Grades & grade boundaries

What are the OCR GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries?

OCR 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 116 of 360 marks for a 4-4 and 270 for a 9-9; on Foundation tier a 4-4 took 178 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	270	75%
9-8	255	71%
8-8	241	67%
8-7	228	63%
7-7	214	59%
7-6	198	55%
6-6	181	50%
6-5	164	46%
5-5	148	41%
5-4	132	37%
4-4	116	32%
4-3	108	30%

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	211	59%
5-4	194	54%
4-4	178	49%
4-3	156	43%
3-3	134	37%
3-2	113	31%
2-2	92	26%
2-1	70	19%
1-1	48	13%

Which option you sat matters

OCR examines GCSE Combined Science as 2 different option combinations, and each gets its own boundaries. In June 2025 the options differed by up to 24 marks at a single grade, so the table above shows the middle of the range - the median across the published options. Your school's exams officer can tell you the exact option code you sat, and the board's own document (linked below) lists every option's row.

Will the next series use the same boundaries?

No - and that is the system working. OCR 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.

Turn the boundaries into a plan for Combined Science

GCSEwiz pairs these published boundaries with your own practice, topic by topic, into an estimated readiness for OCR GCSE Combined Science - so you can see which topics are holding your total back and close the gap with adaptive questions. Start a free trial - no card needed.

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Grade	Minimum mark (out of 360)	As a percentage
9-9	270	75%
9-8	255	71%
8-8	241	67%
8-7	228	63%
7-7	214	59%
7-6	198	55%
6-6	181	50%
6-5	164	46%
5-5	148	41%
5-4	132	37%
4-4	116	32%
4-3	108	30%

Grade	Minimum mark (out of 360)	As a percentage
5-5	211	59%
5-4	194	54%
4-4	178	49%
4-3	156	43%
3-3	134	37%
3-2	113	31%
2-2	92	26%
2-1	70	19%
1-1	48	13%

Grade	Minimum mark (out of 360)	As a percentage
9-9	270	75%
9-8	255	71%
8-8	241	67%
8-7	228	63%
7-7	214	59%
7-6	198	55%
6-6	181	50%
6-5	164	46%
5-5	148	41%
5-4	132	37%
4-4	116	32%
4-3	108	30%

Grade	Minimum mark (out of 360)	As a percentage
5-5	211	59%
5-4	194	54%
4-4	178	49%
4-3	156	43%
3-3	134	37%
3-2	113	31%
2-2	92	26%
2-1	70	19%
1-1	48	13%