GCSE Foundation (Edexcel) Historic Grade Boundaries for Maths.

Recently, I posted a blog on how the Edexcel Grade Boundaries (Maths GCSE)  for the last 3 years have changed.   It can be found here....

GCSE Higher (Edexcel) Historic Grade boundaries.

This time I have taken a look at how the Foundation grade boundaries have changed in the past 3 years.  The y-axis (the vertical axis) is out of 200 which is the maximum mark attainable across the 2 papers.

Essentially, there is a very clear pattern.  Grade boundaries have been on an upward path for the past 3 years and last year's jump was phenomenal.  It is becoming very difficult for anyone to forecast what students will get this year.

Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think.

Grade C

As many of us will know, there was a massive jump in the C grade boundary last year....

Grade D.

Hmmmm...there seems to be a pattern developing here already.


Grade E.

So, the third grade in a row suffers a huge jump in grade boundary and is far above the 3 year average.

Grade F

The pattern continues...

Grade G

Any surprises!


So, the grade boundaries have been getting higher and jumped massively in 2013.  This does make it particularly difficult for anyone (students, teachers or parents) to know where they are going to be set this year.  Logically, they can't go too much higher as there is a ceiling!

I keep coming back to the conclusion that the government will not want GCSE attainment to drop in the run up to an election and Gove wouldn't have been moved if Cameron was delighted with what was going on.

Add in to this that I thought the 2014 papers were more challenging than in previous years and the grade boundaries have to come down.....don't they?

Can the grade boundaries go much higher this year?  We will find out in a couple of weeks time...

The charts will be updated as quickly as possible.