What Is the Pass Mark for A Level Religious Studies?
What Is the Pass Mark for A Level Religious Studies?
Created:Updated: 25-August-2025
Wondering what percentage you need to pass A Level Religious Studies (RS)?
Many students—and parents—want to know what mark will get them that all-important “E” grade or higher.
How are A Level RS grades set?
A Level Religious Studies, like all A Levels, is graded from A* to E.
To pass, you must achieve at least an E grade.
The actual percentage required to pass varies each year and depends on grade boundaries set by the exam board (AQA, Edexcel, or OCR) after marking to ensure fairness across sessions.
Typical pass marks for A Level RS
As a general guide, the pass mark for an E grade is often in the low-40% range (commonly around 40%–45% of the total marks).
This can shift depending on the difficulty of the papers and overall national performance in a given year.
Exam boards publish grade boundaries after each series — for example: see the latest AQA grade boundaries.
What are grade boundaries?
Grade boundaries show the minimum marks needed for each grade in that exam series.
For example, if the E boundary is set at 42%, then scoring 42% or higher earns a pass.
Boundaries are reviewed annually and can change slightly to reflect paper difficulty. For broader context, see: How are A Levels graded?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do universities care about my percentage or my grade?
Universities focus on your final grade, not the raw percentage.
Are grade boundaries the same for every exam board?
No — AQA, Edexcel, and OCR set their own boundaries each year after marking.
Can grade boundaries change?
Yes — boundaries are adjusted annually to keep standards fair between sessions.
What if I’m just below the boundary?
You can request a review of marking (re-mark) via your centre, or plan a re-sit in the next series. See how RS re-sits work.