Estimating your A-Level grade from a raw mark
After a mock or a real paper you often know your raw mark but not the grade it earns, because that depends on grade boundaries the exam board sets later. This checker gives you a realistic estimate by comparing your percentage against representative recent boundaries for AQA, Edexcel and OCR.
How it works
The tool first turns your raw mark into a percentage of the total marks available. It then compares that percentage against a table of typical boundary percentages for your chosen board — for example, an A* near 80 percent, an A near 70 percent, a B near 60 percent, and so on down to E. The highest band your percentage clears is your estimated grade. The tool also reports how many extra marks would be needed to cross into the next grade up, which is useful for judging how close you are to a boundary.
Worked example
Suppose you scored 72 out of 100 on an AQA paper. The tool converts this to 72 percent. If the representative AQA boundaries sit near A*=80, A=70, B=60, C=50, then 72 percent clears the A band but not the A* band, giving an estimated grade of A. The tool then reports that you would need roughly 8 more marks to reach A*.
Why boundaries shift every year
Each board sets boundaries after the entire mark distribution is known. This process, called “standard setting” or “comparable outcomes,” ensures that a grade reflects the same level of attainment despite papers varying in difficulty. In practice:
- A harder paper lowers the raw mark needed for each grade — the A boundary might drop from 70 to 65 percent.
- An easier paper raises the boundary — the same grade might require 75 percent.
- Boundaries are never published in advance, which is why this tool uses representative historical percentages rather than predicting the exact forthcoming cutoff.
Using this for mocks and revision
This tool is most useful during mock marking and after practice papers, where the goal is to gauge progress rather than predict a definitive result. If your mock mark lands within 3 to 5 percentage points of a boundary, treat it as genuinely marginal — a swing that size between exam sittings is normal. Focus revision on the topics where lost marks are most concentrated rather than on the overall score.
Once your board publishes official boundaries for your sitting — usually on results day — use those for the definitive answer and to request a review if needed.