AS and A-level explanation of results (2024)

Advanced level subjects and Special papers

  • From 1951 to 1962 successful students were recorded as having reached the Advanced standard, with outstanding levels of performance being indicated by the award of Advanced with Distinction.
  • From 1963 attainment in an Advanced level subject has been indicated by a grade A, B, C, D or E of which grade A is the highest and grade E the lowest. Only two grades are shown for Special papers, namely 1 or 2.
  • From 1951 to 1962 students who did not pass at Advanced level but were judged to have reached pass standard at the Ordinary level were recorded as having achieved the Ordinary level standard in the relevant Advanced level subject.
  • From 1963 to 1974 students who did not pass at Advanced level but were judged to have reached pass standard at the Ordinary level were recorded as having reached the pass standard in the equivalent Ordinary subject.
  • From 1975 to 1986 grade O was awarded to indicate an Ordinary level result had been awarded in a subject taken at Advanced level. This meant the student did not pass at Advanced level but was judged to have reached at least the standard of grade C of the Ordinary level exam (the standard of the former subject pass at Ordinary level).
  • From 1987 grade N was awarded to indicate a narrow failure in a subject at Advanced level. This meant the student did not pass at Advanced level but was judged to have fallen short of the standard required for grade E by a narrow margin.
  • From 1987 to 2010 a pass in an Advanced GCE subject is indicated by one of five grades A(a), B(b), C(c), D(d),E(e), of which grade A(a) is the highest and grade E(e) is the lowest.
  • The grades for the Special Paper are grade 1 (Distinction) and grade 2 (Merit).
  • An Advanced GCE award is broadly equivalent to a six-unit Advanced VCE (Vocational Certificate of Education). Two Advanced GCE awards are broadly equivalent to a 12-unit Advanced Double Award VCE (Vocational Certificate of Education) subject.
  • From 2010 to present a pass in an Advanced GCE subject is indicated by one of the six grades A*(a*), A(a), B(b), C(c), D(d), E(e), of which A*(a*) is the highest and E(e) the lowest.
  • A pass in an Advanced GCE double award in an applied subject is indicated by one of the eleven double grades A*A(a*a), AA(aa), AB(ab), BB(bb), BC(bc), CC(cc), CD(cd), DD(dd), DE(de), EE(ee) of which grade A*A(a*a) is the highest and grade EE(ee) the lowest. Results have the same status as one Advanced GCE single-certification subject and one Advanced Subsidiary GCE single certification subject.
  • A pass in an Advanced GCE with Advanced Subsidiary GCE (additional) subject is indicated by one of the ten double grades A*A(a*a), AA(aa), AB(ab), BB(bb), BC(bc), CC(cc), CD(cd), DD(dd), DE(de), EE(ee) of which grade A*A(a*a) is the highest and grade EE(ee) the lowest. Results have the same status as one Advanced GCE single-certification subject and one Advanced Subsidiary GCE single certification subject.
  • From 2017, some science subjects will have an endorsem*nt. This endorsem*nt represents the practical element(s) of the specification. Whilst the practical skills endorsem*nt forms part of the overall award, it is shown separately on a student’s certificate and just below the main award. Students will receive a result of either Pass, Merit or Distinction. If a student does not achieve a passing grade for the endorsem*nt element, it will show as Not Classified.

Advanced Supplementary (AS) subjects

Advanced Supplementary grades from 1988 to 2000

  • A pass in an AS subject is indicated by one of five grades A(a), B(b), C(c), D(d), E(e), of which grade A(a) is the highest and grade E (e) is the lowest.
  • grade N indicates that the student's performance fell short of the standard required for grade E (e) by a narrow margin.
  • Exams in AS subjects are of the same standard as exams in Advanced subjects, but AS specifications cover about half the subject content of Advanced specifications.

Advanced Subsidiary grades from 2001

  • A pass in an Advanced Subsidiary GCE subject (including single awards in Applied subjects) is indicated by one of the five grades: A(a), B(b), C(c), D(d), E(e), of which A(a) is the highest and E(e) the lowest.
  • An Advanced Subsidiary GCE subject represents the first half of an Advanced GCE course of study and is broadly equivalent to a three-unit Advanced Subsidiary VCE (Vocational Certificate of Education) subject.

Advanced Subsidiary (additional) grades from 2006

  • A pass in an Advanced GCE double award in an applied subject is indicated by one of the nine double grades AA(aa), AB(ab), BB(bb), BC(bc), CC(cc), CD(cd), DD(dd), DE(de), EE(ee), of which grade AA(aa) is the highest and grade EE(ee) the lowest. Results have the same status as GCE grades in two single-certification subjects.

Advanced grades from 1987 to 2010

  • A pass in an Advanced GCE subject is indicated by one of five grades A(a), B(b), C(c), D(d),E(e), of which grade A(a) is the highest and grade E(e) is the lowest.
  • The grades for the Special Paper are grade 1 (Distinction) and grade 2 (Merit).
  • An Advanced GCE award is broadly equivalent to a six-unit Advanced VCE (Vocational Certificate of Education). Two Advanced GCE awards are broadly equivalent to a 12-unit Advanced Double Award VCE (Vocational Certificate of Education) subject.

Advanced Supplementary grades from 2010 to present

  • A pass in an AS subject is indicated by one of the five grades A, B, C, D or E, of which grade A is the highest and grade E the lowest. Exams in AS subjects are of the same standard as exams in Advanced subjects but AS specifications cover about half the subject content of Advanced specifications.
AS and A-level explanation of results (2024)

FAQs

Can you get an A* in A-Level? ›

To achieve A*A, you need to get an A overall and then get at least 90% across your best three A2 units. How do I know which are AS and which are A2 units? It should be clear from your studies which are the AS/A2 units – if you are unsure, take a look at the specifications, which can be downloaded from our website.

Is a *bb good A-Level? ›

Yes, ABB is considered a good A-Level result in the UK. An A grade is the highest possible grade, and achieving it is an impressive accomplishment. ABB is also a very respectable set of grades and would be considered good by many universities and employers.

Is it possible to go from e to a? ›

It is possible for a student to go from earning E's to A's within the months of February to May in AS level (Advanced Subsidiary) Maths, Chemistry, and Biology, but it would depend on several factors, including the student's current level of understanding and motivation, the quality of instruction and support available ...

Is 8 an A * or an? ›

Grade 8 is the equivalent of in between grades A* and A. Grade 7 is the equivalent of a grade A. Grade 6 is the equivalent of just above a grade B. Grade 5 is the equivalent of in between grades B and C.

Can you get into Oxford with a * A * A? ›

However Oxford usually only has around 3,300 places each year so even excellent grades will not guarantee you an offer. Offers for Oxford places are between A*A*A and AAA at A-level, depending on the course. (See course pages.)

Can I get into Oxford with Aab? ›

I think the answer to that is no: the minimum offer for all courses at Oxford is AAA. You can check on the official website for each subject under Admission Requirements and it will tell you.

What score is a * in A-level? ›

For an A* grade, you need to have marks of 90% or above. This means, if you are sitting an exam where number of the total available marks to gain is 100, you will have had to get 90 marks to get an A*.

Is a low BA bad grade? ›

Most likely not, unless you're aiming for highly competitive schools, where even a single B might stand out amongst applicants with perfect GPAs. That being said, admissions committees also take into account factors beyond just your grades, such as extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendation letters.

What is the hardest A-level subject? ›

Top 5 hardest A Levels
  • Maths. There's no debating it, Maths is hard unless you have a gift for numbers! ...
  • Chemistry. Like Maths, Chemistry is also a huge jump in difficulty from GCSE to A Level, which can be a shock to some students. ...
  • Psychology. ...
  • English Literature. ...
  • Law.

How is a * calculated in a level? ›

The current modular A levels are made up of AS and A2 units and the A* grade is awarded to those students who achieve a grade A on the A level overall and also achieve 90 per cent or more of the maximum uniform mark on their A2 units.

What percentage of people get a star? ›

On that measure, results overall are higher than pre-pandemic levels, with the proportion of As and A*s up from 25.4% in 2019 to 36.4%, and in the three years since exams were last sat the share of A*s has gone up by almost seven percentage points, from 7.7% to 14.6%.

Does an E hurt your GPA? ›

The failing grade will NOT calculate in your GPA, but it will still show on your transcript. On your transcript, an "E" will show to the right of your failing grade to mark the course as "Excluded". On your transcript, an "I" will show to the right of the second time you took the class, marking it as "Included".

How many a's to bring up AF? ›

If all assignments have the same point values then if takes around 4–10 As for every F. If your Fs are in the 50% range it will take 4–5 As for every F. If your Fs are 0% then it will take 9–10 As.

Why do grades skip E? ›

That's a good question! It's a simple answer really. Back in 1897, the letter E used to mean the same thing as F; that is, it used to be the lowest possible grade. However, parents and students found it easier to understand that “F” stood for “Failed” (rather than thinking that “E” could mean “excellent”).

How much do you need to get an A * in A level? ›

A Level Grading System
A Level GradePercentage
A*90% +
A80-89%
B70-79%
C60-69%
3 more rows
Nov 7, 2023

Is it hard to get a star in A level? ›

Many students get overwhelmed by heavy workloads at A level. But if you manage your work correctly, this will increase your chance of getting an A*. Overall, for most students, it is extremely difficult to get an A* in A level maths. Usually only the cleverest and hardworking students are awarded this grade.

Can you get into Cambridge with a * A * A? ›

Entry requirements

Certain grades may be required at Higher Level. Cambridge usually requires A*A*A for most sciences courses and A*AA for arts courses or 40–42 in the IB, including core points, with 776 at Higher Level. AAA is usually required at Advanced Higher grade, for students in Scotland.

Is an A * in A level maths hard? ›

getting an A in normal a level mathematics is fairly easy as a matter of fact. Getting A* is definitely much harder, and depends on two factors: Luck: yes, luck. No one is perfect, and it's normal to forget a formula or two.

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