GCSE grade boundaries 2026: Where to check AQA, Edexcel and OCR on results day and what they mean

GCSE results day is fast approaching. With this next step coming up, understanding what your results mean is key. GCSE results day is coming up at the end of August Credit: The Times Every exam board will use different grade boundaries Credit: Daniel Jones – The Sun When is GCSE results day 2026? In 2026, GCSE results day is Thursday, August 20. 8am is the earliest time results can be released. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Every school handles it differently; some hand out printed slips, some have online portals, and others use email correspondence. How does GCSE grading work? In England, GCSEs are graded on a 9–1 scale, where 9 is the highest mark (above an A*) and 1 is the lowest, with U standing for ‘ungraded’. A Grade 4 is a ‘standard pass’ (equivalent to a low C), while a Grade 5 is a ‘strong pass’ (between a B and C). While a 4 or 5 counts as a pass, sixth forms and colleges usually require a Grade 6 or 7 in specific subjects to take them at A-level. Note: If you do not achieve at least a Grade 4 in GCSE English Language or Maths, government rules require you to resit these subjects in sixth form, college, or during an apprenticeship until you pass. Grading varies across the UK: Most read in The Sun England uses the 9–1 numerical scale. Wales uses traditional A*–G letter grades. Northern Ireland uses a hybrid system combining both scales. Its 9–1 grades match England’s, its letter grades follow Wales’s principles, and it includes a unique C* grade to distinguish between a C and a B. Scotland operates its own system entirely, with National 5 qualifications (the GCSE equivalent) graded A–D. What are the GCSE grade boundaries? Grade boundaries are not fixed and vary slightly every year. Exam boards establish final thresholds once marking is nearly complete, adjusting for paper difficulty and overall student performance. This system prevents pupils from being unfairly penalised if an exam proves unusually hard – a more difficult paper simply receives lower boundaries. Ultimately, these annual adjustments ensure that qualification standards remain fair, consistent, and comparable across different year groups. Where to find GCSE grade boundaries Official grade boundaries will be published on results day morning between 7am and 8am. They can be found directly on the website for your subject’s specific exam board, including the major UK awarding bodies: AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas, and CCEA. Can you challenge a GCSE grade? Yes, you can request a review of the marking. A review is not a fresh re-mark of the paper, but it checks whether the original mark scheme was used accurately and corrects any marking errors. If you are at a school or college, then that institution will need to request the review, so make sure to speak to staff first. Homeschooled or independent private candidates submit review requests directly through their registered exam centre or the board itself. Before requesting a review, you can ask your school to download your marked paper for free using the exam board’s ‘Access to Scripts’ service so a teacher can check for marking errors to determine if a review is worth the financial and mark-reduction risk. A review can cause a mark to go down as well as up, so there is some risk in the request. Reviews can be requested from results day onwards and the last date for exam boards to receive them is Thursday, September 24, 2026. The cost is £44.85 to £67.75 depending on the specific exam board. If your grade does change, the exam board fee is completely refunded. A review of marking is Stage 1. If you and your school still believe an error remains after the review, your school can submit a formal Stage 2 appeal to the exam board. Comment now