Grades & grade boundaries
What are the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries?
Edexcel sets fresh GCSE Combined Science boundaries after marking each series, so there is no fixed mark per grade. Combined Science counts as two GCSEs, graded 9-9 down to 1-1 across six papers. In June 2025, Higher tier needed 107 of 360 marks for a 4-4 and 284 for a 9-9; on Foundation tier a 4-4 took 174 of 360 marks. Full tables below, with percentages.
Last updated 23 August 2026 · Written and fact-checked by the GCSEwiz team
Higher tier boundaries - June 2025 (out of 360 marks)
Combined Science is worth two GCSEs, so it is graded on the double scale - 9-9 at the top, then 9-8, 8-8 and so on. Each row is the minimum total mark across all six papers.
| Grade | Minimum mark (out of 360) | As a percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 9-9 | 284 | 79% |
| 9-8 | 269 | 75% |
| 8-8 | 255 | 71% |
| 8-7 | 241 | 67% |
| 7-7 | 227 | 63% |
| 7-6 | 207 | 57% |
| 6-6 | 187 | 52% |
| 6-5 | 167 | 46% |
| 5-5 | 147 | 41% |
| 5-4 | 127 | 35% |
| 4-4 | 107 | 30% |
| 4-3 | 97 | 27% |
Foundation tier boundaries - June 2025 (out of 360 marks)
Combined Science is worth two GCSEs, so it is graded on the double scale - 9-9 at the top, then 9-8, 8-8 and so on. Each row is the minimum total mark across all six papers.
| Grade | Minimum mark (out of 360) | As a percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 5-5 | 215 | 60% |
| 5-4 | 194 | 54% |
| 4-4 | 174 | 48% |
| 4-3 | 151 | 42% |
| 3-3 | 128 | 36% |
| 3-2 | 105 | 29% |
| 2-2 | 82 | 23% |
| 2-1 | 59 | 16% |
| 1-1 | 37 | 10% |
Will the next series use the same boundaries?
No - and that is the system working. Edexcel sets boundaries at awarding meetings after every script is marked, so a harder paper gets lower boundaries and a gentler one gets higher ones, and a grade means the same standard each year. The June 2025 marks above are the most recent the board has published, which makes them the best available planning anchor - just not a promise about your own series.
How to use these numbers in your revision
Score your past papers against the table and you turn a raw mark into a grade signal - that is exactly what our grade calculator below does for you, including the marks between you and the next grade up. Then aim a comfortable margin above the boundary you want: boundaries move, and marks in the bank beat marks at the line.
Keep the units straight when you do it: the marks above are totals across the whole qualification, not per paper. If you sat one past paper, compare percentages rather than raw marks.
Keep reading
- What are the GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries?
- What are grade boundaries and how do they work?
- What are the AQA GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries?
- What are the OCR GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries?
- What grade is my mark? GCSE grade calculator
- What do I need in my last paper to get the grade I want?
- GCSE Combined Science on GCSEwiz