Grade Boundaries and Targeting

Understanding how Edexcel sets grade boundaries — and using that knowledge strategically — helps you focus your efforts where they will have the most impact on your final grade.

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How Grade Boundaries Are Set

Grade boundaries are set after the exams, not before. Here is how the process works:

1. All students sit the exam.
2. Senior examiners review the papers and a sample of student scripts.
3. They compare the difficulty of this year's papers with previous years.
4. They set boundaries that maintain consistent standards year on year.
5. Boundaries are published on results day.

What This Means

• If the papers are harder than usual, boundaries go down.
• If the papers are easier than usual, boundaries go up.
• You do not need a fixed percentage to get a grade — it varies.
• You cannot predict exact boundaries before the exam, but historical data gives a good range.

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Typical Boundary Ranges

Based on recent Edexcel 1MA1 exam series, here are approximate boundary ranges. These are illustrative only — actual boundaries change every year.

Higher Tier (out of 240)