GCSE Grade Calculator
Add up your marks, type in the grade boundaries from your exam board and see which 9 to 1 grade your total reaches. If you have only sat some of your papers, the calculator shows the range of grades still possible and what you would need on the papers to come.
It works for any subject and board: choose your qualification from the list, or type in your own papers. It handles Foundation and Higher tier, and the double grades of Combined Science.
- Any subject or board
- Foundation and Higher tier
- Combined Science double grades
- Free, no sign-up
- Years 10 and 11
Work out your grade
Boundaries change. Grade boundaries are set by each exam board after every exam series and are different for every subject, tier and year. This calculator is an estimate that uses the boundaries you type in. It is not a prediction, and only your exam board decides your grade.
1. Choose your qualification
The papers and their weightings come from each board’s specification. Not on the list? Choose “Something else” and enter your papers from your own paper list.
Your numbers are saved only in this browser, on this device, so they are still here next time. Nothing is sent to us.
Four steps
- Choose your qualification. Pick your subject and exam board, and Foundation or Higher tier if your subject has tiers. Or choose “something else” and type in your own papers.
- Enter your marks. Type your mark on each paper. Leave a paper blank if you have not sat it yet.
- Type the grade boundaries. Copy them from your exam board, or type all of them in one go. You can leave a grade blank if you do not have it.
- Read your estimate. You see your total, the grade it reaches in the boundaries you typed, how far you are from the next grade and, for papers still to sit, what you would need.
A made-up example
These numbers are invented for the example. They are not real grade boundaries and they do not belong to any exam board. A Higher tier student has two papers, each out of 100. They score 62 on Paper 1 and 55 on Paper 2, so their total is 117 out of 200 (58.5%).
Suppose they type in a grade 5 boundary of 100 and a grade 6 boundary of 121. Their total is above 100 and below 121, so the estimate is grade 5, 4 marks short of a 6.
Now suppose they had only sat Paper 1 and wanted to know what a grade 6 needs. They have 62, the boundary is 121, so they need 59 on Paper 2: 59 out of 100.
Which papers are built in
Each row was read from the exam board's own specification. The tool never holds grade boundaries: you type those yourself.
| Board and subject | Papers (marks available, counts for) | Total | Source and date read |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA Biology (8461) | Paper 1: 100; Paper 2: 100 | 200 | AQA GCSE Biology (8461), version 1.0, 21 April 2016, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA Chemistry (8462) | Paper 1: 100; Paper 2: 100 | 200 | AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462), version 1.1, 4 October 2019, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA Physics (8463) | Paper 1: 100; Paper 2: 100 | 200 | AQA GCSE Physics (8463), version 1.1, 30 September 2019, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA Combined Science: Trilogy (8464) | Biology Paper 1: 70; Biology Paper 2: 70; Chemistry Paper 1: 70; Chemistry Paper 2: 70; Physics Paper 1: 70; Physics Paper 2: 70 | 420 | AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464), version 1.1, 4 October 2019, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA Combined Science: Synergy (8465) | Paper 1: 100; Paper 2: 100; Paper 3: 100; Paper 4: 100 | 400 | AQA GCSE Combined Science: Synergy (8465), version 1.1, 30 September 2019, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA English Language (8700) | Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing: 80; Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives: 80 | 160 | AQA GCSE English Language (8700), version 1.5, 14 October 2021, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA English Literature (8702) | Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel: 64; Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry: 96 | 160 | AQA GCSE English Literature (8702), version 1.3, 28 September 2022, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA History (8145) | Paper 1: Understanding the modern world: 84; Paper 2: Shaping the nation: 84 | 168 | AQA GCSE History (8145), version 1.3, 24 September 2019, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA Geography (8035) | Paper 1: Living with the physical environment: 88; Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment: 88; Paper 3: Geographical applications: 76 | 252 | AQA GCSE Geography (8035), version 1.1, 12 September 2023, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA Italian (8633), Foundation | Paper 1: Listening: 40, counts for 60; Paper 2: Speaking: 60; Paper 3: Reading: 60; Paper 4: Writing: 50, counts for 60 | 240 | AQA GCSE Italian (8633), version 1.0, 12 January 2017, read 19 October 2026 |
| AQA Italian (8633), Higher | Paper 1: Listening: 50, counts for 60; Paper 2: Speaking: 60; Paper 3: Reading: 60; Paper 4: Writing: 60 | 240 | AQA GCSE Italian (8633), version 1.0, 12 January 2017, read 19 October 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel Biology (1BI0) | Paper 1: 100; Paper 2: 100 | 200 | Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Biology (1BI0), Issue 4, March 2024, read 19 October 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel Chemistry (1CH0) | Paper 1: 100; Paper 2: 100 | 200 | Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Chemistry (1CH0), Issue 4, March 2024, read 19 October 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel Physics (1PH0) | Paper 1: 100; Paper 2: 100 | 200 | Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Physics (1PH0), Issue 4, March 2024, read 19 October 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel Combined Science (1SC0) | Paper 1: Biology 1: 60; Paper 2: Biology 2: 60; Paper 3: Chemistry 1: 60; Paper 4: Chemistry 2: 60; Paper 5: Physics 1: 60; Paper 6: Physics 2: 60 | 360 | Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Combined Science (1SC0), Issue 6, March 2024, read 19 October 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel English Language (1EN0) | Component 1: Fiction and Imaginative Writing: 64; Component 2: Non-fiction and Transactional Writing: 96 | 160 | Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Language (1EN0), Issue 6, August 2024, read 19 October 2026 |
| Pearson Edexcel English Literature (1ET0) | Component 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature: 80; Component 2: 19th-century Novel and Poetry since 1789: 80 | 160 | Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Literature (1ET0), Issue 2, read 19 October 2026 |
| OCR Biology A (Gateway Science) (J247) | Paper 1 (Foundation) or Paper 3 (Higher): 90; Paper 2 (Foundation) or Paper 4 (Higher): 90 | 180 | OCR GCSE (9-1) Biology A (Gateway Science) J247, version 4.0 (August 2026), read 19 October 2026 |
| OCR Combined Science A (Gateway Science) (J250) | Paper 1: Biology: 60; Paper 2: Biology: 60; Paper 3: Chemistry: 60; Paper 4: Chemistry: 60; Paper 5: Physics: 60; Paper 6: Physics: 60 | 360 | OCR GCSE (9-1) Combined Science A (Gateway Science) J250, version 5.0 (May 2026), read 19 October 2026 |
Specifications can be updated by the exam boards, so check the paper marks against your own specification. The calculator lets you change the marks available and what each paper counts for.
Why you type the boundaries yourself
A grade boundary is the lowest total mark that earns a grade. Each exam board sets its boundaries after the exams, for each subject, tier and series, so the boundary for a grade 5 this year is not the boundary for a grade 5 next year. A calculator with boundaries built in would quietly go out of date, and a wrong number looks just as confident as a right one.
So this calculator never guesses. You type the boundaries from your board, using the links in the tool, and it does the arithmetic. For a mock exam, last summer’s boundaries are a reasonable rough guide, as long as you remember that they are only a guide.
How your total is worked out
Exam boards do not simply add up your raw marks. Each paper has a maximum raw mark and a maximum scaled mark, and your mark on the paper is scaled to match: raw mark divided by the marks available, times the scaled maximum. The scaled marks are then added up and the grade boundaries are set on that total.
For most papers the scaling is 1, so your raw mark and your scaled mark are the same. AQA Italian is a good example of where it is not: at Foundation tier the Listening paper is out of 40 but counts for 60. That is what the “Counts for” box in the calculator is for.
Foundation, Higher and Combined Science
In tiered subjects, Foundation tier papers lead to grades 1 to 5 and Higher tier papers lead to grades 4 to 9. A Higher tier student who just misses a 4 can be awarded a 3, which is called an allowed grade. English Language, English Literature, History and Geography are not tiered, so every grade from 1 to 9 is open.
Combined Science is worth two GCSEs, so it is graded on a longer scale and you receive a pair of grades, such as 5-5 or 6-5. The calculator adds all your science papers into one total, then looks the total up in the double-grade boundaries you type in.
Using the “what do I need” box
If you leave a paper blank, the calculator treats it as not sat yet. It shows the best and worst case for your grade, and, once you have typed some boundaries, it works out how many marks you still need to reach the grade you are aiming for. To keep things simple it spreads those marks evenly: the same percentage on every remaining paper. In real life you may do better on one paper than another, so treat the figures as a target to aim at, not a rule.
Common mistakes
- Using last year’s boundaries as if they were this year’s. They are only a rough guide, and they move in both directions.
- Mixing up the tiers. The boundaries for Foundation and Higher are different, so type the ones for the tier you are sitting.
- Entering a percentage where a mark is needed. Type the mark you got and the marks available on the paper.
- Forgetting that a paper can count for more or less than its raw marks suggest. Check the “Counts for” box against your specification.
- Treating the result as a promise. It is an estimate from numbers you typed, and exam day is what decides the grade.
Questions about this tool
Is this grade calculator accurate?
The arithmetic is exact, but the grade it shows is only as good as the marks and the boundaries you type in. Boundaries change every series, so the result is an estimate, never a prediction. Only your exam board decides your grade.
Where do I find my grade boundaries?
Each exam board publishes them on its own website after every exam series: AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR are linked in the tool. Choose the right subject, tier and year, and copy the boundary for each grade. Check that the total the boundaries are out of matches the total shown in the calculator.
Why does it not already know the boundaries?
Because they change every year and are different for every subject and tier. Building them in would mean the calculator was wrong as soon as a new set came out, so it is more honest to let you type the right ones.
What if my subject or board is not on the list?
Choose “Something else” and type in your own papers: the mark you got, the marks available and, if the paper is scaled, what it counts for. Check the papers and the weightings in your own specification.
Are my marks stored anywhere?
Only in your own browser, on your own device, so they are still there next time you visit. Nothing is sent to us, and you can clear them with the button under the tool. We only count anonymous, cookie-free visits and whether the calculator was used, never your marks.
More practice and help
Want to move up a grade?
Claudia teaches GCSE English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography and Italian one-to-one online. Book a free 15 to 20 minute intro call to talk about where you are and what would help.
These practice questions were written by Cloudia Tutoring. They are not official AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR material, and Cloudia Tutoring is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board or the Department for Education. Always check your own exam board's specification.
Created by Cloudia Tutoring. Last updated .