IGCSE grades explained: 9 to 1, A* to G, pass marks and percentages
In short
IGCSEs are graded A* to G or 9 to 1, and the boards line the scales up at three points: 7 with A, 4 with C, 1 with G.
- Grade thresholds change every series: an A in 0580 needed 138 or 154 out of 200.
- Cambridge’s percentage uniform mark is not the raw mark on the paper.
- Cambridge’s November 2026 IGCSE results come out on 14 January 2027.
A results slip with a 6 on it, a school asking for "at least a C", a university page that wants a 5: IGCSE grades come in two scales, and families in Dubai and Sharjah often meet both in the same year. This guide sets out how each board grades, how the scales line up, what counts as a pass, and why there is no fixed percentage for a grade, using the boards' own published rules.
Two scales: A* to G and 9 to 1
Cambridge grades its IGCSEs A* to G, with A* the highest and G the lowest. Work below G is "Ungraded", which appears on the statement of results but not on the certificate. Cambridge also offers versions of many subjects graded 9 to 1, under their own codes: Mathematics is 0580 on A* to G and 0980 on 9 to 1, with the same content and papers. Cambridge's subject pages list these 9 to 1 versions as available to schools in the UAE, but every school can keep A* to G, and once the entry deadline has passed a student cannot be moved from one scale to the other.
Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA grade their International GCSEs 9 to 1, with 9 the highest. Below grade 1 is U, unclassified. Pearson's International GCSEs have used the 9 to 1 scale since 2018.
How 9 to 1 lines up with A* to G
The two scales are not a simple swap, letter for number. The boards line them up at three points:
| 9 to 1 | Lines up with | What the boards say |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Above A* | Pearson: grade 9 "sits above" A*, and fewer students get it |
| 8 | Between 9 and 7 | Set between the 9 and 7 boundaries |
| 7 | A | The bottom of 7 matches the bottom of A |
| 6, 5 | Between A and C | Set at even steps between 7 and 4 |
| 4 | C | The bottom of 4 matches the bottom of C |
| 3, 2 | Between C and G | Set at even steps between 4 and 1 |
| 1 | G | The bottom of 1 matches the bottom of G |
Cambridge says the standards at the thresholds of grades 7, 4 and 1 are the same as at A, C and G, that grades 8, 6, 5, 3 and 2 are set at regular steps between them, and that grade 9 is set using statistics and examiners' judgement. Pearson says grade 9 is not the same as A*. The UK's own explainer for GCSEs in England gives the same three anchor points.
What counts as a pass?
Every grade from A* to G, or from 9 to 1, is a pass in the sense that the student gets the qualification; only Ungraded or U is not. What matters in practice is the grade a sixth form, university or employer asks for:
- Many requirements are written as a C or a 4. Cambridge notes that some universities accept a 5 where they once asked for a C, while others use a 4.
- In England, the Department for Education calls a 4 a "standard pass" and a 5 in English or maths a "strong pass". Those terms are for GCSEs in England, but schools and universities elsewhere often borrow them.
- For UAE equivalency of a British-curriculum certificate, a KHDA document from 2018, linked from the UAE government's portal, asks for at least five GCSE or IGCSE subjects at grades A to E, with A Levels or AS Levels on top. It predates 9 to 1, so check the current rules with the Ministry of Education.
The tier caps the grade
In tiered subjects, the tier a student sits sets the highest grade they can get:
- Cambridge maths (0580): Core leads to grades C to G, Extended to A* to E.
- Cambridge sciences: Core leads to C to G, Extended to A* to G.
- Pearson Edexcel maths (4MA1): Foundation leads to grades 5 to 1, Higher to 9 to 4, with a 3 allowed.
- OxfordAQA maths (9260): Core leads to 5 to 1, Extension to 9 to 4, with a 3 allowed.
So a student entered for Core or Foundation cannot get an A or a 7, however well they do. Schools usually decide the tier after the Year 11 mocks; our Year 11 guide explains when.
Grade boundaries change every series
A grade threshold, or grade boundary, is the lowest total mark that earns a grade. The boards set them after marking, so that a grade is no easier or harder to get than in earlier years, which means they move from one series to the next and between versions of the same paper.
Two examples from June 2026:
- Cambridge Mathematics 0580, Extended: an A needed 138 out of 200 on one set of papers and 154 out of 200 on the other two sets, in the same series. A C needed between 87 and 94.
- Pearson Edexcel Mathematics A 4MA1, Higher: a 7 needed 111 out of 200 on the main papers and 119 on the regional papers; a 4 needed 41 and 45.
Both boards publish the tables after each series: Cambridge's grade threshold tables and Pearson's grade boundaries. They are the best guide to how many marks a target grade takes on past papers, and our guide to IGCSE past papers says where each board publishes those.
IGCSE grades and percentages
There is no fixed percentage for an IGCSE grade. As the examples show, the same grade can need 69% of the marks on one paper and 77% on another.
What some families see is Cambridge's percentage uniform mark, printed beside each grade on statements of results in some countries. Its bands run A* 90 to 100, A 80 to 89, B 70 to 79 and so on down to G 20 to 29. Cambridge is clear that it is not the student's total mark: it shows where the student sits within the grade, it cannot be compared with percentages from other qualifications, and it is not given for 9 to 1 syllabuses. Cambridge does not calculate a GPA either.
Results days, re-marks and resits
- November 2026 series: Cambridge IGCSE results are released on 14 January 2027. Pearson Edexcel International GCSE results reach students on 21 January 2027.
- June 2027 series: Pearson's results reach students on 19 August 2027. Cambridge had not yet published its June 2027 date in November 2026; its June results usually come out in August.
- Re-marks: if a result looks wrong, talk to the school, which asks the board to review the marking. For Cambridge's November 2026 series the deadline is 26 February 2027.
- Resits: Cambridge and Pearson both run a November series, and a student can retake a qualification as often as they like. Entries close well before: for November 2026, in September. Not every subject runs in November.
Our IGCSE results day 2027 guide sets out every board's dates, re-mark deadlines, certificates and resit rules.
June 2026 in the UAE
In June 2026, Cambridge and Pearson cancelled the IGCSE exams in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Cambridge awarded grades from a portfolio of evidence, three substantial pieces of each student's work marked by its examiners, kept the usual results date, and asked universities to treat these grades the same as exam grades. Students with portfolio grades could use the normal re-mark services and an extra review of how their evidence was selected. Pearson awarded its grades from evidence submitted by schools.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 9 the same as an A*?
No. Pearson says grade 9 sits above A* and fewer students get it. The boards line up 7 with A, 4 with C and 1 with G.
What is a pass in IGCSE?
Any grade from A* to G, or from 9 to 1, gets the qualification. Most schools, sixth forms and universities ask for at least a C or a 4 in the subjects that matter, and some ask for a 5.
What percentage is an A* in IGCSE?
There is no fixed percentage. Grade thresholds are set after each series and differ between papers. The 90 to 100 band you may see on a Cambridge statement is the percentage uniform mark, which Cambridge says is not the raw mark.
What are grade boundaries?
The lowest total mark for each grade in a series. The boards publish them after results, and they change from one series to the next.
Can I convert IGCSE grades to a GPA?
Not officially. Cambridge does not calculate GPAs, because there is no single way to do it. Universities that use a GPA convert grades their own way.
When are IGCSE results released?
For the November 2026 series, Cambridge releases IGCSE results on 14 January 2027 and Pearson Edexcel on 21 January 2027. June results come out in August.
Career Launcher UAE offers IGCSE and GCSE tuition in maths, the sciences, business, economics, accounting and English, in Dubai and Sharjah and online, working from each board's past papers, mark schemes and published grade thresholds. See our IGCSE subject pages for every board's papers and tiers.