A-Level English General Paper (8021)
Cambridge International AS & A Level. Estimate your grade, check grade boundaries for every session since March 2022, and see the percentage needed for each grade.
English General Paper grade calculator
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Estimated grade
Show grade thresholds for this option
| Grade | Min mark | Min % |
|---|
Pick the paper combination you sat. A-Level boundaries differ between paper variants (exam zones) and between AS and full A Level options, so choose the option that matches your papers. Spot a wrong number? Report it.
Percentage needed for each grade
June 2026 · Papers 11, 21 · max 100.
| Grade | Min mark | Min % |
|---|---|---|
| A | 70 | 70% |
| B | 63 | 63% |
| C | 57 | 57% |
| D | 51 | 51% |
| E | 45 | 45% |
English General Paper grade boundary trend, March 2022–June 2026
Minimum percentage for each grade, Papers 1 and 2. Where a session had several paper variants for this route, the middle one is shown.
ACE
| Session | Papers | Max | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 67 67% | 60 60% | 53 53% | 47 47% | 41 41% |
| March 2026 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 76 76% | 69 69% | 62 62% | 55 56% | 48 48% |
| November 2025 | Papers 11, 21 | 100 | 69 69% | 62 62% | 56 57% | 50 50% | 44 44% |
| June 2025 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 67 67% | 60 60% | 54 54% | 48 48% | 43 43% |
| March 2025 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 72 72% | 64 64% | 56 57% | 49 49% | 42 42% |
| November 2024 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 68 68% | 61 61% | 55 56% | 49 49% | 43 43% |
| June 2024 | Papers 11, 21 | 100 | 64 64% | 57 57% | 50 50% | 44 44% | 38 38% |
| March 2024 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 72 72% | 64 64% | 56 57% | 48 48% | 40 40% |
| November 2023 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 70 70% | 61 61% | 55 56% | 49 49% | 43 43% |
| June 2023 | Papers 13, 23 | 100 | 65 65% | 58 58% | 52 52% | 46 46% | 40 40% |
| March 2023 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 67 67% | 59 59% | 51 51% | 44 44% | 37 37% |
| November 2022 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 60 60% | 53 53% | 47 47% | 41 41% | 35 35% |
| June 2022 | Papers 13, 23 | 100 | 61 61% | 54 54% | 47 47% | 40 40% | 33 33% |
| March 2022 | Papers 12, 22 | 100 | 67 67% | 60 60% | 53 53% | 46 46% | 39 39% |
Across 14 sessions from March 2022 to June 2026, the A boundary for Papers 1 and 2 has ranged from 60% (November 2022) to 76% (March 2026), averaging 68%. The E boundary has ranged from 33% to 48%. In June 2026 it was 67% for A and 41% for E.
English General Paper grade boundaries by session
- English General Paper grade boundaries — June 2026 · 5 options · 9 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — March 2026 · 1 option · 2 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — November 2025 · 3 options · 6 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — June 2025 · 3 options · 6 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — March 2025 · 1 option · 2 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — November 2024 · 3 options · 6 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — June 2024 · 3 options · 6 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — March 2024 · 1 option · 2 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — November 2023 · 4 options · 7 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — June 2023 · 4 options · 7 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — March 2023 · 1 option · 2 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — November 2022 · 3 options · 6 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — June 2022 · 4 options · 7 papers
- English General Paper grade boundaries — March 2022 · 1 option · 2 papers
Frequently asked
- What is a typical A* boundary in English General Paper?
- Across 14 sessions from March 2022 to June 2026, the A boundary for Papers 1 and 2 has ranged from 60% (November 2022) to 76% (March 2026), averaging 68%. The E boundary has ranged from 33% to 48%. In June 2026 it was 67% for A and 41% for E.
- How is the English General Paper grade calculated?
- Cambridge converts each paper's raw mark to a weighted mark, adds them, and compares the total with the syllabus thresholds for your combination of papers. For Papers 11, 21 in June 2026 the maximum was 100; the calculator above does this arithmetic for you.
- Why do English General Paper grade boundaries change every session?
- Boundaries are set after marking so that a grade represents the same standard whether the paper was slightly harder or easier. A harder paper gets lower boundaries. March, June and November series are set independently, which is why the same grade can need different marks in the same year.