Notional Component Grade Boundaries - Edexcel GCE AS/A Level (2015-2016) - Understanding How Linear Component Marks Are Scaled

Sep 5, 2026

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Notional Component Grade Boundaries explains how Edexcel GCE AS/A Level linear qualifications convert component raw marks into scaled subject marks. It clarifies that different component contributions are handled through weighting factors, so simply adding raw marks may not match the qualification percentage. Worked examples show cases with and without scaling, demonstrate how the overall subject mark maps to grade boundaries, and highlight that notional component boundaries do not determine certified grades. It also outlines why educators use them for interpreting mock performance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Notional Component Grade Boundaries

Understanding linear component raw marks and subject marks

The component structure of qualifications

How candidates’ grades are determined

The use of notional component grade boundaries

Linear qualifications and deciding whether to submit a post-results service (PRS) request

Notional Component Grade Boundaries Edexcel GCE AS/A Level (From 2015 and 2016) June 2019 Understanding linear component raw marks and subject marks Components of International GCSE and reformed GCSE, AS and A level qualifications are all sat at the end of the course. Components are individual assessments, such as examinations or non-exam assessments (NEA), which each make up a linear qualification. These qualifications are all linear rather than modular, which means that there is no longer a need for the UMS marks you will have been familiar with in the past. The component structure of qualifications In linear qualifications, each component has a total raw mark. The components contribute a certain percentage to the qualification mark overall, but the contribution of the components may not be equal. This is because one component may represent a larger part of the qualification than the others (see example 2, below) . When the contribution of components to the qualification is not equal, the component raw marks, when simply added together, may not reflect the percentage contribution of the components to the qualification. In such cases the raw mark for the assessment is scaled up or down by a weighting factor. The raw mark is multiplied by the weighting factor so that it reflects the contribution of the component mark to the qualification. The scaled marks, known as subject marks, are then added together to form the overall subject mark. Two examples are given below. Example 1: no scaling is needed as the total raw mark for each component reflects the percentage contribution of each to the qualification. The total raw marks of all components in a linear qualification will add up to the total subject mark if they all contribute to the qualification equally. | Component Title | Raw Marks | Contribution to the Qualification | Weighting Factor | Total Scaled Mark | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paper 1 | 50 | 25% | 1.000 | 50 | | Paper 2 | 50 | 25% | 1.000 | 50 | | Paper 3 | 50 | 25% | 1.000 | 50 | | Paper 4
Subject max mark | 50
200 | 25%
100% | 1.000 | 50
200 | | | | | | | Example 2: scaling is needed as the raw mark for one or more components does not reflect the percentage contribution. | Component Title | Raw marks | Contribution to the qualification | Weighting Factor | Total Scaled mark | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paper 1 | 60 | 35% | 1.458 | 87.5 | | Paper 2 | 45 | 20% | 1.111 | 50 | | Paper 3 | 45 | 25% | 1.389 | 62.5 | | Paper 4
Subject max mark | 50 | 20%
100% | 1.000 | 50
250 | | | | | | | How candidates’ grades are determined Table 1 – candidates sitting the qualification in example 1 | Component title | Marks for candidate A | Mark for candidate B | | --- | --- | --- | | Paper 1 | 10 | 40 | | Paper 2 | 25 | 15 | | Paper 3 | 30 | 20 | | Paper 4 | 20 | 10 | | Subject mark | 85 | 85 | Since the marks for each component in the qualification represent the correct percentage contribution, the component marks are simply added to give the overall subject mark. In this example, both candidates A and B have achieved 85 marks for the overall subject. Since they both have the same subject mark, candidates A and B will receive the same grade even though their component performances are very different. Suppose the subject grade boundaries were 81 marks for a grade C and 93 marks for a grade B. Since a subject mark of 85 lies within this mark range, both candidates A and B will receive a grade C for the qualification. Table 2 – candidates sitting the qualification in example 2 | Component title | Raw mark for candidate C | Weighting factor | Scaled mark | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Paper 1 | 12 | 1.458 | 17.496 | | Paper 2 | 24 | 1.111 | 26.664 | | Paper 3 | 31 | 1.389 | 43.059 | | Paper 4 | 20 | 1.000 | 20.000 | | | | Total: | 107.219 | | | | Subject mark: | 107 | Table 2 shows the performance of candidate C in the example 2 qualification. The s

FAQs

What are notional component grade boundaries in Edexcel linear qualifications?

They are published grade-performance indicators at component level. They do not equate to certificated grades and do not directly determine a qualification grade.

How are component raw marks converted into subject marks?

In linear qualifications, raw marks are scaled using a weighting factor when component contributions are unequal. Scaled marks, called subject marks, are then added to form the overall subject mark.

Why might candidates receive the same overall subject mark with very different component results?

When component marks are adjusted so each component reflects its percentage contribution, different component performances can still total to the same overall subject mark. Grade boundaries are applied to the overall subject mark.

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Jacob