What were the June 2025 OCR and Eduqas grade 4 boundaries?

On higher tier, grade $4$ required $47$ out of $300$ for OCR and $27$ out of $240$ for Eduqas. On foundation tier, it required $134$ for OCR and $111$ for Eduqas.

Are OCR GCSE Maths grade boundaries higher than Eduqas boundaries?

For June 2025 higher tier, OCR boundaries were higher as percentages at every reported grade. Foundation tier was mixed. This does not mean OCR is always harder, because papers and boundaries change between series.

When are GCSE maths grade boundaries published?

Exam boards publish confirmed boundaries for the relevant results release. Any boundary shown before then is an estimate or a historical comparison, not an official boundary for the new series.

Can I predict my GCSE grade using old boundaries?

You can use old boundaries as a rough guide after completing the matching paper, tier and exam board. Allow a safety margin because boundaries vary and a practice-paper grade is not guaranteed.

Is Eduqas GCSE Maths out of the same number of marks as OCR?

No. Eduqas GCSE Maths C300 is worth $240$ marks across two components, while OCR GCSE Maths J560 is worth $300$ marks across three papers. Compare percentages or official grades rather than raw totals.

GCSE Maths OCR vs Eduqas Grade Boundaries

Results day has a strange way of turning one number into the only number that seems to matter. Yet a raw mark means little until you know the paper total, tier and exam series behind it. This GCSE maths OCR vs Eduqas grade boundaries comparison gives the useful answer first: in June 2025, OCR assessed maths out of $300$ marks, while Eduqas used $240$ . You must therefore compare percentages and grades, not raw marks alone.

The tables below use the latest completed summer series with published boundaries at the time of writing: June 2025. The boundaries for the next series cannot be known in advance and will only be confirmed when the exam boards publish them.

OCR vs Eduqas grade boundaries at a glance

Before comparing the figures, remember:

OCR GCSE Maths J560 has three papers worth $100$ marks each.
Eduqas GCSE Maths C300 has two papers worth $120$ marks each.
Foundation tier offers grades $1$ to $5$ .
Higher tier primarily offers grades $4$ to $9$ , with grade $3$ available below the grade $4$ boundary.
A boundary is the minimum total mark required for that grade.
Boundaries can change between exam series.

You can explore previous years through the GCSE grade boundaries hub.

Student comparing two differently sized routes towards results day

June 2025 OCR and Eduqas boundaries compared

Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. They help make the different totals comparable, but the official boundary remains a raw mark.

Tier	Grade	OCR boundary out of $300$	OCR percentage	Eduqas boundary out of $240$	Eduqas percentage
Higher	$9$	$258$	$86.0%86.0\%$	$196$	$81.7%81.7\%$
Higher	$8$	$212$	$70.7%70.7\%$	$155$	$64.6%64.6\%$
Higher	$7$	$166$	$55.3%55.3\%$	$115$	$47.9%47.9\%$
Higher	$6$	$126$	$42.0%42.0\%$	$85$	$35.4%35.4\%$
Higher	$5$	$86$	$28.7%28.7\%$	$56$	$23.3%23.3\%$
Higher	$4$	$47$	$15.7%15.7\%$	$27$	$11.3%11.3\%$
Higher	$3$	$27$	$9.0%9.0\%$	$12$	$5.0%5.0\%$
Foundation	$5$	$182$	$60.7%60.7\%$	$141$	$58.8%58.8\%$
Foundation	$4$	$134$	$44.7%44.7\%$	$111$	$46.3%46.3\%$
Foundation	$3$	$95$	$31.7%31.7\%$	$81$	$33.8%33.8\%$
Foundation	$2$	$56$	$18.7%18.7\%$	$51$	$21.3%21.3\%$
Foundation	$1$	$17$	$5.7%5.7\%$	$21$	$8.8%8.8\%$

For the complete historical figures, visit the board-specific OCR GCSE Maths grade boundaries and Eduqas GCSE Maths grade boundaries pages.

What the comparison actually tells you

The June 2025 OCR grade boundaries were higher as percentages across the higher tier. For example, grade $7$ required approximately $55.3%55.3\%$ with OCR and $47.9%47.9\%$ with Eduqas.

That does not prove that Eduqas was easier. Boundaries are set for a particular assessment series and reflect evidence about how demanding the papers were. A lower boundary can accompany a more demanding paper. Comparing boundaries without comparing the assessments is like comparing journey times without noticing that one route climbs a hill.

Foundation tier presents a more mixed picture. OCR had a slightly higher percentage boundary for grade $5$ , while Eduqas had higher percentage boundaries for grades $1$ to $4$ . Again, this describes the June 2025 outcomes; it does not rank the exam boards permanently.

What happens on GCSE maths results day?

Your school or college receives the final grade and may also provide your overall mark. That mark is compared with the boundary for your exact board, tier and exam series.

You are awarded the highest grade whose minimum boundary you reached. Being one mark below a boundary can feel enormous, but it remains one mark. Speak to your exams officer or teacher before deciding whether a review of marking is appropriate. A review can leave a mark unchanged, raise it or lower it, so the decision should be based on evidence rather than results-day emotion.

If you want to interpret a practice-paper total before the real day, use the OCR predicted grade calculator or the Eduqas predicted grade calculator. Treat the result as a guide based on historical boundaries, never as a guaranteed future grade.

Results-day grade machine reacting to raw marks and paper difficulty

How to use grade boundaries during revision

A boundary is useful as a reference point, not a revision target. A student aiming for grade $5$ should not practise until they can just reach an old grade $5$ boundary. Papers vary, performance varies and small mistakes accumulate.

Instead, complete the correct board and tier under timed conditions. OCR students can use OCR GCSE Maths past papers, while Eduqas students can use Eduqas GCSE Maths past papers. Mark the full attempt using its own mark scheme, then turn every lost mark into a topic to revisit.

The OCR GCSE Maths revision hub and Eduqas GCSE Maths revision hub bring together revision lessons, questions, worksheets and board-specific papers.

Common mistakes when comparing boundaries

Comparing raw marks directly

A score of $150$ means $50%50\%$ on OCR but $62.5%62.5\%$ on Eduqas. Different maximum marks make a raw comparison misleading.

Using the wrong tier or series

Foundation and higher boundaries are separate. June and November boundaries can also differ, even within the same year.

Treating old boundaries as predictions

Previous figures provide context, not certainty. Future boundaries depend on the assessment series and cannot be confirmed before publication.

Comparing individual papers with the final grade

The qualification grade comes from the combined subject total. Any component-level boundary described as notional is guidance rather than a separate official GCSE grade.

The calm takeaway

OCR and Eduqas use the same GCSE grades, but they use different papers, totals and boundaries. For June 2025, higher-tier OCR boundaries were higher when expressed as percentages; foundation results were more mixed. None of this establishes that one board is universally easier.

Use boundaries to understand a result. Use revision to change the next one. Start with your board’s MathsGenie revision hub, practise with past papers and mark schemes, then build confidence through the predicted papers and mini tests. Revision lessons explain the method; practice questions make it reliable; timed papers show whether it survives pressure.