Understanding Grade Thresholds
Grade thresholds decide what raw mark becomes an A, B, C, and so on. Here’s how they work for Cambridge and similar exams.
What are grade thresholds?
Grade thresholds are the minimum raw marks needed to achieve each grade (A*, A, B, C, etc.) in a specific exam. They are set after the exam is taken, using candidate performance and difficulty. So they can change from one exam session to another and from one variant to another.
Why do they change?
If a paper is harder, thresholds are usually lower; if it’s easier, they can be higher. The aim is to keep grading fair across different sessions and variants. That’s why you should always use the threshold document for the exact paper you’re doing.
How to use them in revision
When you do a past paper, look up the threshold for that paper (we host these on PastPrep). See what raw mark you need for your target grade. That gives you a clear goal: e.g. “I need 72/90 for an A in this paper.” You can then focus on closing the gap between your current score and that number.
Component vs. overall grades
For many syllabuses, you get thresholds per component (e.g. Paper 1, Paper 2) and sometimes an overall threshold. Your final grade is usually based on the sum of your component marks compared to the combined thresholds. So doing well in one paper can help balance a weaker performance in another.
PastPrep includes grade thresholds alongside past papers and marking schemes. Browse docs for more guides.