What percentage do you need for each grade in IGCSE?
Talimat Academic Team
Education Specialist · 25 May 2026
No fixed percentage guarantees a specific IGCSE grade. Boundaries are set after each exam series, once all scripts are marked.
Cambridge IGCSE uses a letter scale from A* down to G. Edexcel uses a 9-1 numerical scale. Both awarding bodies review paper difficulty, cohort performance, and historical data before confirming where each grade begins.
The table below shows broadly typical percentage ranges seen across published Cambridge boundary reports. These are illustrative averages, not official fixed thresholds.
| Grade | Typical percentage (approximate) |
|---|---|
| A* | 78%–90%+ depending on paper difficulty |
| A | 75%–89% |
| B | 60%–74% |
| C | 45%–59% |
| D | 35%–44% |
| E / F / G | Below 35% |
A harder paper lowers the boundary. An easier paper raises it. Two students scoring 72% in different subjects can receive completely different grades.
For Edexcel, a grade 4 is the standard pass and grade 5 is a strong pass. Students aiming for A-Levels at most sixth forms typically need a 6 or 7 in relevant subjects.
Component weighting also matters. In Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics, individual papers are each weighted at 35% of the total mark. A strong performance on one paper cannot fully compensate for a weak one.
The most useful approach is to download the boundary document for your specific subject and syllabus code from the Cambridge Results Support website, then map your mock marks against those component-level thresholds rather than a generic percentage table.
Students who begin IGCSE tutoring with a boundary-aware revision plan tend to set more accurate targets and spot weak components early. Our blog covers the full calculation method, including how to read mock results against published boundaries, in the detailed guide linked above.
If you want help interpreting your child's results or building a targeted revision plan, contact us and we will match them with a subject-specialist tutor today.