What are the AQA GCSE Grade Boundaries in 2022 and Why They Matter

Grade boundaries set by AQA are the minimum number of marks you need to score in your GCSE exam to achieve a certain grade. The grade boundaries change for every exam series, so they will be different in 2022 than they were in previous years. Grade boundaries are set after your AQA GCSE exams have been marked, so you won’t know the exact grade boundaries for the 2022 exams before you take them.

This article will provide you with the grade boundaries for AQA GCSE 2022, help you interpret them, and provide tools to help you succeed in your exams.

Subject	Year	Month	Maximum Mark	Grade 9	Grade 8	Grade 7	Grade 6	Grade 5	Grade 4	Grade 3	Grade 2	Grade 1
Art & Design (3D Design)	2022	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Art,Craft & Des)	2022	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Fine Art)	2022	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Graphic Comm)	2022	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Photography)	2022	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Art & Design (Textiles Design)	2022	Jun	96	81	74	67	59	52	45	32	20	8
Bengali Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	135	110	81	52	24
Bengali Tier H	2022	Jun	240	200	177	154	130	106	83	71	-	-
Biology Tier F	2022	Jun	200	-	-	-	-	126	109	79	49	20
Biology Tier H	2022	Jun	200	132	118	104	86	68	51	42	-	-
Business	2022	Jun	180	127	116	106	92	78	64	46	28	10
Chemistry Tier F	2022	Jun	200	-	-	-	-	126	104	76	48	20
Chemistry Tier H	2022	Jun	200	144	123	103	80	58	36	25	-	-
Chinese (Spoken Mand) Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	96	82	62	43	24
Chinese (Spoken Mand) Tier H	2022	Jun	240	185	149	114	98	83	68	60	-	-
Citizenship Studies	2022	Jun	160	133	122	112	96	80	64	47	30	13
Computer Science Opt A (C#)	2022	Jun	180	148	130	113	95	77	59	43	27	11
Computer Science Opt B (Python)	2022	Jun	180	148	130	113	95	77	59	43	27	11
Computer Science Opt C (Vb.Net)	2022	Jun	180	148	130	113	95	77	59	43	27	11
Dance	2022	Jun	400	318	289	261	229	197	165	124	83	43
Design And Technology	2022	Jun	200	166	151	137	119	101	83	61	39	18
Drama	2022	Jun	200	164	151	139	122	106	90	69	49	29
Economics	2022	Jun	160	133	124	115	101	88	75	55	36	17
Engineering	2022	Jun	200	168	157	146	128	111	94	70	46	22
English Language	2022	Nov	160	120	110	101	91	81	71	52	34	16
English Language	2022	Jun	160	119	109	100	90	80	70	52	34	16
English Literature Option NM	2022	Jun	130	111	99	87	74	62	50	36	23	10
English Literature Option PM	2022	Jun	130	112	100	88	75	62	49	35	22	9
English Literature Option PN	2022	Jun	130	109	97	86	73	60	48	35	22	9
Food Preparation And Nutrition	2022	Jun	200	167	153	140	124	108	92	69	46	24
French Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	143	131	95	59	24
French Tier H	2022	Jun	240	183	159	136	120	104	89	81	-	-
Geography	2022	Jun	252	193	173	154	134	114	94	68	42	17
German Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	145	130	94	59	24
German Tier H	2022	Jun	240	189	166	143	124	105	86	76	-	-
History A01	2022	Jun	124	80	72	65	56	48	40	30	20	10
History A04	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History A05	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History A06	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History A07	2022	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	51	43	32	21	10
History A08	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	30	20	10
History A09	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	38	28	19	10
History A10	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	30	20	10
History A11	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	10
History A12	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	53	44	32	21	10
History A13	2022	Jun	124	87	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	10
History A14	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A15	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	41	30	20	10
History A16	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	10
History A17	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History A18	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A20	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A22	2022	Jun	124	81	74	67	58	49	41	30	20	10
History A23	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	10
History A24	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History A25	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A26	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History A27	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History A28	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History A29	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	9
History A30	2022	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	50	41	30	19	9
History A31	2022	Jun	124	83	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	9
History A33	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	37	27	18	9
History A34	2022	Jun	124	85	76	68	58	48	39	29	19	9
History A35	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	37	27	18	9
History A37	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	39	29	19	9
History A39	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	39	29	19	9
History B01	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	59	51	43	32	21	10
History B02	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	41	30	20	10
History B04	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	45	33	21	10
History B06	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	45	33	21	10
History B07	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	62	54	46	34	22	10
History B08	2022	Jun	124	87	78	69	60	51	43	32	21	10
History B09	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History B10	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History B11	2022	Jun	124	87	80	73	63	54	45	33	21	10
History B12	2022	Jun	124	91	82	74	65	56	47	34	22	10
History B13	2022	Jun	124	92	82	73	63	54	45	33	21	10
History B14	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	46	34	22	10
History B15	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	52	44	32	21	10
History B17	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	21	10
History B18	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B20	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B22	2022	Jun	124	87	78	69	60	52	44	32	21	10
History B23	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History B24	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	21	10
History B25	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B27	2022	Jun	124	91	82	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History B28	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	55	47	34	22	10
History B29	2022	Jun	124	80	74	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History B30	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	20	9
History B31	2022	Jun	124	83	76	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History B32	2022	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	51	43	31	20	9
History B35	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	29	19	9
History B36	2022	Jun	124	85	76	68	59	50	41	30	19	9
History B37	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	9
History B39	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	9
History C01	2022	Jun	124	78	73	68	59	51	43	32	21	10
History C03	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	43	32	21	10
History C04	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History C06	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History C07	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	54	46	34	22	10
History C08	2022	Jun	124	88	79	70	61	52	43	32	21	10
History C09	2022	Jun	124	90	80	70	60	50	41	30	20	10
History C10	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	52	43	32	21	10
History C11	2022	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	54	45	33	21	10
History C12	2022	Jun	124	92	83	75	65	56	47	34	22	10
History C13	2022	Jun	124	92	83	74	64	54	45	33	21	10
History C14	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C15	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History C16	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	51	42	31	20	10
History C17	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	53	44	32	21	10
History C18	2022	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C20	2022	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C21	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	47	34	22	10
History C22	2022	Jun	124	90	80	70	61	52	44	32	21	10
History C23	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	51	42	31	20	10
History C24	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	53	44	32	21	10
History C25	2022	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C26	2022	Jun	124	92	83	75	66	57	48	35	22	10
History C27	2022	Jun	124	91	82	74	64	55	46	34	22	10
History C28	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	64	55	47	34	22	10
History C29	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	51	42	31	20	9
History C30	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History C31	2022	Jun	124	89	79	70	60	51	42	31	20	9
History C33	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	50	40	29	19	9
History C35	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	60	50	40	29	19	9
History C36	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	19	9
History C37	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	52	42	31	20	9
History C39	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	62	52	42	31	20	9
History D01	2022	Jun	124	81	73	65	57	49	41	30	19	9
History D03	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	41	30	19	9
History D04	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	31	20	9
History D06	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	31	20	9
History D07	2022	Jun	124	85	76	68	60	52	44	32	20	9
History D08	2022	Jun	124	85	76	67	58	49	41	30	19	9
History D09	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	48	39	29	19	9
History D10	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	19	9
History D11	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	31	20	9
History D12	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	9
History D13	2022	Jun	124	89	80	71	61	52	43	31	20	9
History D14	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	52	44	32	20	9
History D15	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	50	42	31	20	9
History D16	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	29	19	9
History D17	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History D18	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D19	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	46	33	21	9
History D20	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D22	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	50	42	31	20	9
History D23	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	29	19	9
History D24	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	9
History D25	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D26	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	46	33	21	9
History D27	2022	Jun	124	89	80	71	62	53	44	32	20	9
History D28	2022	Jun	124	87	78	70	61	53	45	33	21	9
History D29	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	29	18	8
History D31	2022	Jun	124	85	76	67	58	49	40	29	18	8
History D33	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	38	28	18	8
History D35	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	57	47	38	28	18	8
History D37	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	29	18	8
History D39	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	49	40	29	18	8
History E01	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	50	42	31	20	10
History E02	2022	Jun	124	84	75	67	58	49	40	30	20	10
History E08	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	42	31	20	10
History E10	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	42	31	20	10
History E13	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	63	53	44	32	21	10
History E14	2022	Jun	124	89	80	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
History E15	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	32	21	10
History E22	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	60	51	43	32	21	10
History E23	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	20	10
History E24	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	52	43	32	21	10
History E26	2022	Jun	124	91	82	74	65	56	47	34	22	10
History E27	2022	Jun	124	90	81	73	63	54	45	33	21	10
History E29	2022	Jun	124	86	77	69	59	50	41	30	19	9
History E37	2022	Jun	124	88	79	71	61	51	41	30	19	9
Italian Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	135	114	84	54	24
Italian Tier H	2022	Jun	240	206	181	156	132	108	84	72	-	-
Mathematics (Foundation)	2022	Nov	240	-	-	-	-	167	130	97	64	31
Mathematics (Higher)	2022	Nov	240	201	172	143	111	79	48	32	-	-
Mathematics Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	172	135	101	67	33
Mathematics Tier H	2022	Jun	240	214	185	156	121	86	51	33	-	-
Media Studies	2022	Jun	240	181	165	149	128	108	88	67	46	26
Modern Hebrew Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	153	128	93	58	24
Modern Hebrew Tier H	2022	Jun	240	193	162	131	115	99	83	75	-	-
Music	2022	Jun	240	188	174	160	146	133	120	99	78	57
Panjabi Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	170	151	108	66	24
Panjabi Tier H	2022	Jun	240	209	188	168	149	130	111	101	-	-
Physical Education	2022	Jun	260	204	191	178	160	143	126	96	67	38
Physics Tier F	2022	Jun	200	-	-	-	-	135	115	83	52	21
Physics Tier H	2022	Jun	200	150	134	119	98	77	56	45	-	-
Polish Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	152	145	104	64	24
Polish Tier H	2022	Jun	240	200	179	158	145	132	120	114	-	-
Psychology	2022	Jun	200	159	145	132	114	96	79	59	39	19
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt A	2022	Jun	102	86	79	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt B	2022	Jun	102	84	77	70	60	50	41	30	20	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt C	2022	Jun	102	85	78	71	60	49	38	28	19	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt D	2022	Jun	102	86	79	72	63	54	45	33	21	10
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt E	2022	Jun	102	88	81	74	63	53	43	31	20	9
Religious Studies (Sc) Opt F	2022	Jun	102	85	78	71	60	49	39	29	19	10
Religious Studies A Option BA	2022	Jun	204	176	164	152	136	120	104	76	48	21
Religious Studies A Option BB	2022	Jun	204	171	158	146	127	108	89	66	43	21
Religious Studies A Option CA	2022	Jun	204	173	160	148	131	114	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option DA	2022	Jun	204	177	164	152	134	117	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option EA	2022	Jun	204	176	163	151	133	115	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option FA	2022	Jun	204	177	164	152	134	117	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option GB	2022	Jun	204	164	151	139	119	100	81	61	41	21
Religious Studies A Option HA	2022	Jun	204	174	161	149	132	115	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option JA	2022	Jun	204	175	161	148	130	113	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option JB	2022	Jun	204	167	154	142	121	101	81	61	41	21
Religious Studies A Option LA	2022	Jun	204	172	160	148	132	116	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option MA	2022	Jun	204	177	164	152	135	118	102	75	48	21
Religious Studies A Option MB	2022	Jun	204	171	158	146	126	106	87	65	43	21
Religious Studies A Option NA	2022	Jun	204	173	162	151	134	117	100	73	47	21
Religious Studies A Option NB	2022	Jun	204	170	157	145	125	105	85	63	42	21
Religious Studies A Option OA	2022	Jun	204	182	167	152	135	118	102	75	48	21
Religious Studies A Option OB	2022	Jun	204	171	158	146	126	106	87	65	43	21
Religious Studies A Option PA	2022	Jun	204	173	160	148	130	113	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option QA	2022	Jun	204	172	159	147	129	111	94	69	45	21
Religious Studies A Option RA	2022	Jun	204	173	160	148	130	113	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option SA	2022	Jun	204	178	164	151	132	114	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies A Option TA	2022	Jun	204	177	164	152	134	116	98	72	46	21
Religious Studies A Option UA	2022	Jun	204	176	163	151	132	114	96	71	46	21
Religious Studies B Option XA	2022	Jun	204	179	164	150	129	108	87	63	39	16
Religious Studies B Option YA	2022	Jun	204	178	164	150	129	108	88	64	40	16
Religious Studies B Option YB	2022	Jun	204	181	161	142	121	101	81	59	37	16
Sociology	2022	Jun	200	143	131	120	104	88	73	53	33	13
Spanish Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	147	134	97	60	24
Spanish Tier H	2022	Jun	240	192	166	140	123	106	89	80	-	-
Statistics Tier F	2022	Jun	160	-	-	-	-	87	69	49	30	11
Statistics Tier H	2022	Jun	160	113	97	82	66	51	36	28	-	-
Urdu Tier F	2022	Jun	240	-	-	-	-	140	119	87	55	24
Urdu Tier H	2022	Jun	240	211	190	170	147	125	103	92	-	-

Source

What is the best way to prepare for your GCSE AQA exam?

The best way to prepare for your AQA GCSE exam is to start your revision early. Begin with a list of topics for all your GCSE courses and highlight the ones you are the most unsure about. Create a revision timetable with short periods of focus, giving the most time to these topics.

Ideally, you will want to revise all the topics for each subject, but often there just isn’t time. Prioritising topics will help you make the best use of the time you do have, and will give you the biggest increase in marks for your GCSE exams.

Use revision notes to revise AQA GCSE content. Flashcards are a great tool to practice recall, reinforce key concepts and boost memory retention. Then use exam questions to test your understanding and identify any areas that you are still unsure of.

It is also super helpful to use 2022 AQA GCSE past exam papers to practice your exam technique. Set a timer for the amount of time allowed for your AQA GCSE exam, and sit the paper under exam conditions. This will help you to manage your time more effectively. It will also help increase your exam stamina! It is difficult to concentrate and to write for extended periods, so you need to practice this before the big day.

Explore GCSE Study Tools

How to interpret 2022 grade boundaries for AQA GCSE exams

Grade boundaries are established by exam boards such as AQA to reflect student performance in any given year. It is important to understand that the GCSE grade boundaries are set after the GCSE exams have been marked.

A variety of methods are used to ensure the grade boundaries are set fairly. Statistical analysis and examiner judgement are used to ensure the grade boundaries are fair and consistent with previous years.

Each GCSE exam paper is different, so the level of difficulty of the paper as a whole can fluctuate slightly from year to year. For example, if an entire cohort of students finds an exam paper particularly difficult, the grade boundary is lowered slightly so that students are not unfairly penalised.

Looking at the AQA GCSE grade boundaries for previous years can help you get an idea of the marks you need in 2022 to achieve the grade you want. With this information and your AQA GCSE past paper scores, you can get an idea of the grade you are currently working at. You will be able to see how many marks you would have needed to get the higher grade. Armed with this information and an effective revision process, you can successfully work to increase your grade.

A word of caution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the AQA GCSE grade boundaries were lowered to minimise the disadvantage faced by students who missed school due to lockdowns. Therefore, the grade boundaries for the AQA GCSE years 2020 to 2022 will not be representative of other years.

Looking for AQA GCSE subject specific grade boundaries?

AQA GCSE grade boundaries from other years

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