GCSE Combined Science Grade Boundaries 2026: AQA, Edexcel and OCR

Combined Science works differently from other GCSEs. Instead of one grade, you get two, like 5-5 or 6-5, and the marks needed depend on your exam board, your specification and your tier. That makes the question "how many marks do I need?" harder than it sounds.

For example, in 2026 a grade 4-4 on Higher tier needed 111 marks out of 420 with AQA Trilogy, but 108 marks out of 360 with Edexcel. OCR offers two different Combined Science courses, each with its own boundaries, so even students on the same board can have different numbers.

This guide gives you the 2026 GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries for AQA, Edexcel and OCR, with 2025 and 2024 for comparison where we could confirm them. It also explains double grades in plain English and shows you how to use the numbers in your revision, without stress.

What Are Double Grades in GCSE Combined Science?

Combined Science covers Biology, Chemistry and Physics in one course that counts as two GCSEs. You get a double grade, such as 5-5 or 5-4. The two numbers are always the same or one apart, and the higher number comes first. That gives 17 possible results, from 1-1 up to 9-9.

Your total comes from adding your marks across all your Combined Science papers, not from separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics grades. Foundation tier covers 1-1 to 5-5. Higher tier covers 4-4 to 9-9, with a 4-3 safety net for students who narrowly miss a 4-4. If you want to learn the single digit system first, read our guide to GCSE grades explained.

What Are Grade Boundaries?

A grade boundary is the lowest total mark that earns a grade. If the 5-5 boundary is 145, then 145 marks is a 5-5 and 144 marks is a 5-4. Boundaries are set after the exams are marked, so a harder paper gets lower boundaries and an easier paper gets higher ones. You can read the full process in our guide on how GCSE grade boundaries are decided, and see how this year compares in our post on whether grade boundaries are lower this year.

GCSE Combined Science Grade Boundaries at a Glance (2026)

Higher tier

Board	9-9	7-7	5-5	4-4
AQA Trilogy (8464, out of 420)	298	228	149	111
Edexcel (1SC0, out of 360)	282	221	145	108
OCR Gateway (J250, out of 360)	275	222	154	121
OCR Twenty First Century (J260, out of 360)	257	206	139	107

Foundation tier

Board	5-5	4-4	3-3
AQA Trilogy (out of 420)	276	238	178
Edexcel (out of 360)	231	194	142
OCR Gateway (out of 360)	209	174	132
OCR Twenty First Century (out of 360)	218	187	155

Marks are raw totals across all papers. AQA Trilogy is out of 420 and the other courses are out of 360, so compare within your own board. AQA also offers Combined Science: Synergy (8465) and Eduqas offers its own Combined Science, but we could not confirm their boundaries, so please check those boards' websites.

Not sure which board you are on? Read our guide on how to find your GCSE exam board before you use any table below.

AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy Grade Boundaries

AQA Combined Science: Trilogy (8464) is marked out of 420 in total. It is offered at Foundation and Higher tier.

Higher Tier (out of 420)

Double grade	2026	2025	2024
9-9	298	299	289
9-8	280	281	270
8-8	262	263	251
8-7	245	245	233
7-7	228	228	215
7-6	208	206	194
6-6	188	184	173
6-5	168	162	153
5-5	149	140	133
5-4	130	118	113
4-4	111	96	93
4-3	101	85	83

Foundation Tier (out of 420)

Double grade	2026	2025
5-5	276	271
5-4	257	251
4-4	238	231
4-3	208	202
3-3	178	173
3-2	149	145
2-2	120	117
2-1	91	89
1-1	62	61

AQA's Higher boundaries moved a lot in the middle of the table. The 4-4 boundary climbed from 93 in 2024 to 96 in 2025 and 111 in 2026, a rise of 18 marks in two years. The 5-5 boundary went from 133 to 140 to 149. In percentage terms, a 2026 Higher 4-4 was about 26% (111 out of 420) and a 9-9 was about 71% (298 out of 420). On Foundation tier, a 4-4 needed about 57% (238 out of 420), and that was also higher than in 2025 (231).

You can practise with real papers on our GCSE past papers page and check your total against the table.

Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Grade Boundaries

Edexcel Combined Science (1SC0) is marked out of 360 in total. Both Foundation and Higher tiers are available. These 2026 boundaries match the figures in Pearson's official June 2026 boundary document.

Double grade	Higher 2026	Foundation 2026
9-9	282	n/a
9-8	266	n/a
8-8	251	n/a
8-7	236	n/a
7-7	221	n/a
7-6	202	n/a
6-6	183	n/a
6-5	164	n/a
5-5	145	231
5-4	126	212
4-4	108	194
4-3	99	168
3-3	n/a	142
3-2	n/a	116
2-2	n/a	91
2-1	n/a	66
1-1	n/a	41

A 2026 Higher 4-4 was about 30% (108 out of 360) and a 9-9 was about 78% (282 out of 360). On Foundation tier, a 4-4 was about 54% (194 out of 360). Edexcel's Higher 4-3 safety net was 99 marks, just nine marks below the 4-4 boundary.

OCR GCSE Combined Science Grade Boundaries

OCR publishes two Combined Science GCSEs, each marked out of 360. Gateway Science (J250) and Twenty First Century Science (J260) have different boundaries, so check which one your school teaches.

OCR Gateway Science (J250)

Double grade	Higher 2026	Higher 2025	Higher 2024	Foundation 2026
9-9	275	280	273	n/a
9-8	261	266	260	n/a
8-8	248	252	248	n/a
8-7	235	239	236	n/a
7-7	222	226	224	n/a
7-6	205	209	208	n/a
6-6	188	192	192	n/a
6-5	171	175	176	n/a
5-5	154	158	160	209
5-4	137	142	144	191
4-4	121	126	129	174
4-3	113	118	121	153
3-3	n/a	n/a	n/a	132
3-2	n/a	n/a	n/a	111
2-2	n/a	n/a	n/a	90
2-1	n/a	n/a	n/a	69
1-1	n/a	n/a	n/a	48

OCR Twenty First Century Science (J260)

Double grade	Higher 2026	Foundation 2026
9-9	257	n/a
9-8	244	n/a
8-8	231	n/a
8-7	218	n/a
7-7	206	n/a
7-6	189	n/a
6-6	172	n/a
6-5	155	n/a
5-5	139	218
5-4	123	203
4-4	107	187
4-3	99	171
3-3	n/a	155
3-2	n/a	139
2-2	n/a	123
2-1	n/a	97
1-1	n/a	51

OCR Gateway went the opposite way to AQA. The Higher 4-4 boundary fell from 129 in 2024 to 126 in 2025 and 121 in 2026, so it became a little easier to reach that grade. A 2026 Gateway Higher 4-4 was about 34% (121 out of 360), and a Foundation 4-4 was about 48% (174 out of 360). For Twenty First Century, a Higher 4-4 was about 30% (107 out of 360) and a Foundation 4-4 was about 52% (187 out of 360). We could only confirm 2024 and 2025 for Gateway Higher, so please check OCR for other years.

How to Use GCSE Combined Science Grade Boundaries in Your Revision

1. Confirm your board, course and tier. Check the front of your exam paper. For OCR, make sure you know if you take Gateway or Twenty First Century.

2. Mark a full set of papers. Do papers under timed conditions and mark them strictly with the official mark scheme.

3. Add up your total. The grade comes from your total across all papers, not one subject.

4. Compare it with the tables above. Find the closest boundary for your board and tier, then see how far you are from your target double grade.

5. Build a safety margin. Boundaries move each year, so aim for at least 10 marks above the boundary you want.

6. Find where you lose marks. Sort mistakes into Biology, Chemistry and Physics, then into topics. Fix the biggest group first. Our guide on how to pass GCSE Science shows how.

7. Test again. Sit another paper a few weeks later and check that your total has risen. A GCSE mock exam is a great way to do this under real conditions.

Why Is a 4-4 So Low on Higher Tier?

Look back at the tables. A Higher 4-4 needed only 107 to 121 marks in 2026, about 26% to 34% of the total. A Foundation 4-4 needed 174 to 238 marks, about 48% to 57%. This looks odd, but it makes sense. Higher papers have many very hard questions, so most students score fewer marks. Foundation papers are easier, so students score more.

A 4-4 means the same on both tiers. Higher tier is not a shortcut, because a student on the edge has to answer much harder questions. Use your mock results and your teacher's advice to pick a tier. Our guide on the difference between Higher and Foundation will help, and our post on what percentage a grade 4 is in GCSE goes deeper.

What If You Take Separate Sciences Instead?

If you take Triple Science, you get a separate GCSE grade in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, each on the single 9 to 1 scale, and the boundaries are different from the ones above. See our guides on GCSE Physics grade boundaries and GCSE Chemistry grade boundaries. The tables in this guide only apply to Combined Science.

Turn Your Science Knowledge Into Results

Grade boundaries tell you the target. Preparation gets you there. At Pass My GCSEs, our GCSE tutors teach one to one, find the topics costing you marks and give you exam practice that matches your board. Our GCSE mock exams show you where you stand, our GCSE revision courses cover the full syllabus in order, and our GCSE past papers give you real questions to practise. If you are planning ahead, see our guide on whether GCSE 2027 will be hard, and compare with our GCSE Maths grade boundaries.

Conclusion

GCSE Combined Science grade boundaries change every year and differ by board, course and tier. In 2026, a Higher 4-4 needed between 107 and 121 marks, a Foundation 4-4 needed between 174 and 238, and a Higher 9-9 needed between 257 and 298, out of 420 for AQA Trilogy and 360 for the other courses. Use the tables for your own course as a guide, and never rely on another board's numbers. Mark full papers strictly, build a safety margin of at least 10 marks and focus on the topics that cost you the most. Steady, honest practice beats guessing the boundary every time.