AQA GCSE Maths grade boundaries: November 2021
Just the Maths figures, so you don't have to search the board's whole document. Pick another board or series below.
Heads up: boundaries in November 2021 were set lower than usual after the pandemic, so don't use them to predict a normal year's grade.
Higher tier
The lowest mark you need for each grade: the whole exam out of 240, and each paper out of 80.
| Grade | Total (240) | % | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 192 | 80% | 64 | 63 | 65 |
| 8 | 155 | 65% | 51 | 50 | 53 |
| 7 | 119 | 50% | 39 | 38 | 42 |
| 6 | 90 | 38% | 30 | 29 | 32 |
| 5 | 62 | 26% | 21 | 20 | 22 |
| 4 | 34 | 14% | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| 3 | 20 | 8% | 7 | 6 | 5 |
Foundation tier
The lowest mark you need for each grade: the whole exam out of 240, and each paper out of 80.
| Grade | Total (240) | % | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 145 | 60% | 49 | 48 | 48 |
| 4 | 108 | 45% | 37 | 36 | 35 |
| 3 | 79 | 33% | 27 | 26 | 26 |
| 2 | 51 | 21% | 17 | 16 | 17 |
| 1 | 23 | 10% | 8 | 7 | 8 |
In November 2021, a grade 4 on AQA Higher needed 34 out of 240 and a grade 7 needed 119; a grade 9 needed 192. On Foundation, a grade 4 needed 108 and a grade 5 needed 145.
These are the lowest total marks across all three papers, from AQA's official document. The Higher grade 4 boundary was 5 marks lower than November 2020. November is the resit series, sat mostly by students retaking GCSE Maths, so its boundaries can differ from June's.
How to use these boundaries
Sit all three November 2021 papers, add your marks out of 240, then find your grade in the table. What the numbers mean: our guide to grade boundaries.
Questions
What was the grade 4 boundary for AQA GCSE Maths November 2021?
34 out of 240 on Higher and 108 out of 240 on Foundation.
How many marks did you need for a grade 9?
192 out of 240 on Higher (about 80%). A grade 9 is only available on Higher.
Are grade boundaries the same every year?
No. They are set after every exam series, depending on how hard the papers were. Compare November 2020, on its own page.
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