How Cambridge grades your paper: grade thresholds, the A*, IBCC equivalence and the awards

UsSalam-o-AlaiKum.

I first wrote this page in May 2011. It became the most read post on this blog, with more than twelve thousand visits, and students still send it to each other every August and January. That worried me, because parts of it are now out of date and two parts were never right. So I have thrown the old page away and written it again from the official documents. Every claim below carries a number in square brackets that leads to its source at the bottom. If you are a parent, a teacher or a student, you can check each line yourself.

The short version

• There is no fixed percentage for a grade. The marks needed change with every paper and every series.
• There is no quota either. Cambridge does not give the A* to a "top 3 percent".
• The A* is arithmetic. It is the A threshold plus the gap between A and B.
• Your grade comes from your total marks, not from the grades of your papers.
• Percentage uniform marks are not printed on results in Pakistan, and IBCC does not use them.
• IBCC gives A 85, B 75, C 65, D 55, E 45. An A* is 93 to 95 depending on the subject and the year.
• After a review of marking your grade can go up or stay the same. It cannot go down.

From your answer script to your grade

Four things happen to your marks, in this order. [1]

1. Raw mark
What the examiner gives each paper, for example 52 out of 75.

2. Weighting
Each paper is scaled to its share of the syllabus.

3. Syllabus total
The weighted marks are added into one number.

4. Threshold
The total is compared with the grade thresholds for your combination of papers.

The point most students miss is step 4. Cambridge's Code of Practice says the syllabus grade is worked out from the total of your marks across the papers, and not from the grades of the individual papers. [2] A weak Paper 1 and a strong Paper 2 can still add up to an A. Two B papers do not automatically make a B, and two A papers are not needed for an A.

What a grade threshold is, and who decides it

A grade threshold is the minimum mark needed for a grade. It is set after the papers have been marked, never before. The reason is simple. No two question papers are equally hard, so a fixed pass mark would punish the students who met the harder paper. Cambridge states the aim simply: a grade should be neither harder nor easier to get than it was the year before. [3]

The decision is not one person's opinion. The Code of Practice requires expert judgement and statistical evidence together, with statistics from more than one earlier series. Each Principal Examiner recommends thresholds for their paper, archived scripts from earlier years show the standard at the key grades, and at least two people must be involved in the decision before a senior officer signs it off. [2] Cambridge also says the thresholds follow how demanding the question paper was. [4] A hard paper gets a lower threshold. An easy paper gets a higher one.

Only a few key grades are fixed by judgement. The rest are calculated from those key grades by arithmetic. [2]

Myth: "A* goes to the top 3 percent." My 2011 page repeated this. It is wrong. The Code of Practice says plainly that "Cambridge's examinations will not be norm referenced", which means no fixed share of candidates gets any grade. [2] The published statistics agree. In June 2026, 14.3 percent of IGCSE Computer Science candidates and 7.4 percent of O Level Computer Science candidates received an A*. [5]

Prefer to listen? The EduTalk above covers this post in a few minutes. To work out your own IBCC marks, use the calculator in the University Planner on cswithzak.com.

The real numbers, from my own subject

Here are the published thresholds for O Level Computer Science 2210, Paper 12 with Paper 22, which is the combination most students in Pakistan sit. The total is out of 150. [6]

Series	A*	A	B	C	D	E
June 2024	120	95	70	45	37	29
June 2025	123	100	77	54	47	41
November 2025	104	84	64	45	37	29
June 2026	120	94	68	43	36	29

Marks needed for an A in 2210 (Papers 12 and 22, out of 150)

June 2024

95

June 2025

100

Nov 2025

84

June 2026

94

Sixteen marks separate the highest and the lowest of these four series. Same syllabus, same grade, different papers.

Read the table slowly. In June 2025 an A needed 100 out of 150. Five months later it needed 84. The A did not become cheaper. The November papers were judged harder, so fewer marks showed the same standard. This is why "what percentage is an A?" has no answer. In June 2026 an A in 2210 took about 63 percent of the marks and an A* took 80 percent. In November 2025 an A* took 69 percent.

A Level Computer Science 9618 tells the same story. For Papers 12, 22, 32 and 42 together, out of 300: [7]

Series	A*	A	B	C	D	E
June 2024	222	191	160	130	100	71
June 2025	228	197	166	135	104	73
June 2026	240	206	172	142	112	83

A warning that follows from this. When you mark a past paper at home, use the threshold table of that same series and that same variant. Judging a November 2025 attempt with June 2025 thresholds will tell you a lie in either direction.

How the A* is worked out

The A* is not judged by examiners at all. Cambridge explains that it is usually set by taking the gap in marks between the A and B thresholds for the whole syllabus and adding that gap to the A threshold. If that lands too close to full marks, the A* is placed halfway between the A threshold and the maximum. [8]

You can check it against the tables above. In 2210 for June 2026 the A is 94 and the B is 68. The gap is 26, and 94 plus 26 is 120. In 9618 for June 2026 the A is 206 and the B is 172. The gap is 34, and 206 plus 34 is 240.

Three more facts about the A*:

• It exists only for the whole syllabus. Every threshold table carries a note that there is no A* for an individual paper. [6]
• There is no A* at AS Level. AS grades run from a to e. [9]
• At A Level it has been awarded since June 2010, and it depends on your total across all four papers, AS and A2 together. [9]

My 2011 page also said that the C and D thresholds are found by dividing the marks between B and E into three. I can no longer find that rule in any current Cambridge document. The published numbers still look evenly spaced, but the only official statement today is that these grades are set by arithmetic, so I will not present the old rule as fact.

Why Paper 11, 12 and 13 have different thresholds

Cambridge runs exams across time zones, so it writes up to three versions of each paper. The second digit of the paper number is the variant, so 22 is variant 2 of Paper 2. [10] Each variant is a different question paper, so each gets its own thresholds. The Code of Practice requires the grading to keep the variants comparable, including the papers sat in different time zones. [2]

June 2026 shows it well. An A* in IGCSE Computer Science 0478 needed 117 on Papers 11 and 21, 120 on Papers 12 and 22, and 115 on Papers 13 and 23. [11] A lower threshold does not mean an easier route. It means that paper was judged harder.

Percentage uniform marks, and the myth of 90, 80, 70

My old page divided subjects into "quantitative" ones that needed 90, 80 and 70 percent and "qualitative" ones that needed 85, 75 and 65. That was wrong, and I am sorry it stayed up so long. What students were really describing was the percentage uniform mark, or PUM.

A PUM is not your percentage in the exam. Cambridge describes it as a point on one scale shared by every syllabus, showing whether you were near the top, middle or bottom of your grade. The scale is the same for every subject: 90 to 100 is an A*, 80 to 89 an A, 70 to 79 a B, 60 to 69 a C, 50 to 59 a D and 40 to 49 an E. At AS Level, where there is no a*, grade a covers 80 to 100. [12]

An example. In June 2026 the 2210 thresholds were 94 for an A and 120 for an A*. A candidate with 107 out of 150 sits exactly halfway between them and so gets a PUM of 85. Her real percentage was 71. Both numbers are true. They measure different things.

Now the part that matters at home. Cambridge's 2026 guide for universities says PUMs are shown in most countries, and it names Pakistan and the Middle East and North Africa region as the two main places where they are not awarded. [13] So a statement of results issued in Pakistan shows grades only. Nobody can tell you your "percentage" from it, and anyone who quotes one is guessing.

AS and A2: how the two years join

"A2" is not a qualification. It is the second half of the A Level. You can sit all four papers in one series, or you can sit the AS papers first and carry the result forward. The Cambridge Handbook 2026 allows an AS result to be carried forward twice, within 13 months of the series in which it was taken. [14] A June 2026 AS can therefore count towards November 2026 or June 2027.

What travels is your AS mark, not your AS grade. It is added to your A2 marks and the total is compared with the thresholds for that staged route. If you resit the AS, Cambridge uses the AS result from the last 13 months that gives you the best A Level outcome. [3] [15] So a strong AS is a real asset, and a weak one is a weight you carry into the second year.

Reading the result, and what you can do after it

O Level results run from A* to E and IGCSE results from A* to G. Below the lowest grade you see UNGRADED. NO RESULT means Cambridge could not issue one, usually because of absence from a paper. PENDING means a result is still to come. [16]

If a result looks wrong, your school can ask for an enquiry about results. There is a clerical re-check, and there is a review of marking, which checks that the mark scheme was applied correctly. Either can be ordered with a copy of the script. [17] Two rules settle most family arguments:

• After a review the syllabus grade either stays the same or goes up. It cannot go down, although the marks on a paper can. [14]
• Only the school can apply, and there is a deadline. For the November 2026 series it is 26 February 2027. [17]

November 2026 results are due on 7 January 2027 for AS and A Level and on 14 January 2027 for O Level and IGCSE. [18] The grade thresholds are published the same day, so you can see exactly how close you were.

For a sense of scale, this is how Computer Science candidates did worldwide in June 2026. Each figure is the percentage who got that grade or better. [5]

June 2026	A*	A	B	C	D	E
IGCSE 0478	14.3	42.3	68.0	86.4	90.1	93.5
O Level 2210	7.4	33.1	61.7	84.5	89.7	93.8
A Level 9618	11.4	30.1	48.0	64.8	79.4	90.1
AS Level 9618	none	22.4	35.9	51.4	65.2	77.8

Look at the last row. More than one AS candidate in five was ungraded. AS is where the subject becomes serious.

IBCC equivalence: turning grades into Pakistani marks

For admission to a Pakistani college or university, your grades are converted into marks by the Inter Boards Coordination Commission. IBCC does not look at your raw marks or at any percentage. It gives a fixed number of marks for each grade. [19]

Grade	IBCC marks out of 100
A*	Above 90, set for each subject every year (93 to 95 in 2026)
A	85
B	75
C	65
D	55
E	45
F, G	Not accepted for equivalence

Many calculators online still give the A* a flat 90. That stopped with the 2021 session. Since then an A* equals the average of the marks between 90 and 100 scored in that subject by students of the local boards, and IBCC notifies the figure every year. [20] For 2026 an O Level A* is worth 94 in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies, and 93 in English and Urdu. An A Level A* is worth 95 in Physics, 94 in Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics, and 93 in Computer Science. [21]

The total is then scaled to 1100. IBCC's own example takes a student with A* in all eight O Level subjects. The marks add up to 750 out of 800, which becomes 844 out of 1100. [22] So even a perfect set of grades shows as about 94 percent. A straight A student shows as 85 percent. This is the single most useful fact for a family comparing an O Level child with a Matric cousin.

Three rules are new, and most websites have not caught up.

• O Level electives no longer count towards the A Level equivalence in the science groups. For students who complete O Level in 2026 and A Level after that, the Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering and Computer Science equivalence is based on English, Mathematics, Urdu, Islamiyat and Pakistan Studies plus the A Level science subjects. Under the notification, O Level elective subjects are left out of that calculation. [23] Older students are still calculated the earlier way, with all eight O Level subjects and three A Levels. [24]
• Two science subjects now earn a Science Group equivalence. Dawn reported this decision of the IBCC forum in December 2025 and its confirmation in September 2026. [25] IBCC's own web page has not yet been updated to match, so confirm your case with IBCC before you rely on it.
• Percentage uniform marks are not used. IBCC considered them in 2011 and decided against using them. [26]

The practical side. You apply online at equivalence.ibcc.edu.pk. The fee is Rs 6,000 for each certificate, or Rs 12,000 for the urgent service. IBCC's FAQ says to allow 15 to 20 working days. A provisional equivalence can be issued on the statement of results, and the original certificate is needed later. [27] Apply early. The office is busiest in August and September, when everyone remembers at once.

If you want the arithmetic done for you, the IBCC calculator in the University Planner uses these same tables.

How we got here

When Cambridge introduced the A* at O and A Level in June 2010, IBCC objected that too many students were receiving it. Proposals at the time included treating A* and A as the same 85 marks. [28] In March 2011 the present ladder of 90, 85, 75, 65, 55 and 45 was fixed. [26] In 2021 the A* moved from a flat 90 to the yearly subject figure. [20] The old version of this page was written in the middle of that first argument, which is why it read like a news report.

Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards

These are the awards announced a few months after the June results. Cambridge's guide for schools sets out the categories. [29]

• Top in the World. The learner with the highest standard mark in the world in a single subject.
• Top in Country. The highest standard mark in the country for a single subject. A learner who is Top in the World is not also given Top in Country for that subject.
• Top in Region. Recognised only in Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
• High Achievement. For a high grade A in a subject that too few candidates take to qualify for Top in Country.
• Best Across. The highest combined standard marks across eight O Level or IGCSE subjects, four AS Levels or three A Levels, all taken in the same series. The number of subjects can vary by country.

Things worth knowing:

• The awards are based on standard marks, which are not grades and not percentage uniform marks. Cambridge does not disclose them, so no school or newspaper can publish a winner's "score".
• A tie is shared. If two learners have the same mark, both receive the award.
• A subject needs enough entries, and the winner must be above a minimum grade. Cambridge keeps the exact criteria confidential.
• Only the main exam series of a country counts. For Pakistan the awards guide lists the June series. [30]
• Both routes to an A Level are eligible, whether you sat it in one series or carried your AS forward.
• Cambridge informs the school, not the student. If you think you may have won, ask your school. For the June 2025 series the Pakistan ceremonies were held in November 2025. [30]

What the 2011 version of this page got wrong

A teacher who asks you to trust his page should show you where it failed.

1. It said science subjects needed 90, 80 and 70 percent and other subjects 85, 75 and 65. There has never been such a rule. Those figures were a confused memory of the uniform mark scale, which is the same for every subject.
2. It said the A* goes to the top 3 percent. Cambridge exams are not norm referenced and the A* is found by arithmetic.
3. It gave the rule for C and D thresholds as fact. I cannot find it in any current Cambridge document.
4. It reported IBCC proposals from December 2010 as if they were the formula. The formula was settled in March 2011 and has changed twice since.
5. It complained that examiners set thresholds "without any criteria". After reading the Code of Practice I withdraw that. The criteria exist and they are public.

What to do with all this

You cannot control a threshold. It is decided after you leave the hall, by people you will never meet, using evidence you will never see. You control only the number of marks on your script. So stop asking how many marks an A needs and ask how many marks you are dropping, and where. Mark your past papers against the mark scheme, find the questions that cost you most, and fix those. A student who is ten marks clear of the usual threshold never has to worry about which way it moves.

The past papers, the mark schemes and the marking practice are on cswithzak.com, free. The Statometer shows which topics the examiners return to most.

ZAK

References

This post was published on 7 November 2026, and every source was checked before it went out. Rules change. If a figure here differs from the official document, the official document is right, and please tell me so that I can correct this page.

1. Cambridge International Education, Guide to converting component marks into syllabus grades, 2024.
2. Cambridge International Education, Code of Practice, Aims 4.2 to 4.5 (setting thresholds, grading and reporting).
3. Cambridge International Education, Grade threshold tables, Cambridge International AS and A Level.
4. Cambridge International Education help centre, How are grade thresholds calculated?
5. Cambridge International Education, results statistics for June 2026: IGCSE, O Level, A Level, AS Level.
6. Cambridge O Level Computer Science 2210 grade threshold tables: June 2024, June 2025, November 2025, June 2026.
7. Cambridge International AS and A Level Computer Science 9618 grade threshold tables: June 2024, June 2025, June 2026.
8. Cambridge International Education, Guidance for deciding school-assessed grades, Appendix A, 2021 (how the A* threshold is calculated).
9. Cambridge International Education help centre, Which grades are available at AS and A Level?
10. Cambridge International Education help centre, Why are there different variants of question papers?
11. Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478, grade threshold table, June 2026.
12. Cambridge International Education, A guide to percentage uniform marks, 2026.
13. Cambridge International Education, Cambridge International AS and A Level: a guide for universities, 2026.
14. Cambridge International Education, Cambridge Handbook 2026, regulation 2.5.2 (carry forward) and section 6.3 (enquiries about results).
15. Cambridge International Education, Carry-forward regulations supplement, 2026.
16. Cambridge International Education, Statements of results.
17. Cambridge International Education, Enquiries about results guide (International) 2026.
18. Cambridge International Education, Results (release dates for the November 2026 series).
19. Inter Boards Coordination Commission, Conversion for Equivalence, and Equivalence FAQs.
20. Inter Boards Coordination Commission, Revision of Conversion Formula of Foreign Boards, notification IBCC/EC-167(02)/Imp/2021, 13 September 2021.
21. Inter Boards Coordination Commission, Equivalence Grading 2026, notification IBCC/CF/7-51/2024/409, 27 July 2026.
22. Inter Boards Coordination Commission, Example for Calculating O-Levels Equivalent Marks.
23. Inter Boards Coordination Commission, notification IBCC/EC-176/Imp-05/7-2/2026, 17 February 2026.
24. Inter Boards Coordination Commission, Example for Calculating A-level Equivalence.
25. Dawn, IBCC decides to remove bar of arts, science for admissions at Inter level, 9 December 2025, and report of the 184th IBCC forum, 5 September 2026.
26. Dawn, Conversion formula for O and A level revised, 2 March 2011.
27. Inter Boards Coordination Commission, Equivalence application process, Equivalence FAQs and Form E-2 (British qualifications).
28. Dawn, A-level equivalence: efforts under way to revise formula, 13 December 2010.
29. Cambridge International Education, What are Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards?, August 2024.
30. Cambridge International Education help centre, How can I find out more about the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards?, updated 6 October 2025.

This page is an independent explanation by a teacher. It is not published or endorsed by Cambridge University Press & Assessment or by IBCC. Threshold and statistics figures are quoted from the official documents listed above, which remain the authority.