CCEA A-Level Welsh Grade Boundaries Explained
Understand why CCEA does not award A-Level Welsh, see WJEC Welsh UMS grade boundaries, and learn how raw marks determine grades and A* awards.
The search term CCEA A Level Welsh grade boundaries contains an important exam-board misunderstanding. CCEA regulates and awards qualifications principally in Northern Ireland, but the current A-Level Welsh qualifications are awarded by WJEC, not CCEA. Students studying Welsh at a CCEA school or examination centre should therefore check whether their statement of entry identifies WJEC Welsh Language or WJEC Welsh Second Language.
For the standard unitised WJEC qualifications, the overall A-Level boundaries are 400400400 UMS for an A, 350350350 for a B, 300300300 for a C, 250250250 for a D and 200200200 for an E, from a maximum of 500500500 UMS. An A∗A^*A∗ requires an A overall and at least 270270270 of the available 300300300 UMS across the A2 units. This guide explains those rules, the distinction between raw marks and UMS, and how to use historical boundaries responsibly.
Are there CCEA A Level Welsh grade boundaries?
There is no current CCEA-awarded A-Level Welsh qualification listed in CCEA's GCE grade-boundary materials. Welsh Language and Welsh Second Language A levels used in Wales are WJEC qualifications regulated by Qualifications Wales. The awarding organisation named on the entry matters more than the location of the school.
This distinction prevents several common errors. CCEA and WJEC may use different specifications, unit structures and post-results procedures, so a boundary from one board cannot be transferred to another. A student entered for WJEC Welsh must use WJEC unit boundaries and WJEC UMS rules, even if other subjects at the same centre are awarded by CCEA.
Check the qualification title and unit codes on your statement of entry or results slip. The MathsGenie WJEC A-Level Welsh revision page provides a board-specific starting point for relevant resources.
WJEC Welsh A-Level grade boundaries
Both WJEC Welsh Language, often called Welsh First Language, and WJEC Welsh Second Language use a unitised structure. AS units contribute 40%40\%40% of the full A level and A2 units contribute the remaining 60%60\%60%. Marks from all six units are converted to a common Uniform Mark Scale, or UMS, before being added.
The overall boundaries are fixed on the UMS scale:
| Overall grade | Minimum total UMS | Percentage of 500500500 UMS |
|---|---|---|
| A∗A^*A∗ | A overall plus the separate A2 rule | Not determined by one percentage alone |
| A | 400400400 | 80%80\%80% |
| B | 350350350 | 70%70\%70% |
| C | 300300300 | 60%60\%60% |
| D | 250250250 | 50%50\%50% |
| E | 200200200 | 40%40\%40% |
| U | Below 200200200 | Below 40%40\%40% |
A boundary is the minimum mark for a grade. Therefore, 350350350 UMS earns a B, while 349349349 UMS remains within grade C. Results are not rounded according to how close the final total is to the next boundary.
Recent years' WJEC Welsh boundaries
Because these Welsh qualifications are unitised, the overall UMS boundaries remain constant. What changes between examination series is the raw mark needed within each unit to reach a particular UMS value.
| Summer series | Maximum UMS | A | B | C | D | E | A∗A^*A∗ condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 500500500 | 400400400 | 350350350 | 300300300 | 250250250 | 200200200 | A overall and at least 270270270 A2 UMS |
| 2025 | 500500500 | 400400400 | 350350350 | 300300300 | 250250250 | 200200200 | A overall and at least 270270270 A2 UMS |
| 2024 | 500500500 | 400400400 | 350350350 | 300300300 | 250250250 | 200200200 | A overall and at least 270270270 A2 UMS |
| 2023 | 500500500 | 400400400 | 350350350 | 300300300 | 250250250 | 200200200 | A overall and at least 270270270 A2 UMS |
These are qualification-level UMS boundaries, not claims that the same number of raw marks was required every year. Historical raw boundaries should be consulted unit by unit and series by series. The MathsGenie grade-boundaries hub and its guide to how A-Level grade boundaries work help distinguish historical evidence from predictions.
How the Welsh A-Level units are weighted
The two Welsh courses share the same 500500500-UMS total but distribute A2 UMS differently. This matters when calculating progress towards an A∗A^*A∗.
| Qualification | AS unit maximum UMS | A2 unit maximum UMS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welsh Language | Unit 1: 757575; Unit 2: 505050; Unit 3: 757575 | Unit 4: 100100100; Unit 5: 100100100; Unit 6: 100100100 | 500500500 |
| Welsh Second Language | Unit 1: 757575; Unit 2: 505050; Unit 3: 757575 | Unit 4: 125125125; Unit 5: 757575; Unit 6: 100100100 | 500500500 |
In each course, the AS total is 200200200 UMS and the A2 total is 300300300 UMS. The different A2 distributions reflect the weighting of the assessed units, not a difference in the overall grading standard.
A strong mark in a heavily weighted unit contributes more UMS to the final result. Students should therefore plan revision using the official unit weighting rather than treating all six assessments as equally important.
How raw marks convert to grades
A raw mark is the mark awarded directly for an examination, oral assessment or non-examination assessment. Raw boundaries are set after each examination series because papers and assessed tasks can differ slightly in difficulty. A more demanding paper may have a lower raw boundary, while a more accessible paper may have a higher one.
WJEC converts each raw unit mark into UMS. The conversion aligns performances from different series so that units taken at different times can be combined fairly. It is not normally valid to calculate UMS by applying a simple proportion such as
UMS=raw markmaximum raw mark×maximum UMS. \text{UMS}=\frac{\text{raw mark}}{\text{maximum raw mark}}\times\text{maximum UMS}. UMS=maximum raw markraw mark×maximum UMS.The official conversion depends on the awarded raw boundaries for that particular unit and series. Two students can therefore receive the same UMS from different raw marks if they sat different examination series of differing difficulty.
Your unit UMS marks are then aggregated:
overall UMS=Unit 1+extUnit2+Unit 3+Unit 4+Unit 5+Unit 6. \text{overall UMS}=\text{Unit 1}+ ext{Unit 2}+\text{Unit 3}+\text{Unit 4}+\text{Unit 5}+\text{Unit 6}. overall UMS=Unit 1+extUnit2+Unit 3+Unit 4+Unit 5+Unit 6.That total is compared with the fixed qualification boundaries. This is why there is no dependable single answer to questions such as “What raw percentage guarantees an A in Welsh?” The accurate answer requires the official raw-to-UMS conversion for every unit taken.
The special rule for an A star
An A∗A^*A∗ is not awarded simply for obtaining 450450450 out of 500500500 UMS. A candidate must satisfy both official conditions:
- achieve at least 400400400 UMS overall, which is grade A;
- achieve at least 270270270 of the available 300300300 UMS across Units 4, 5 and 6.
This design gives particular weight to performance at A2. A very high AS total cannot compensate for an A2 total below 270270270 when the target is A∗A^*A∗. Conversely, reaching 270270270 at A2 is not enough if the combined AS and A2 total remains below 400400400.
Students targeting the top grade should track two figures separately: their projected overall total and their projected A2 total. Treating 90%90\%90% overall as the rule is a common but inaccurate shortcut.
Using boundaries to set realistic targets
Boundaries should be used as a measuring tool, not as a prediction that future raw marks will be identical. A sensible target includes a margin above the minimum because marking judgements, performance under pressure and raw conversions can all affect the final outcome.
Use this process when reviewing practice:
- Complete the correct WJEC unit under its official time conditions.
- Mark it carefully using the matching mark scheme.
- Record the raw mark, but do not invent a UMS conversion.
- Compare it with the published raw boundary for that exact unit and series.
- Identify lost marks by skill, such as textual analysis, linguistic accuracy, oral development or time management.
- Repeat the weakest question types before attempting another complete paper.
MathsGenie's guidance on finding past papers and mark schemes explains why matching the board, specification and series is essential. Its revision guides overview also supports the principle of repairing specific weaknesses before returning to full-paper practice.
Common boundary mistakes
Do not use GCSE Welsh figures for an A-Level calculation. GCSE may involve different totals, grades and assessment structures, so even an official WJEC GCSE table is irrelevant to the GCE award.
Avoid adding raw marks from units with different weightings. Raw totals do not necessarily represent each unit's contribution to the qualification; converted UMS marks do. Similarly, a lowercase unit grade is not a separate overall A-Level grade.
Do not assume an AS grade fixes or predicts the final award. AS contributes 200200200 of the 500500500 UMS, but A2 contributes 300300300 and controls the additional A∗A^*A∗ requirement. Finally, never present a previous year's raw boundary as a guaranteed target for a future paper.
Conclusion
The phrase CCEA A Level Welsh grade boundaries should normally lead students to WJEC information, because WJEC awards the current Welsh Language and Welsh Second Language A levels. The fixed overall thresholds are 400400400, 350350350, 300300300, 250250250 and 200200200 UMS for grades A to E, while A∗A^*A∗ additionally requires at least 270270270 A2 UMS.
Raw boundaries vary by unit and series, so use only the conversion applying to the assessment you actually sat. MathsGenie's WJEC Welsh resources, past-paper guidance and grade-boundary explanations can support accurate tracking and focused revision.
