Why do English Language 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. Pearson Edexcel 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 mark do I need to pass English Language?

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.

Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Language grade boundaries

Data source: Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries (June 2025) · 2024–2025 data · checked July 2026How we verify →

The raw marks needed for each grade in Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Language (1EN0), straight from Pearson Edexcel'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.

Untiered — all grades 9–1 are available on a single paper set.

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 →

Grade boundaries

Out of 160 marks.

Grade	2025	2024	Change
9	131	132	-1
8	123	123	0
7	115	114	+1
6	105	104	+1
5	95	94	+1
4standard pass	86	84	+2
3	66	64	+2
2	46	45	+1
1	26	26	0

What grade is my mark?

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: Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries, June 2025 (June 2025 series)
2024: Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) grade boundaries, June 2024 (June 2024 series)
Earlier series and other qualifications are on Pearson Edexcel'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.