Your grade journey
Edexcel GCSE Chinesegrade boundaries
Explore official boundaries. See where your marks take you.
1CN03 official seriesMaximum mark 280
Exam series
Tier / route
Flight log / June 2026
Grade boundaries
OfficialHigher tier · 1H / 2H / 3H / 4H · Out of 280
Grade 9
229
marks / 280
Grade 7
173
marks / 280
Grade 5
126
marks / 280
Grade 4
103
marks / 280
All grade thresholds
| Grade | Minimum mark | Mark range | % of maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 229 | 229–280 | 82% |
| 8 | 201 | 201–228 | 72% |
| 7 | 173 | 173–200 | 62% |
| 6 | 149 | 149–172 | 53% |
| 5 | 126 | 126–148 | 45% |
| 4 | 103 | 103–125 | 37% |
| 3 | 91 | 91–102 | 33% |
| U | Below 91 | ||
These boundaries apply to this exam series and route. Paper maximums ↗
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 | 229+10 | 201+8 | 173+5 | 149+7 | 126+10 | 103+13 | 91+14 |
| June 2025 | 219+8 | 193+9 | 168+11 | 142+12 | 116+13 | 90+13 | 77+13 |
| June 2024 | 211 | 184 | 157 | 130 | 103 | 77 | 64 |
+ higher than the same series a year earlier (harder to reach) · − lower (easier to reach).
Grade calculator
June 2026 · Higher tier
Enter your total mark to see your grade.
173 marks needed for Grade 7.
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 4 in Chinese in June 2026?
In June 2026, grade 4 in Pearson Edexcel GCSE Chinese (1CN0) needed 169 out of 280 on foundation tier; 103 out of 280 on higher tier.
What was the boundary for a grade 9 in June 2026?
229 out of 280 on higher tier — the top grade for GCSE Chinese 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?
Pearson Edexcel 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.