In November 2021 (autumn series), an A* in OCR A Level Biology A (H420) needed 169 marks out of 270 (63%), an A needed 137 (51%) and a pass at E needed 52 (19%). At AS (H020), an A needed 81 out of 140 (58%).
All marks below are raw marks, taken from OCR's published grade boundaries for the series.
A level Biology A (H420) grade boundaries, November 2021
| Grade | Marks out of 270 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 169 | 63% |
| A | 137 | 51% |
| B | 115 | 43% |
| C | 94 | 35% |
| D | 73 | 27% |
| E | 52 | 19% |
H420 grade boundaries by paper, November 2021
| Paper | A* | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H420/01 Paper 1: Biological processes (out of 100) | 66 | 55 | 46 | 37 | 29 | 20 |
| H420/02 Paper 2: Biological diversity (out of 100) | 59 | 46 | 39 | 33 | 26 | 19 |
| H420/03 Paper 3: Unified biology (out of 70) | 44 | 36 | 30 | 24 | 18 | 13 |
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 A (H020) grade boundaries, November 2021
| Grade | Marks out of 140 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A | 81 | 58% |
| B | 71 | 51% |
| C | 61 | 44% |
| D | 51 | 36% |
| E | 41 | 29% |
H020 grade boundaries by paper, November 2021
| Paper | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H020/01 Paper 1: Breadth in biology (out of 70) | 41 | 36 | 31 | 26 | 21 |
| H020/02 Paper 2: Depth in biology (out of 70) | 40 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 20 |
How to use these grade boundaries
- Sit the November 2021 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
- OCR A Level Biology past papers, mark schemes and examiners' reports
- November 2021 A level Paper 1 multiple choice quiz (H420/01)
- November 2021 A level Paper 2 multiple choice quiz (H420/02)
- November 2021 AS Paper 1 multiple choice quiz (H020/01)
- OCR A Level Biology grade boundaries for every year
Source: OCR grade boundaries, November 2021 (PDF).
Weekly OCR A group masterclasses: Year 12 Wednesdays 5.15pm; Year 13 Tuesdays 6.30pm or Thursdays 5.15pm. See the group classes.