Your grade journey
Cambridge IGCSE Chinese as a Second Languagegrade boundaries
Explore official boundaries. See where your marks take you.
05233 official seriesMaximum mark 200
Exam series
Papers
Flight log / June 2026
Grade boundaries
OfficialPapers 01, 02, 03 · Out of 200
Grade A*
169
marks / 200
Grade A
149
marks / 200
Grade C
109
marks / 200
Grade E
72
marks / 200
All grade thresholds
| Grade | Minimum mark | Mark range | % of maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| A* | 169 | 169–200 | 85% |
| A | 149 | 149–168 | 75% |
| B | 129 | 129–148 | 65% |
| C | 109 | 109–128 | 55% |
| D | 90 | 90–108 | 45% |
| E | 72 | 72–89 | 36% |
| F | 53 | 53–71 | 27% |
| G | 34 | 34–52 | 17% |
| U | Below 34 | ||
These boundaries apply to this exam series and route.
How these boundaries have changed
Papers 01, 02, 03, every official series. Boundaries move each year with how hard the papers were.
| Series | A* | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 169 | 149 | 129 | 109 | 90-1 | 72-1 | 53-1 | 34-1 |
| June 2025 | 169+5 | 149+5 | 129+5 | 109+5 | 91+5 | 73+4 | 54+3 | 35+2 |
| June 2024 | 164 | 144 | 124 | 104 | 86 | 69 | 51 | 33 |
+ higher than the same series a year earlier (harder to reach) · − lower (easier to reach).
Grade calculator
June 2026 · Papers 01, 02, 03
Enter your total mark to see your grade.
149 marks needed for Grade A.
Paper-by-paper entry isn’t available here: this subject's papers are weighted and the board doesn't publish the weighting factors in its boundary documents. Use your total subject mark from your results slip.
Frequently asked questions
What did you need for a grade E in Chinese as a Second Language in June 2026?
In June 2026, grade E in Cambridge IGCSE Chinese as a Second Language (0523) needed 72 out of 200 on papers 01, 02, 03; 33 out of 90 on paper 50.
What was the boundary for a grade A* in June 2026?
169 out of 200 on papers 01, 02, 03; 78 out of 90 on paper 50 — the top grade for IGCSE Chinese as a Second Language 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?
Cambridge 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.