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What is a Grade Boundary?

Published in Exam Grading 2 mins read

A grade boundary is the minimum mark you need to get a certain grade in an examination or assessment. It represents the lowest score required to achieve a specific grade level, acting as a threshold between one grade and the next.

Understanding Grade Boundaries in Exams

Grade boundaries are crucial in the assessment process as they define the cut-off points for different grades. They ensure that students who meet or exceed a specific score attain the corresponding grade, standardizing the grading process and maintaining fairness across various examination sittings.

For example, when looking at a GCSE exam result:

  • You might need a mark of at least 114 out of 180 to achieve a grade C. This means any score from 114 upwards (but below the boundary for a B grade) would result in a C grade.

Practical Example of a Grade Boundary

To illustrate this concept, consider the following specific grade boundary:

Grade Achieved Minimum Mark Required (out of 180)
C 114
(Note: Other grades, such as B or A, would have their own higher minimum mark requirements.)

Why Grade Boundaries Are Set

Exam boards strive for consistency when developing and administering examinations, aiming to set papers at a consistent level of difficulty year on year. However, precisely achieving this consistency is inherently challenging and impossible to do this precisely.

Due to these unavoidable variations in paper difficulty from one examination series to the next, grade boundaries are adjusted. This adjustment ensures that a specific grade reflects a consistent standard of achievement, regardless of whether the exam paper was slightly harder or easier in a particular year. This approach guarantees fairness for all candidates taking the same qualification over different examination periods, ensuring the value of a grade remains constant.