What do teachers mean when they say "Grade boundaries?"

I saw that some students were wondering what is meant by the phrase "grade boundary", particularly at GCSE level. So, within this segment, I will try my best to explain it simply without complicating it. Grade boundaries simply refer to "the minimum mark you have to achieve to get a certain grade". It is just a way for examiners to distinguish between the different grade brackets. And so, they will award you with the grade that correlates to the marks you have achieved in your answers.

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For example, your answers would have to add up to a certain total of marks at the end for a particular grade. So a grade 9 could be equal to 80 to 100 marks for example, a grade 8 could be between 70 and 80 marks, and a grade 7 could be 60 to 70 etc etc.

This concept also applies to A-level students, except their grading system uses the classic Grade A, B and C system rather than the new number grades.

Simply put, you just have to achieve a certain number of marks to get the correlating grade. It is the same across all subjects. The higher marks you receive, the higher grade. However, the exact number of marks may differ between subjects as different subjects have different exam styles and questions.

Also keep in mind that the same subject may have different exam boards at different schools and colleges. The exam boards will determine the grade boundaries for their subjects.

So, for example, your school could be teaching you the AQA version of Biology at GCSE, but if you have a friend at a different school, they may be learning the OCR exam board version of GCSE biology. Therefore, because the exams will be different for both you, the grade boundaries and brackets for grades may also be different.

Always remember to not compare yourselves to others! It does not matter if someone is getting top grades. All you have to do is focus on your weaker areas within the subject and revise those over and over and over again. As long as you try your best and put the effort in you should always be proud of yourselves.

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It's important that I also mention the grade boundaries change every year. This is determined by the education department of the government. So they will always fluctuate, but recently the grade boundaries have been going up these past few years - meaning there is a higher gap or bracket between grades. As a result, it has been slightly more difficult for students to get the top grades for both GCSE students and A-level students. But do not worry! That is where the teachers come in. They will do their utmost best to provide you with the essential knowledge to tackle your exams. And be never afraid to ask for help, either off your friends, family or teachers.

I hope this helps anyone who was confused :)