) to 55% (2017).
June 2026 out of 300
- A*
- 256 85%
- A
- 234 78%
- B
- 194 65%
- C
- 155 52%
- D
- 116 39%
- E
- 77 26%
Grade C as a share of the maximum: June 2017 55%, June 2018 53%, June 2019 53%, June 2022 50%, June 2023 52%, June 2024 51%, June 2025 53%, June 2026 52%. Grade A as a share of the maximum: June 2017 77%, June 2018 76%, June 2019 76%, June 2022 76%, June 2023 78%, June 2024 77%, June 2025 79%, June 2026 78%.
Every mark, every series
| Series | Out of | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 300 | 25685% | 23478% | 19465% | 15552% | 11639% | 7726% |
| June 2025 | 300 | 26087% | 23679% | 19766% | 15853% | 12040% | 8227% |
| June 2024 | 300 | 25685% | 23177% | 19264% | 15351% | 11438% | 7525% |
| June 2023 | 300 | 25986% | 23578% | 19665% | 15752% | 11940% | 8127% |
| June 2022 | 300 | 25485% | 22876% | 18963% | 15050% | 11237% | 7425% |
| November 2021 | 300 | 23679% | 21170% | 17558% | 13946% | 10435% | 6923% |
| November 2020 | 300 | 23980% | 21672% | 18060% | 14448% | 10836% | 7324% |
| June 2019 | 300 | 25184% | 22876% | 19465% | 16053% | 12742% | 9431% |
| June 2018 | 300 | 25284% | 22876% | 19465% | 16053% | 12642% | 9231% |
| June 2017 | 300 | 25585% | 23177% | 19866% | 16655% | 13445% | 10234% |
Raw marks for the whole qualification, with the share of the maximum.The chart shows June series only; November and January sittings, mostly resits, are in the table.No exams were sat in 2020 or 2021, when grades were assessed by teachers, so those years are blank. From OCR's A level grade boundary documents: June 2026, June 2025, June 2024, June 2023, June 2022, November 2021, November 2020, June 2019, June 2018, June 2017.
Eduqas
Eduqas past papersSpecification A200, Sociology.
Grade C needed 151 out of 300 marks (50%) in June 2026; in the June series from 2017 to 2025 it ranged from 44% (2022) to 54% (2017).
June 2026 out of 300
- A*
- 243 81%
- A
- 223 74%
- B
- 187 62%
- C
- 151 50%
- D
- 115 38%
- E
- 80 27%
Grade C as a share of the maximum: June 2017 54%, June 2018 54%, June 2019 53%, June 2022 44%, June 2023 48%, June 2024 49%, June 2025 48%, June 2026 50%. Grade A as a share of the maximum: June 2017 77%, June 2018 75%, June 2019 74%, June 2022 67%, June 2023 73%, June 2024 72%, June 2025 71%, June 2026 74%.
Every mark, every series
| Series | Out of | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 300 | 24381% | 22374% | 18762% | 15150% | 11538% | 8027% |
| June 2025 | 300 | 23378% | 21371% | 17960% | 14548% | 11237% | 7926% |
| June 2024 | 300 | 23378% | 21672% | 18160% | 14749% | 11338% | 7926% |
| June 2023 | 300 | 24281% | 21873% | 18160% | 14548% | 10936% | 7324% |
| June 2022 | 300 | 22575% | 20267% | 16756% | 13344% | 9933% | 6522% |
| November 2021 | 300 | 23478% | 20267% | 16756% | 13244% | 9732% | 6221% |
| November 2020 | 300 | 23980% | 20869% | 17157% | 13445% | 9833% | 6221% |
| June 2019 | 300 | 25485% | 22374% | 19164% | 15953% | 12742% | 9532% |
| June 2018 | 300 | 25284% | 22475% | 19264% | 16154% | 13043% | 9933% |
| June 2017 | 300 | 26287% | 23277% | 19665% | 16154% | 12642% | 9130% |
Raw marks for the whole qualification, with the share of the maximum.The chart shows June series only; November and January sittings, mostly resits, are in the table.No exams were sat in 2020 or 2021, when grades were assessed by teachers, so those years are blank. From Eduqas's A level grade boundary documents: June 2026, June 2025, June 2024, June 2023, June 2022, November 2021, November 2020, June 2019, June 2018, June 2017.
WJEC
WJEC past papersSpecification 1200, Sociology.
WJEC awards this qualification on its uniform mark scale (UMS), so there is no raw-mark total for the whole qualification. Its documents give the raw marks for each unit.
WJEC, June 2026 · WJEC, June 2024 · WJEC, June 2023 · WJEC, June 2022