When were the physical education grade boundaries 2026 released?

The official boundaries were published on GCSE results day, Thursday 20 August 2026. Exam boards could not confirm them before the marking and awarding processes were completed.

Is GCSE PE graded using a fixed percentage?

No. There is no permanent percentage for each grade. Boundaries can change each year to reflect differences in assessment difficulty while maintaining comparable grade standards.

Do practical marks count towards the final GCSE PE grade?

Yes. Non-exam assessment contributes $40\%$ of the main AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas GCSE PE qualifications. The precise practical and analysis components differ between boards.

What should I do if I am one mark below the next GCSE PE grade?

Ask your school to confirm your overall and component marks, then discuss whether a review is supported by evidence. A review can increase, preserve or reduce a mark, so being close to a boundary does not make it automatic.

GCSE Physical Education Grade Boundaries 2026

Q: What are the official GCSE Physical Education grade boundaries for 2026?

For grade $4$, the June 2026 boundaries were $136$ out of $260$ for AQA, $191$ out of $350$ for Edexcel, $103$ out of $200$ for OCR and $106$ out of $200$ for the Eduqas Full Course. Use the full table for your required grade.

Results day can make one number feel larger than it really is. Two years of lessons, practical assessments and written papers appear to have been compressed into a single grade on a page.

Yet GCSE physical education grade boundaries are not a hidden judgement about your ability. They are simply the minimum overall marks required for each grade. Your exam and non-exam assessment marks are combined, then compared with the official boundary table for your exam board.

The physical education grade boundaries 2026 are now confirmed. GCSE results were released on Thursday 20 August 2026, when exam boards also published their final boundaries. The tables below give the official marks for AQA, Edexcel, OCR and the Eduqas Full Course.

You can also explore free board-specific resources through the GCSE Physical Education revision hub.

GCSE PE results day checklist

Before interpreting your marks, check that you have:

identified your exam board and specification;
found the table for the June 2026 series;
checked the qualification's maximum mark;
used your overall qualification mark, rather than one paper mark;
confirmed whether any component marks have been scaled;
spoken to your school before considering a review of marking or moderation.

The exam boards use different maximum totals, so marks cannot be compared directly across boards. An AQA mark out of $260$ , for example, cannot be placed against an Edexcel boundary out of $350$ .

A student learns that a grade boundary is set after the assessments have been marked

Official GCSE physical education grade boundaries 2026

These are the overall June 2026 boundaries for the principal GCSE Physical Education qualifications graded from $9$ to $1$ .

Exam board and specification	Maximum mark	Grade $9$	Grade $8$	Grade $7$	Grade $6$	Grade $5$	Grade $4$	Grade $3$	Grade $2$	Grade $1$
AQA $8582$	$260$	$216$	$202$	$188$	$170$	$153$	$136$	$103$	$70$	$38$
Edexcel $1 P E 0$	$350$	$295$	$278$	$261$	$237$	$214$	$191$	$146$	$101$	$57$
OCR $J 587$	$200$	$162$	$152$	$143$	$129$	$116$	$103$	$80$	$57$	$34$
Eduqas Full Course $C 550 QS$	$200$	$180$	$168$	$156$	$139$	$122$	$106$	$78$	$51$	$24$

A boundary is inclusive. Reaching the published number is enough for that grade. For example, an AQA total of $188$ earns grade $7$ , while $187$ falls below the grade $7$ boundary and would receive grade $6$ .

Students taking the Eduqas Short Course need a different table:

Course	Maximum mark	Grade $9$	Grade $8$	Grade $7$	Grade $6$	Grade $5$	Grade $4$	Grade $3$	Grade $2$	Grade $1$
Eduqas Short Course $C 555 QT$	$100$	$83$	$77$	$72$	$64$	$57$	$50$	$39$	$28$	$17$

Historical figures and subject tables are available through MathsGenie's AQA GCSE PE grade boundaries, Edexcel GCSE PE grade boundaries and Eduqas GCSE PE grade boundaries pages. The wider GCSE grade boundaries hub can help you check your other subjects.

How GCSE PE grade boundaries work

A grade boundary is the lowest total mark that receives a particular grade. It is not the average mark, a target percentage or a prediction made before the assessments.

Suppose an OCR student received $138$ marks. The relevant boundaries are $129$ for grade $6$ and $143$ for grade $7$ . Since

$\leq 138 < 143,$

the student receives grade $6$ .

Their percentage is

$frac{138}{200}\times 100=69%.$

That percentage can be useful for understanding performance, but it does not decide the grade independently. The official comparison is between the student's total mark and the OCR June 2026 qualification boundaries.

There is no permanent rule stating that $70$ must equal grade $7$ , or that $50$ must equal grade $4$ . The required proportion changes because each series contains different assessments.

Why boundaries change each year

Exam boards aim to keep the standard represented by each grade comparable over time, but no two papers have precisely the same difficulty.

If an assessment proves more demanding, fewer marks may be required to demonstrate the standard associated with a grade. If it is more accessible, the mark boundary may rise. Exam boards consider evidence including marked student work, mark distributions, question performance and comparisons with previous series before confirming the boundaries.

This explains why historical figures provide context rather than certainty. A boundary rising does not necessarily mean that standards became harsher. It may show that students found that year's assessment more accessible.

Nor is there a fixed quota requiring a predetermined number of students to pass or fail. The proportion receiving each grade can vary.

Why written and practical marks both matter

GCSE PE is not awarded from the written examination alone. For the main AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas specifications, examined assessment contributes $60$ of the qualification and non-exam assessment contributes $40$ .

The structure differs by board:

AQA uses two written papers worth $30$ each, with practical performance and analysis and evaluation forming the remaining $40$ .
Edexcel uses two written papers worth a combined $60$ , practical performance worth $30$ and a personal exercise programme worth $10$ .
OCR uses two written papers worth $30$ each, practical performances worth $30$ and analysis and evaluation of performance worth $10$ .
Eduqas Full Course uses one written examination worth $60$ and non-exam assessment worth $40$ .

Some marks are scaled so that each component contributes its intended weighting. That is why adding numbers copied from several documents can produce the wrong total. Ask your school for the official overall qualification mark if it is not shown clearly on your results information.

Overall boundaries and notional component boundaries

The grade on your certificate comes from the overall qualification boundary. Written papers and practical components contribute marks towards that total, but they do not normally receive separately certificated GCSE grades.

Exam boards may publish notional component boundaries. These help teachers understand how performance on an individual paper broadly compares with a grade standard, but they are analytical guides rather than separate awards.

A student might appear to perform at grade $5$ on one component and grade $7$ on another. The final result is still calculated from the combined subject total. Strong practical marks can balance weaker written marks, just as strong theory marks can support a lower practical total.

What to do if your PE result is unexpected

Start by asking your school for three pieces of information:

your overall qualification mark;
your marks for each component;
the number of marks between your total and the next boundary.

A disappointing result is not, by itself, evidence of a marking error. Your teacher or exams officer can help decide whether a clerical check, review of marking or review of moderation is appropriate.

A review can cause a mark or grade to rise, stay unchanged or fall. Practical work is internally assessed and externally moderated, so the correct process may differ from the review used for a written paper. Discuss the evidence, deadline, fee and possible consequences before giving consent.

If the result affects a sixth-form, college or apprenticeship place, contact the provider promptly. Explain your confirmed grade and ask whether there is any flexibility, rather than assuming that one boundary has ended the conversation.

Common mistakes when reading PE boundaries

Using the wrong exam board

A total of $190$ means something different on each specification. Check the board, course code, series and maximum mark before making any comparison.

Treating a percentage as a fixed grade

There is no universal GCSE PE percentage scale. Always use the official mark boundary for your qualification.

Comparing 2026 marks with an older table

Boundaries change between series. A 2025 table may help you see a pattern, but it cannot replace the June 2026 figures.

Using a component boundary as the final result

Notional paper boundaries do not award your qualification grade. The combined overall mark is decisive.

Assuming one mark below guarantees a successful review

Distance from a boundary tells you how much movement is needed. It does not prove that an assessment was marked incorrectly.

Turn the result into a useful next step

A grade boundary tells you where your mark landed. More importantly, your component marks can show where improvement is possible.

Use the AQA GCSE PE past papers, Edexcel GCSE PE past papers, OCR GCSE PE past papers or Eduqas GCSE PE past papers to practise with the correct specification. Complete a paper under timed conditions, compare your answers with the mark scheme and record the topics where marks were lost.

MathsGenie brings revision lessons, practice questions, past papers, mark schemes and video solutions together for free. If you are preparing for mocks, a resit or your next set of maths exams, the MathsGenie revision planner can turn those gaps into a realistic day-by-day plan.

Results day gives you a number. Good revision gives that number context -- and gives you a next move.