AQA Combined Science Dual Award Explained: 17 Grade Combinations, Boundaries, and What to Target

How the dual grade works

AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy is worth two GCSEs and produces a dual grade — shown as two numbers separated by a hyphen, like 6-6 or 7-6. The total exam is worth 420 marks across six papers (two Biology, two Chemistry, two Physics). Your combined marks across all six papers determine your dual grade. AQA sets boundaries for 17 possible outcomes: 9-9, 9-8, 8-8, 8-7, 7-7, 7-6, 6-6, 6-5, 5-5, 5-4, 4-4, 4-3, 3-3, 3-2, 2-2, 2-1, and 1-1.

2025 grade boundaries (Higher tier)

AQA published the following Higher tier boundaries for June 2025 (out of 420 total marks): 9-9 at 299 marks, 8-8 at 281 marks, 7-7 at 263 marks, 6-6 at 245 marks, 5-5 at 228 marks, 4-4 at 206 marks. The Foundation tier had its own boundaries: grade 4 at 145 marks, grade 5 at 187 marks (Foundation runs from 1-1 up to 5-5).

Higher vs Foundation: which tier is right for you

Higher tier is designed for students targeting grades 4-4 and above. Foundation tier is designed for grades 1-1 through 5-5. The critical decision: if you are aiming for 6-6 or above, you must sit Higher tier — Foundation cannot award above 5-5. If you are targeting 4-4 and are consistently scoring around that boundary on practice papers, Higher tier gives you the safety of a wider mark range to reach grade 4. Your school sets the tier — if you are unsure which tier you are entered for, check with your teacher now.

How to target your grade combination

Because the dual grade is calculated from total marks across all six papers, your strongest subject within Biology, Chemistry, or Physics cannot fully compensate for a very weak one — but a consistent average across all three is more effective than over-investing in one subject. Identify which of the three sciences is your weakest and prioritise it: a 10-mark improvement in your weakest science paper contributes more to your dual grade than a 10-mark improvement in your strongest.

The 4-4 boundary in practical terms

The 2025 Higher tier 4-4 boundary was 206 out of 420 — just under 49% of total marks. That means a student needs to score an average of roughly 34 marks per paper (out of 70). This is achievable through consistent performance on the required practicals, multiple-choice questions, and recall-based short answers — the questions that reward organised revision and practice over deep understanding.

Required practicals: the highest-value revision topic

AQA examines the required practicals explicitly in every series — these are the 21 core practicals across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Questions on required practicals appear on every paper and reward students who know the method, variables, and expected results. Required practical questions are among the most consistently answered poorly, making them among the highest-value revision targets — if you know the practicals cold, you can pick up marks that a large proportion of candidates leave on the table.