One of the most common questions before Results Day: "What percentage do I need for a grade 9?" The answer is never a fixed number — it depends on the year, the paper difficulty, and your exam board. But looking at past data gives you a realistic working range.
Below, we've charted the official AQA and Edexcel GCSE Maths Higher and Foundation grade boundaries from 2022 to 2025 — the four normal examination years since the pandemic disruption. The 2020 and 2021 series used teacher-assessed grades and are excluded as unrepresentative.
198–219 / 240
83–91% of total marks
55–63 / 240
23–26% of total marks
±5–10 marks
Grade 9 boundary movement
Boundary chart: 2022–2025
Select a board and tier to see how boundaries for each grade have moved year on year. All marks are out of 240.
AQA Higher — raw marks out of 240
Source: Official AQA and Edexcel grade boundary documents, June 2022–2025.
Full boundary data: AQA Higher 2022–2025
The complete picture for AQA GCSE Maths Higher tier, showing all key grade boundaries and the percentage of total marks each represents.
| Year | Grade 9 | Grade 8 | Grade 7 | Grade 5 | Grade 4 | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 198(83%) | 165(69%) | 133(55%) | 84(35%) | 55(23%) | 240 |
| 2023 | 210(88%) | 176(73%) | 142(59%) | 90(38%) | 59(25%) | 240 |
| 2024 | 213(89%) | 178(74%) | 144(60%) | 93(39%) | 58(24%) | 240 |
| 2025 | 219(91%) | 183(76%) | 148(62%) | 96(40%) | 63(26%) | 240 |
Source: AQA official grade boundary documents. * Grade 5 = strong pass. Grade 4 = standard pass.
What this means for your mock targets
The data tells a clear story. Over the four years shown, the grade 9 boundary for AQA Higher has ranged from 198 to 219 marks out of 240 — a spread of 21 marks. That's the difference between answering 82% and 91% of the paper correctly.
The grade 4 boundary has been far more stable, ranging from 55 to 63 marks — around 23–26% of the paper. If you're targeting a pass, consistency matters more than cramming for last-minute marks.
For mock revision, aim for the top of the historical range for your target grade. If you can reliably hit the hardest year's boundary in practice papers, you're protected against a difficult exam. If 2026 turns out to be an easier paper, your grade can only benefit.
Mock target for grade 9
220+ / 240
approx. 92%+
Shoot for above the historical peak to be safe
Mock target for grade 7
148+ / 240
approx. 62%+
Broadly stable — achievable with good topic coverage
Mock target for grade 4
63+ / 240
approx. 26%+
Focus on securing marks in familiar topics first
Mock targets based on AQA Higher historical peak 2022–2025. Adjust proportionally for Edexcel or OCR.
Key takeaways
- →The grade 9 boundary moves more than any other — it reflects how many top students there are in that year, not a fixed difficulty threshold.
- →The grade 4 standard pass boundary is relatively stable. If you can consistently score 65+ in AQA Higher mocks, you are in a strong position.
- →Edexcel and AQA boundaries run close to each other in most years, but never assume they are identical.
- →The Foundation tier grade 5 strong pass requires over 75% of marks — often a bigger challenge than students expect.
- →2026 boundaries will be published at 8:00am on 21 August 2026. Until then, treat 2025 as your best reference point.
Calculate your grade from a raw mark
Enter any raw mark into the GradesNova GCSE Maths calculator to instantly see what grade it corresponds to under 2025 official boundaries for AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC.
GCSE Grade Boundary Calculator →