IGCSE Grading System Explained: A*–G vs 9–1, Tiers, and What Counts as a Pass
IGCSE runs on two grading scales at once — the classic A*–G and the newer 9–1 — and the confusion between them costs families real decisions: whether a 5 is "good", whether a C is "a pass", whether Extended was worth the risk. The machinery underneath is simpler than it looks, and it has exactly three fixed anchor points connecting the two scales. This guide lays out both scales, the tier rules that decide which grades you can even be awarded, what actually counts as a pass (careful — that word means different things to different gatekeepers), and the session-by-session boundary system that turns your marks into all of it.
- Cambridge IGCSE grades A*–G (plus U, ungraded); newer syllabuses offer a 9–1 scale, and Pearson Edexcel International GCSE is 9–1 across the board.
- The scales are pinned together at three points: the bottom of 7 = the bottom of A, the bottom of 4 = the bottom of C, and the bottom of 1 = the bottom of G.
- Tiers cap the range: on A*–G syllabuses, Extended candidates are eligible for A*–E and Core candidates for C–G — and an Extended candidate below E gets ungraded, not an F.
- There is no official pass mark. Convention treats 4/C as the standard benchmark (UK schools call 4 a "standard pass" and 5 a "strong pass"), but universities and equivalency offices each set their own floors.
- Letters are fixed; marks aren't. The marks needed for each grade — the grade boundaries — are reset every session.
The two scales, side by side
The conversion table
| 9–1 grade | A*–G equivalent | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | High A* | Deliberately rarer than A* — it marks out the very top of the old A* band |
| 8 | Low A* / high A | Straddles the old A*/A border |
| 7 | A | Anchor point: bottom of 7 = bottom of A |
| 6 | High B | Comfortably above the old C benchmark |
| 5 | Low B / high C | The "strong pass" in UK accountability language |
| 4 | C | Anchor point: bottom of 4 = bottom of C — the conventional "standard pass" |
| 3 | D / high E | Below the conventional pass benchmark |
| 2 | E / high F | |
| 1 | F / G | Anchor point: bottom of 1 = bottom of G |
| U | U | Ungraded on both scales — the subject line is effectively blank |
Tiers: the rule that decides which grades you can even get
In many Cambridge subjects you sit either Core or Extended papers, and the tier fixes your eligible range: on A*–G syllabuses, Core candidates can be awarded C–G and Extended candidates A*–E (9–1 syllabuses carve the scale the same way — your syllabus page states the exact eligible ranges). Two traps live here, and they point in opposite directions:
- The Core ceiling.A Core candidate cannot be awarded above C, however brilliant the paper. If a university course or equivalency file needs a B, Core has already said no — before the exam was sat. Check the tier against the target, not against comfort.
- The Extended trapdoor.An Extended candidate who falls below the E boundary doesn't get an F or G — they get U, ungraded, a blank where a grade should be. For a genuinely borderline student, Core's guaranteed C–G territory is worth more than Extended's theoretical ceiling. Here's what happens if it goes wrong — and how the resit routes work.
"Is a C a pass?" — the question with three answers
Officially, IGCSE has no pass mark: every grade from A* to G (9 to 1) is a certificated result. In practice, three different gatekeepers draw three different lines. Convention — inherited from decades of UK usage — treats C/4 as the benchmark, with UK school-accountability language calling a 4 a "standard pass" and a 5 a "strong pass". Sixth forms and universities set course-specific floors, often B/6 or higher for the subject you'll study at A Level. And equivalency offices write their own rules entirely: Kuwait counts grades A–C plus at most one D across its eight subjects, while the UAE's five counted IGCSEs have a much lower floor — the per-country reality is mapped in which countries accept IGCSE. So before celebrating or mourning any grade, ask: passes according to whom?
What the grades are built from
Your final grade compresses a two-year course into one letter, but it's assembled transparently: raw marks per paper, weighted per the syllabus, compared against that session's boundaries. Which means the grade is moveable right up until exam day — every mark recovered from a misread command word or a half-known high-frequency topic is a step up the same ladder this whole post describes. The statement of results then records where you landed — and the certificate carries it for life.
FAQ
What is the IGCSE grading system?
What is a 7 in IGCSE?
What is a pass in IGCSE?
What is the difference between Core and Extended in IGCSE?
Is 80% an A in IGCSE?
Read back the whole machine in one breath: two scales pinned together at three points, tiers that fix your eligible range, boundaries that reset every session, and a "pass" that depends entirely on who's asking. None of it is mysterious, and all of it is decided earlier than families expect — at tier entry, at subject choice, at the revision desk. The letter on the certificate is just the last domino. The ones you can still push are further up the line.
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