Why do Computer Science grade boundaries change every year?

Because they're set after the papers are marked, once examiners can see how hard students found that year's exam. If a paper was harder, the boundary drops so the same standard of work still earns the same grade. That's why a boundary from a previous year is never a safe prediction for this year.

Are these the marks for the whole subject or for one paper?

The whole subject. AQA also publishes "notional" per-paper boundaries, but those are illustrative only — your grade is decided by your total subject mark against these subject-level boundaries, so those are the numbers we show.

AQA GCSE Computer Science grade boundaries

Q: Which Computer Science boundary applies to me?

The one for your specific option or route (shown on your exam paper). AQA publishes programming-language options (C#, Java, Python, VB.Net and more), each with its own boundaries, each with its own boundaries, so there is no single Computer Science number — match your option in AQA's file.

Data source: AQA GCSE grade boundaries (June 2025) · 2023–2025 data · checked July 2026How we verify →

The raw marks needed for each grade in AQA GCSE Computer Science (8525), straight from AQA's official tables. Boundaries are set after every paper is marked, so a lower boundary usually means the paper was harder that year — not that the grade got easier. Because there's no single boundary, we show one worked option below rather than a full year-by-year table.

Boundaries are published per programming-language option — there is no single 'GCSE Computer Science' boundary.

Reform watch. Computer Science is specifically named in the reform: the government plans to replace it with a broader 'Computing' GCSE. That lands with the reformed specs (first teaching from 2029) — the current specification below still applies to your exams. What's changing in England's curriculum →

There is no single "Computer Science" boundary. AQA publishes Computer Science (8525) as programming-language options (C#, Java, Python, VB.Net and more), each with its own boundaries. Each has slightly different boundaries, so the top grade lands anywhere in the range roughly 155–155 out of 180 depending on the option. Any site quoting one "Computer Science" boundary is wrong — you need the boundaries for your option, printed on your exam paper and your statement of results.

Worked example: 8525A · Option A (C#) (2025)

One option, to show the shape. Check your own option against AQA's file below.

Grade	Raw mark
9	155
8	142
7	130
6	111
5	92
4	74
3	55
2	36
1	18

How to read these. A boundary is the minimum raw mark for that grade — score it or above and you get the grade. They're a whole-subject total, not a per-paper pass mark, and they change every year. Never treat a past year's boundary as this year's target. Why GCSE grade boundaries move →

Where these numbers come from

2025: AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2025 (Version 1.0, 21 August 2025) · official PDF
2024: AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2024 (June 2024 series)
2023: AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2023 (June 2023 series) · official PDF
Earlier series and other qualifications are on AQA's grade-boundaries pages. We add boards and years as we verify each against its official file.

Frequently asked questions

See all GCSE grade boundaries, or read how GCSE grades work.