2023 GCSE grade boundaries revealed for AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, CCEA exams

It's GCSE results day 2023 and teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be nervously awaiting their grades. This year the proportion of top grades is expected to fall as regulators aim to bring results back in line with pre-pandemic levels.

It comes after Covid-19 led to an increase in top grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Last year, more than a quarter (26.3%) of UK GCSE entries were awarded top grades, compared with 28.9% in 2021 and 26.2% in 2020.

In 2019 – the year before the pandemic – around one in five (20.8%) entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were awarded a 7/A or above. In England, exams regulator Ofqual has said this year’s GCSE results will be lower than last year and they would be similar to those in 2019.

The vast majority of students taking GCSEs in England will receive grades from 9 to 1 - with 9 being the highest grade. In Wales, A* to G, where A* is the highest and A, B and C are good passes, are used. For GCSEs in Northern Ireland both systems are used.

As a rule of thumb, a grade 4 is the equivalent of a C. A grade 9 is the equivalent of an A*. Grade boundaries are decided after GCSE exams are marked. They are usually released on results day, reports the Liverpool ECHO.

AQA GCSE grade boundaries for 2023

A full list of AQA GCSE grade boundaries will be available here.

Edexcel GCSE grade boundaries for 2023

A full list of Edexcel GCSE grade boundaries will be available here at 8am.

OCR GCSE grade boundaries for 2023

A full list of OCR GCSE grade boundaries will be available here at 8am.

WJEC GCSE grade boundaries for 2023

A full list of WJEC GCSE grade boundaries will be available here.

CCEA GCSE grade boundaries for 2023

A full list of CCEA GCSE grade boundaries is available here.

For subjects such as biology, chemistry, English language, and maths, the maximum mark count is 400. To earn an A, you would have to get a minimum of 320.

GCSE 2023 grading system

9 = High A*

8 = Low A* or high Grade A

7 = Low Grade A

6 = High Grade B

5 = Low Grade B or high C

4 = Low Grade C

3 = Grade D or high E

2 = Low Grade E or high F

1 = Low F or high G

U = U

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