How A-level grades work: A*–E
A-levels are graded A* to E. Since the reforms, they're linear — everything is examined at the end of two years, there's no UMS, and your grade comes from one total subject mark. That changed how the A* is set, and it's why a lot of advice online is years out of date. Here's the current system, sourced to Ofqual and AQA.
Linear, not modular
Reformed A-levels in England are linear: all assessment happens at the end of the course, and AS and A-level are decoupled — AS results no longer count towards the A-level (Ofqual). An AS is now a standalone qualification, graded A–E with no A* (Ofqual).
There is also no UMS (Uniform Mark Scale) anymore. All grade boundaries are in raw marks, and — in AQA's words — "the sole determinant of a candidate's grade on a linear exam is his/her total subject mark. It is not calculated by combining grades on the individual components" ( Ofqual / AQA).
The A* myth (the 90%-at-A2 rule is dead)
Today, the A* is a single subject-level raw-mark boundary. Score at or above that one mark on your total and you get an A*, full stop. It's set statistically: boards use predictions based on the cohort's prior GCSE attainment to find the raw mark where the cumulative percentage of students is closest to the predicted A* share. Ofqual's own worked example: if the prediction is 7.2%, they look at the mark distribution and pick the mark where about 7.2% of students score at or above it — in that example, 76 out of 100 (Ofqual).
How A, B, C, D and E are set
Two of the boundaries are "judgemental" and the rest are arithmetic (AQA):
- A and E are set by the awarding committee looking at real student work at those boundaries.
- B, C and D are then placed to fall as evenly as possible between the A and E boundaries. (If there are 40 marks between A and E, B/C/D sit at 10-mark intervals.)
- A* is the exception — set statistically as above, not by the arithmetic rule.
Your raw marks from each component are added up to a subject total, and the grade boundary is applied to that total — only the subject total has a binding boundary. The per-component ("notional") figures you sometimes see are illustrative: they don't determine your grade and don't always add up to the subject boundary. Overall standards are held year to year by comparable outcomes — statistical prediction plus senior-examiner judgement (Ofqual).
Why boundaries move every year
Because they're set after the papers are marked. If a paper was harder, the boundary drops so the same standard of work earns the same grade. That's why last year's boundary is never a safe target — and why we publish real AQA A-level boundaries across multiple years rather than a single number.
Frequently asked questions
Next: real A-level grade boundaries (AQA & Edexcel, 2023–2025) · turn grades into UCAS points · A-level hub