Your grade journey
AQA GCSE Chinese (Spoken Mandarin)grade boundaries
Explore official boundaries. See where your marks take you.
86733 official seriesMaximum mark 240
Exam series
Tier / route
Flight log / June 2026
Grade boundaries
OfficialHigher tier · LH / RH / SH / WH · Out of 240
Grade 9
212
marks / 240
Grade 7
144
marks / 240
Grade 5
102
marks / 240
Grade 4
81
marks / 240
All grade thresholds
| Grade | Minimum mark | Mark range | % of maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 212 | 212–240 | 88% |
| 8 | 178 | 178–211 | 74% |
| 7 | 144 | 144–177 | 60% |
| 6 | 123 | 123–143 | 51% |
| 5 | 102 | 102–122 | 43% |
| 4 | 81 | 81–101 | 34% |
| 3 | 70 | 70–80 | 29% |
| U | Below 70 | ||
These boundaries apply to this exam series and route.
How these boundaries have changed
Higher tier, every official series. Boundaries move each year with how hard the papers were.
| Series | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 212+5 | 178+4 | 144+3 | 123 | 102-4 | 81-8 | 70-10 |
| June 2025 | 207+5 | 174+8 | 141+11 | 123+10 | 106+10 | 89+10 | 80+10 |
| June 2024 | 202 | 166 | 130 | 113 | 96 | 79 | 70 |
+ higher than the same series a year earlier (harder to reach) · − lower (easier to reach).
Grade calculator
June 2026 · Higher tier
Enter your mark for each paper to see your grade.
144 marks needed for Grade 7.
Frequently asked questions
What did you need for a grade 4 in Chinese (Spoken Mandarin) in June 2026?
In June 2026, grade 4 in AQA GCSE Chinese (Spoken Mandarin) (8673) needed 121 out of 240 on foundation tier; 81 out of 240 on higher tier.
What was the boundary for a grade 9 in June 2026?
212 out of 240 on higher tier — the top grade for GCSE Chinese (Spoken Mandarin) in June 2026.
How is my grade worked out?
Your marks from each paper are added up (scaled by a weighting factor where papers count differently) to give your subject mark, which is then compared with the boundaries. Your grade comes from the total — not from each paper separately.
When will the next boundaries be published?
AQA publishes grade boundaries on results day for each series. Until then, any figures shown for a future series are Starley estimates, clearly labelled, based on recent years.