In October 2020, an A* in AQA A Level Biology (7402) needed 170 marks out of 260 (65%), an A needed 138 (53%) and a pass at E needed 44 (17%). At AS (7401), an A needed 79 out of 150 (53%).
All marks below are raw marks, taken from AQA's published grade boundaries for the series.
These are the June 2020 papers, sat in October 2020 (AQA calls this the November 2020 series). There were no summer exams in 2020.
A level Biology (7402) grade boundaries, October 2020
| Grade | Marks out of 260 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 170 | 65% |
| A | 138 | 53% |
| B | 114 | 44% |
| C | 90 | 35% |
| D | 67 | 26% |
| E | 44 | 17% |
7402 grade boundaries by paper, October 2020
| Paper | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7402/1 Paper 1 (out of 91) | 59 | 48 | 39 | 31 | 23 | 15 |
| 7402/2 Paper 2 (out of 91) | 59 | 48 | 39 | 30 | 21 | 13 |
| 7402/3 Paper 3 (out of 78) | 51 | 42 | 35 | 28 | 22 | 16 |
Your A level grade comes from your total across all three papers, so the boundaries for each paper are a guide to how you did on that paper, not a separate grade.
AS Biology (7401) grade boundaries, October 2020
| Grade | Marks out of 150 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A | 79 | 53% |
| B | 68 | 45% |
| C | 57 | 38% |
| D | 46 | 31% |
| E | 36 | 24% |
7401 grade boundaries by paper, October 2020
| Paper | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7401/1 Paper 1 (out of 75) | 39 | 33 | 27 | 22 | 17 |
| 7401/2 Paper 2 (out of 75) | 40 | 34 | 29 | 24 | 19 |
How to use these grade boundaries
- Sit the October 2020 paper timed, then mark it strictly with the mark scheme.
- Check your raw mark against the boundaries for that paper above to see roughly where you are.
- Read the examiners' report for every question where you dropped marks.
Boundaries move from year to year as papers get harder or easier. See how they compare across every year.
Practise with this series
- AQA A Level Biology past papers, mark schemes and examiners' reports
- AQA A Level Biology grade boundaries for every year
Source: AQA A-level grade boundaries, November 2020 (PDF), AQA AS grade boundaries, November 2020 (PDF).
Weekly AQA group masterclasses: Year 12 Tuesdays 5.15pm; Year 13 Wednesdays 6.30pm or Thursdays 6.30pm. See the group classes.