Why do Statistics 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.

What's the difference between Higher and Foundation boundaries for Statistics?

Higher tier targets grades 9–4 (with grade 3 as a narrow safety net); Foundation targets grades 5–1. They're different papers, so the raw-mark boundaries aren't comparable across tiers — use the table for the tier you're entered for.

What mark do I need to pass Statistics?

A grade 4 is the "standard pass" and a grade 5 is a "strong pass". The exact raw mark for a 4 changes each year — see the grade 4 row above for the most recent figures, but treat them as a guide, not a fixed target.

AQA GCSE Statistics grade boundaries

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 Statistics (8382), 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. That's why we show more than one year.

Tiered: Higher tier targets grades 9–4 (grade 3 is a narrow safety-net grade); Foundation tier targets grades 5–1.

Reform watch:England's 2025 Curriculum & Assessment Review doesn't change GCSE or A-level content until reformed specs are first taught (national curriculum September 2028; updated GCSEs from 2029). Your 2026–2028 exams use the current specification. What's changing →

Higher tier

Out of 160 marks.

Grade	2025	2024	2023	Change
9	129	135	128	-6
8	112	116	111	-4
7	95	98	95	-3
6	76	79	76	-3
5	57	60	58	-3
4standard pass	38	42	40	-4
3	28	33	31	-5

What grade is my mark? (Higher tier)

Enter your total subject mark out of 160 — the whole subject, not one paper.

/ 160

Foundation tier

Out of 160 marks.

Grade	2025	2024	2023	Change
5	106	108	98	-2
4standard pass	82	85	75	-3
3	61	65	55	-4
2	40	46	35	-6
1	20	27	15	-7

What grade is my mark? (Foundation tier)

Enter your total subject mark out of 160 — the whole subject, not one paper.

/ 160

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.