How the 9 to 1 grading scale is applied to GCSE Combined Science - Set of grade combinations

Oct 20, 2026

Explains how the 9 to 1 grading scale works for GCSE Combined Science, including how students receive a single award worth two GCSEs with two equal or adjacent grades from 9 to 1. Provides the available grade-combination outcomes and clarifies how grades are set through a compensatory process, rather than criterion referencing or norm-referenced curves. Describes comparable outcomes across years, chained equipercentile equating between tiers, and the specific rules that allow a grade 4-3 on the Higher tier.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

How the 9 to 1 grading scale is applied to GCSE Combined Science

Grade combinations and how the award is calculated

How grades are set (compensatory process)

Comparable outcomes across years

Tier alignment and grade 4-3 safety net

How the 9 to 1 grading scale is applied to GCSE Combined Science Students who take GCSE Combined Science study all three sciences and will cover roughly two thirds of the content of the separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. If they take thecombined science qualification, they’ll receive an award worth two GCSEs consisting of two equal or adjacent grades from 9 to 1, giving 17 possible grade combinations – 9-9; 9-8; 8-8 through to 1-1. The table below shows the different grade combinations available for GCSE Combined Science. | Higher | Foundation | How the grade is set | | --- | --- | --- | | 9-9 | | Comparable outcomes – previous grade 9-9 | | 9-8 | | Set arithmetically | | 8-8 | | | | 8-7 | | | | 7-7 | | Comparable outcomes – previous grade 7-7 | | 7-6 | | Set arithmetically (except Foundation tier 5-5) | | 6-6 | | | | 6-5 | | | | 5-5 | 5-5† | | | 5-4 | 5-4 | | | 4-4† | 4-4† | Comparable outcomes – previous grade 4-4 | | (4-3)‡ | 4-3 | Set arithmetically | | | 3-3 | | | | 3-2 | | | | 2-2 | | | | 2-1 | | | | 1-1 | Comparable outcomes – previous grade 1-1 | | U | U | | † Chained equipercentile equating used to ensure that standards are equivalent between the tiers.‡ Allowed grade on Higher tier (see next page). How are grades awarded in GCSE exams in England? Grades are awarded using a compensatory process: students gain marks for the credit worthy answers they provide, regardless of which questions they answer correctly on the papers. Better performance in one part of a paper can compensate for poorer performance in another part. The more marks students gain, the higher the grade they will achieve. We do not use criterion referencing to award grades Grades are not awarded for meeting a specific set of criteria; if this was the case, students could only gain marks when they met each of the required criteria statements. If criterion referencing was used, this could mean that students need to get all of the standard demand questions correct in order to geta grade 5, and if they didn’t do so, they would not get a grade 5 even if they had gained marks on the more difficult higher demand questions. We do not write grade specific questions We write questions that are targeted at low, standard and high demand, reflecting the likely demand for students operating within broad ability ranges. Different students will find different questions more or less difficult, depending upon their particular skill set and understanding of the concepts involved. There is no such thing as a grade‘x’question in GCSE examinations. We do not award grades using a norm referenced curve We This would create a fixed, pre-determined percentage of the cohort gaining each grade in each subject, year on year. Comparable outcomes The standard achieved in one year should be comparable with the standard achieved in another, with any changes in the year on year ability of the national cohort entering a qualification in a particular subject being reflected in the range of grades achieved by the respective cohorts. This process is achieved through the determination of ‘comparable outcomes’. Comparable outcomes are based on the relative performance of the current national cohort entered for a particular subject, Combined Science in this case, compared to the performance of a prior national reference cohort in that subject. For GCSE qualifications, the performance of the national reference year cohort is tracked back to their KS2 scores and a performance matrix determined for each GCSE subject. The performance matrix for that subject is then applied to the national cohort who entered for the GCSE in that subject in the current year. This process gives a statistical recommendation of the grades to be awarded, which the awarding panel use as part of their determination of the final grade boundaries. See our guide to awarding video for more information. Ensuring a grade 4-4 at Foundation tier is the sa

FAQs

How is the GCSE Combined Science award graded using the 9 to 1 scale?

Students receive an award worth two GCSEs, consisting of two equal or adjacent grades from 9 to 1. This creates 17 possible grade combinations, such as 9-9, 9-8, down to 1-1.

How are GCSE grades set in England for GCSE exams?

Grades are awarded using a compensatory process where credit-worthy answers gain marks regardless of which specific questions were answered correctly. Higher total marks lead to a higher grade.

What does “comparable outcomes” mean in GCSE grading?

Comparable outcomes ensure the standard achieved in one year is comparable with the standard in another year. It is based on how the current national cohort performs relative to a prior national reference cohort, using prior KS2-tracked performance matrices.

Oct 20, 2026

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