Notional Component Grade Boundaries - Edexcel GCE AS/A Level - June 2026 - Understanding Linear Component Raw Marks and Subject Marks

Sep 5, 2026

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Notional Component Grade Boundaries for Edexcel GCE AS/A Level (June 2026) explain how linear qualifications use component total raw marks and apply weighting factors when component contributions to the overall qualification are not equal. It details how scaled marks, also called subject marks, are aggregated to form the overall subject mark, then matched to grade boundaries to determine candidate grades. Worked examples show cases with and without scaling, and clarify that notional component grade boundaries do not equate to certificated grades and are not relevant for post-results service decisions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

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Pages20

Reading Time50 min

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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 June 2026 Understanding our linear component raw marks and subject marks Components of International GCSE and reformed GCSE, AS andA 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 isnot 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 marktothe 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 uptothe 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 | 50 | 25% | 1.000 | 50 | | Subject Max Mark | 200 | 100% | | 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 | 50 | 20% | 1.000 | 50 | | Subject Max Mark | | 100% | | 250 | How candidates’ grades are determined Table 1: candidates sitting the qualification in Example 1 | Component Title | Marks for Candidate A | Marks 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 second column, ‘Raw mark’, shows the mar

FAQs

What are linear component raw marks and how do they relate to subject marks?

In linear qualifications, each component has a total raw mark. These raw marks may be scaled using weighting factors, and the resulting scaled marks (subject marks) are added to form the overall subject mark.

When is scaling applied to component raw marks?

Scaling is applied when a component’s contribution to the qualification is not equal across components. The raw mark is multiplied by a weighting factor so it reflects the component’s percentage contribution to the overall qualification.

Do notional component grade boundaries affect the final certificated grade?

No. Notional component grade performance does not determine a qualification grade. Notional component grade boundaries do not equate to a certificated grade.

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Rhys