What Is the Pass Mark for A Level Biology?
What Is the Pass Mark for A Level Biology?
Created:Updated: 13-September-2025
Wondering what percentage you need to pass A Level Biology?
Many students — and parents — want to know what mark will secure that all-important E grade or higher.
How are A Level Biology grades set?
A Level Biology (AQA 7402) is graded from A* to E. To “pass”, you need at least an E.
The exact percentage needed changes each year. After marking, exam boards set grade boundaries to ensure fairness across different papers and sessions.
See the latest AQA grade boundaries
So what’s the pass mark in practice?
As a general guide, the boundary for an E grade in A Level Biology often sits in the low-40% range of total marks — but it can move up or down depending on the difficulty of the papers and national performance in a given year.
Remember: boundaries are set after marking, so focus on building marks steadily across all papers rather than chasing a fixed percentage.
What are grade boundaries?
Grade boundaries are the minimum raw marks needed for each grade. For example, if the E boundary were set at 42%, anyone scoring 42%+ would achieve at least an E.
Boundaries are published each results series by the exam boards and can vary slightly year to year.
Understanding A Level Biology grade boundaries (how they work)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do universities care about my percentage or my grade?
Universities look at your final grade (and sometimes specific subject requirements), not your raw percentage.
Are grade boundaries the same for every exam board?
No. AQA, Edexcel and OCR each publish their own boundaries after marking every series.
Can grade boundaries change?
Yes. They’re reviewed for every series to reflect paper difficulty and national performance.
Is there a fixed pass mark I should aim for?
No. Boundaries move annually, so the best strategy is to maximise marks across all papers (knowledge, application and data skills).