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9709 Grade Thresholds: What Mark Gets You an A*?

Published Oct 17, 2026

"What do I need for an A*?" is one of the most common questions we hear from Cambridge 9709 students. The honest answer is that it changes every series. Cambridge sets grade thresholds after each exam session, so a mark that earned an A in one series may earn a B, or an A*, in another.

That does not make thresholds useless. Read properly, they tell you what standard each grade has demanded over time, and they are one of the best tools for setting a realistic target score. This guide explains how 9709 thresholds work, how to read them, and how to use them in revision.

What a grade threshold is

A grade threshold is the minimum mark needed for a grade. Cambridge publishes threshold tables for each syllabus after each exam series, on its grade threshold tables page.

Thresholds are set by senior examiners, who review candidates' work and statistical evidence. If a paper turns out harder than intended, thresholds usually go down; if easier, they go up. The aim is to keep the standard of each grade consistent from year to year, even when papers differ in difficulty.

How 9709 is assessed

Thresholds only make sense once you know how the qualification is built. Under the 2026–2027 syllabus:

Paper Component Time Marks Weighting
1 Pure Mathematics 1 1 h 50 min 75 60% of AS · 30% of A Level
2 Pure Mathematics 2 1 h 15 min 50 40% of AS · AS only
3 Pure Mathematics 3 1 h 50 min 75 30% of A Level only
4 Mechanics 1 h 15 min 50 40% of AS · 20% of A Level
5 Probability & Statistics 1 1 h 15 min 50 40% of AS · 20% of A Level
6 Probability & Statistics 2 1 h 15 min 50 20% of A Level only

Routes (combinations of papers): - AS Level: Paper 1 with Paper 2, 4 or 5. The Pure-only route (Papers 1 and 2) cannot count towards the A Level. - A Level: Papers 1 and 3, plus either Papers 4 and 5, or Papers 5 and 6. Paper 5 is in every A Level route.

Grades: AS vs A Level

  • AS Level candidates receive grades a–e.
  • A Level candidates receive grades A–E*.

A exists only for the full A Level, so there is no A threshold for AS.

How to read a threshold table

Each official table has two parts: 1. Component thresholds: the minimum raw mark for grades A–E on each paper, listed per variant (e.g. 11, 12, 13). There is no A* at component level. 2. Syllabus (option) thresholds: the minimum weighted total for each grade, for each combination of components. Cambridge states that these are "determined from the weighted component thresholds for the listed components". This total decides your grade.

For 9709 the weighted maximum is 250 for the A Level (75 + 75 + 50 + 50) and 125 for the AS Level (75 + 50). That is the same as the papers' raw maxima, so 9709 marks are effectively added together unscaled. The tables list linear A Level, staged A Level (with carried-forward AS codes) and AS options separately. Where several routes are possible, candidates receive the best grade available to them.

Your overall grade comes from the option total, not from passing each paper separately, so a strong Paper 3 can compensate for a weaker Mechanics paper.

Official 9709 thresholds: the four most recent series

The tables below are copied exactly from Cambridge's official PDFs. They show the linear A Level and AS options for the main variant groups. Staged (carry-forward) options and a few special-case options are omitted; see the source PDF for those. Component codes: the first digit is the paper and the second is the variant (e.g. 32 = Paper 3, variant 2). The March series runs only in India, so it has a single variant.

June 2026

Source: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/761530-mathematics-9709-june-2026-grade-threshold-table.pdf

A Level (linear): weighted totals out of 250

Components A* A B C D E
11, 31, 41, 51 223 197 163 128 94 60
11, 31, 51, 61 222 194 163 129 95 62
12, 32, 42, 52 222 194 161 124 88 52
12, 32, 52, 62 223 196 166 131 96 61
13, 33, 43, 53 231 212 186 149 113 77
13, 33, 53, 63 234 218 194 155 116 77
15, 35, 45, 55 226 202 175 136 98 60
15, 35, 55, 65 227 204 178 138 98 58

AS Level: weighted totals out of 125

Components a b c d e
11, 21 99 83 65 47 30
11, 41 102 84 66 48 30
11, 51 98 79 62 45 28
12, 22 101 87 67 47 27
12, 42 99 80 60 40 20
12, 52 102 86 65 44 23
13, 23 101 88 68 49 30
13, 43 100 85 66 47 29
13, 53 107 94 72 50 29
15, 25 100 87 68 49 31
15, 45 102 86 67 49 31
15, 55 105 92 70 48 27

Paper 1 component thresholds (raw marks out of 75): variant 11: A 59, B 48, C 37, D 26, E 15; variant 12: A 61, B 51, C 37, D 23, E 10; variant 13: A 61, B 52, C 39, D 26, E 13

March 2026

Source: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/758531-mathematics-9709-march-2026-grade-threshold-table.pdf

A Level (linear): weighted totals out of 250

Components A* A B C D E
12, 32, 42, 52 228 206 181 148 115 83
12, 32, 52, 62 227 204 179 146 113 80

AS Level: weighted totals out of 125

Components a b c d e
12, 22 105 94 76 58 41
12, 42 111 100 83 66 49
12, 52 111 101 83 65 48

Paper 1 component thresholds (raw marks out of 75): variant 12: A 65, B 59, C 48, D 37, E 26

November 2025

Source: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/749725-mathematics-9709-november-2025-grade-threshold-table.pdf

A Level (linear): weighted totals out of 250

Components A* A B C D E
11, 31, 41, 51 223 197 169 134 99 64
11, 31, 51, 61 227 205 179 143 107 71
12, 32, 42, 52 205 178 151 118 86 54
12, 32, 52, 62 204 179 154 122 90 59
13, 33, 43, 53 225 200 171 137 103 70
13, 33, 53, 63 230 210 185 149 113 77
15, 35, 45, 55 227 204 176 140 104 69
15, 35, 55, 65 230 210 184 148 112 77

AS Level: weighted totals out of 125

Components a b c d e
11, 21 102 88 68 48 29
11, 41 98 83 64 46 28
11, 51 101 88 69 50 31
12, 22 102 88 68 48 29
12, 42 95 80 62 44 27
12, 52 98 84 64 45 26
13, 23 103 91 71 51 32
13, 43 97 82 65 48 31
13, 53 106 94 74 55 36
15, 25 105 92 71 51 31
15, 45 101 86 67 48 29
15, 55 106 94 75 56 37

Paper 1 component thresholds (raw marks out of 75): variant 11: A 60, B 51, C 40, D 28, E 16; variant 12: A 60, B 51, C 39, D 27, E 16; variant 13: A 61, B 54, C 43, D 30, E 19

June 2025

Source: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/740340-mathematics-9709-june-2025-grade-threshold-table.pdf

A Level (linear): weighted totals out of 250

Components A* A B C D E
11, 31, 41, 51 224 198 171 133 95 57
11, 31, 51, 61 221 195 169 133 97 61
12, 32, 42, 52 224 198 171 138 105 72
12, 32, 52, 62 224 198 169 132 95 59
13, 33, 43, 53 223 197 170 131 93 55
13, 33, 53, 63 219 195 171 134 97 61
15, 35, 45, 55 225 201 175 136 97 59
15, 35, 55, 65 226 202 178 139 101 63

AS Level: weighted totals out of 125

Components a b c d e
11, 21 97 82 63 45 27
11, 41 102 87 67 47 27
11, 51 100 85 66 47 29
12, 22 99 83 64 45 27
12, 42 104 91 75 60 45
12, 52 100 85 65 46 27
13, 23 100 85 65 45 26
13, 43 103 88 67 46 25
13, 53 104 90 69 49 29
15, 25 102 85 65 45 25
15, 45 105 89 68 47 27
15, 55 105 91 70 50 30

Paper 1 component thresholds (raw marks out of 75): variant 11: A 59, B 50, C 38, D 26, E 15; variant 12: A 61, B 52, C 40, D 28, E 16; variant 13: A 62, B 54, C 41, D 28, E 15

Thresholds for the November 2026 series will be published after results. Cambridge releases those results on 7 January 2027 for AS & A Level.

What the figures show

  • A* (linear A Level) has ranged from 204 to 234 out of 250 across these series and variants, roughly 82% to 94%. The A threshold ranged from 178 to 218.
  • Paper 1 A thresholds ranged from 59 to 65 out of 75.
  • Variants within the same series can differ noticeably. In June 2026, for example, the A* threshold was 222–223 for the variant 1 and 2 options but 231–234 for variant 3.

Using thresholds to set a target

  1. Take the highest recent threshold for your paper and route, not the lowest, so you're protected against an easier paper. For Paper 1, that is 65/75 for an A.
  2. Add a small safety margin for exam-day slips. Even a few marks makes a difference.
  3. Convert it into marks you can afford to drop. A target of 68/75 means you can lose only about 7 marks across the whole paper.

That last step changes how you revise. Seven marks is perhaps two careless errors and one part-completed question. The aim is to remove the careless errors.

Why your past-paper scores need context

When you mark a past paper, compare your score with the threshold for that series and variant. 60/75 on a paper with a high threshold is a better performance than 60/75 on one with a low threshold. Recording both the score and the threshold gives you a far more honest picture of your progress.

What thresholds cannot tell you

  • They don't predict next series. They describe past papers.
  • They don't make up for weak topics. Compensation works across papers, but a gap in, say, integration costs marks on both Paper 1 and Paper 3.
  • They are not a target to aim for exactly. Aim above them.

Common misconceptions

  • "I need 90% for an A."* The required mark varies by series and route; only the official table tells you.
  • "I must pass every paper." The overall grade comes from the option total, so papers compensate for one another.
  • "The Pure-only AS can become an A Level later." It can't. The Pure Mathematics only route (Papers 1 and 2) is AS only and does not carry forward to the A Level.

How to use thresholds in revision

  1. After each timed paper, record your raw mark and the official threshold for that paper.
  2. Track your weighted total for your route across a "mock series" of two papers.
  3. Find the paper where you are furthest below the A or A* line and focus your topical practice there, using Kambridge Topicals.
  4. Use the 9709 past papers library for full timed practice, and the 9709 Paper 1 guide to cut careless errors.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find official 9709 grade thresholds? On Cambridge International's grade threshold tables page, organised by series.

Is there an A at AS Level?* No. AS grades are a–e; A* is only awarded for the full A Level.

Why are thresholds different for each variant? Variants are different papers, so their difficulty can differ slightly. Cambridge sets thresholds to keep the standard equal.

Do thresholds go up every year? No. They move up or down depending on how demanding each paper was.

Aim above the line

Dr. Rizwan Jahangir, PhD in Mathematics (Sabancı University), helps students turn threshold data into a concrete target and a plan to reach it.

Sources: Cambridge International AS & A Level Mathematics 9709 syllabus for examination in 2026–2027: assessment overview, routes table and grading. Results date: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/exam-administration/results/. Threshold table index: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-advanced/cambridge-international-as-and-a-levels/grade-threshold-tables

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