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A Level Results Day: 13th August 2015: Grade Boundaries.

A Level Results Day 13th August 2015: Grade Boundaries
Hello everyone! :smile: I can't believe it has been almost a year since I collected my A Level results, it's such an exciting yet tense day and I hope it turns out to be a good experience for you all. Along with the rest of TSR, I would like to wish each and every one of you the best of luck in collecting your results on the 13th of August. I also hope you have enjoyed your summer so far and have had a well deserved rest after what some of you would call one/two years of hell :tongue: I am very sure that your hard work will undoubtedly pay off and you'll succeed in not only achieving the grades you worked towards, but also getting your place at university or whatever the future holds for you, and for those of you who are AS results, getting the grades you need for your next step. If not, there are so many options so please don't panic too much if you feel you may have missed your grades.

Anyhow, this thread is here to provide you with the grade boundaries for this year's exams and guide you on what they're all about if you're not too sure about things! As soon as we have access to them, they will be linked below for you to feast your eyes on if you have the guts :colone: It is common for most of the boundaries to be posted the day before results day, so keep your eyes peeled on the 12th of August if you're interested in seeing them, however some may be posted on results day itself. Obviously, some of you may have several questions regarding grade boundaries or anything else about results day, so you are very welcome to quote any of the study helpers who are here to do their best to answer your queries. Before this, however, have a good read of the information below as any potential questions you may have could already have been answered within the paragraphs.

Of course, there are plenty of other important things to think about on A Level results day, so the lovely study helpers have created a few threads for your benefit. Although it is best to stay as positive as you can in the run up to results day, it is best to be realistic and think about how to deal with things if you don't quite do as well as you expected or are preparing for the worst. Have a look at usycool1's thread Didn't do as well as you'd hoped? for some excellent advice! :h: And please check out Slowbro93's thread dedicated to all you AS students out there; this is aimed to advise you and answer all those questions you'll have. Or why not post your grades if you're feeling particularly proud in James A's post your results threads for both AS and A2 :smile:

The Grade Boundaries

When we have access to the grade boundaries for the boards below, the links will turn blue :smile:

-Edexcel- IAL
-AQA
-WJEC
-OCR AS & A2
-CCEA

FAQs

I'm sure a lot of you will have a pretty good understanding of what grade boundaries mean and so on, but for those of you who don't, have a little read of the information here. :smile:

What is the purpose of grade boundaries and what do they mean?

Grade boundaries are there to show you what mark you will need for a particular grade, scaling from an A* to a U for individual units (the A* boundary is not available for AS units). The marks you see that are required for each unit for each grade boundary will be raw marks rather that UMS, so the exact mark you need to achieve on the paper you sat. For example, an A in Edexcel Biology Unit 2 June 2013 was 62, whilst a C was 52. These are modular grade boundaries, meaning a C in one module does not necessarily mean it is impossible for you to achieve an A overall. There is also UMS to consider, and in terms of this type of mark:

-Less than 40% is a U
-40% an E
-50% a D
-60% a C
-70% a B
-80% an A

The A* is a little different to achieve in comparison to GCSE, in order to achieve this grade, you need at least 80% over both AS and A2 combined, with at least a 90% average at A2. This means that a student who receives a C at AS (for example 120/200) could still get an A* over the whole A Level if they received 200/200 UMS at A2. So for you AS students, hope is not lost if you didn't do as well as you may have thought. :h:

What causes grade boundaries to change from year to year?

For those of you who aren't aware, grade boundaries vary each exam season in order to accommodate the overall performance of that year. Effectively, they reflect whether or not, as a whole, the students who sat the exam found it easy, average, or difficult rather average. For a more difficult paper, grade boundaries are lower, whereas they will often be higher if the exam was found to be more simple as the students who took it generally performed well. Variation in grade boundaries therefore allow comparison across different years and ensure you receive a fair grade, it wouldn’t be very fair if they remained the same if one year's paper was a lot harder than the previous'.

I am so close to the next boundary, what should I do?

Let's be honest, there is nothing more frustrating than opening your results after much anticipation, seeing your grade, and then looking at the unit marks or overall mark and realising you were oh so close to achieving one grade higher. :colonhash: After all, at A2, this could be the difference between getting your university place and not. :eek: One option is to consider a remark, which as evident in the name, involves you sending off your paper to be marked again. This does, however, come with a price depending on the paper and board, so please consider it very carefully. If you're lucky enough to see your mark increase so that your grade changes, you will get your money back, so not all is lost, but please take into account the fact that it's not always likely your mark will increase enough to change your overall A Level grade. Definitely speak to your teacher about this when taking it into consideration.

So, are you brave enough to look at the grade boundaries before collecting your results? They can be great in assisting you in predicting your grade if you have a rough idea of what you think you got on each unit, however please stay as calm as possible if they're higher than you expected, results can often shock you! :tongue: Also, do try your best to stay fairly calm in the last few days, as hard as I know it is :redface:

There is plenty of guidance available on TSR as well as advice your sixth form/college can offer you, but do feel free to message me for any further questions, or even for a chat if you're feeling particularly worried. I know how it feels to be a little disappointed with results, and having someone to talk to is never a bad thing :h:

Good luck guys, I wish you all the best :biggrin:
(edited 8 years ago)

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Reply 1
Ah the good old grade boundary thread, may you raise your troll grade boundary links on midnight of the 11th (dont forget to tip fedora)!!!!! We made it this far!!!!!
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 2
Yes grade boundaries kekekeke *tips fedora* hopefully A* boundaries 69% kekekekeke.... *slips into shadows* nothing personell, kiddos
Reply 3
does everyone think the UMS grade boundary for an A will be 80 this year?
One quick question :smile: Will the OCR grade boundaries showing A* come out at the same time as the usual one? In the past couple of years OCR has split A* and A-U. Just wondering if I'll be able to see the A* at the same time :smile:
If OCR English Lit is 90% for an A again I'm so ****ed
Just hope that the grade boundary gods have mercy on us.


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Reply 7
I hope that the chemistry grade boundaries are in our favour!!


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Rabadon
does everyone think the UMS grade boundary for an A will be 80 this year?


It's always 80.
Reply 9
Is it possible UMS grade boundary for an A will be 80 this year? It varies a lot
Hope A2 AQA Lit is low...screwed without that A* lol
anyone else scared about the A level fashion boundaries? I really do think that this years exam was such an easy paper. I certainly messed up on the 25 marker about if Fedoras clash with black suits and am kind of worried about results day now :frown:
Original post by Rabadon
anyone else scared about the A level fashion boundaries? I really do think that this years exam was such an easy paper. I certainly messed up on the 25 marker about if Fedoras clash with black suits and am kind of worried about results day now :frown:


Will certainly be a bit.... annoyed... ehehhee.
well the question went well for me.... ehhee i'm used to that attire.
Original post by thatgr
Will certainly be a bit.... annoyed... ehehhee.
well the question went well for me.... ehhee i'm used to that attire.


Did you say the trillby is best suited with air max or sketchers?
Original post by Rabadon
Did you say the trillby is best suited with air max or sketchers?


sketcher.... air max ae for chavs
Reply 15
First page for sale kek
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 16
Anyone else waiting for boundaries for any or all of:

AQA Mathematics:
MPC3
MPC4
MM2B

AQA A Physics:
PHYA4
PHYA5
PHA6X

Edexcel History:
6HI03/D
6HI04

WJEC Computing:
CG3
CG4


? :biggrin:


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Zer0.
It'll be 53/60 lowest & 55/60 highest

/b/ro..?


kekekekeekek what is this /b/ you speak of yungling mufufufufufuf *tips fedora* *winks* *plays with fluttershy toy*
Waiting for boundaries for A2 Aqa Biology, Aqa Chemistry and Edexcel Maths.
Original post by CD223
Anyone else waiting for boundaries for any or all of:

AQA Mathematics:
MPC3
MPC4
MM2B

AQA A Physics:
PHYA4
PHYA5
PHA6X

Edexcel History:
6HI03/D
6HI04

WJEC Computing:
CG3
CG4


? :biggrin:


Posted from TSR Mobile


Edexcel history..The mark schemes came out a while back but gave nothing away. Which papers & coursework did you take for history over the A level?

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