IGCSE Physics grade thresholds 2026: How they work and what they mean for your result

IGCSE Physics grade thresholds are the minimum marks students need to achieve each grade in a specific Cambridge exam session. These boundaries are not fixed percentages; they are set after the exam and can change depending on paper difficulty, candidate performance, tier, and component combination. Understanding how thresholds vary between Core and Extended routes, as well as across different exam series, helps students interpret past-paper scores more realistically.

This guide explains how Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 grade thresholds work and how students can use historical data to set safer revision targets.

What are grade thresholds in IGCSE Physics and how does Cambridge set them?

A grade threshold is the minimum total mark a candidate must achieve to be awarded a specific grade. In IGCSE Physics ^[1], Cambridge publishes these numbers in an official Cambridge grade threshold document 0625 after every exam session, covering every tier, variant, and paper combination.

Cambridge sets these thresholds through a process known as grade setting, which involves senior examiners reviewing the actual performance of candidates before any grades are finalised. This review considers how the cohort responded to individual questions, whether certain items were unexpectedly difficult, and whether the paper as a whole was harder or easier than historical norms.

One critical detail often overlooked is that grade thresholds are decided after the examination, not before it. This is a deliberate design choice to protect candidates from being penalised by a single unusually hard paper.

The key principle: There is no permanent pass mark

A common mistake we see at Times Edu is students treating 75% as a universal A target or 50% as a reliable C threshold. Neither figure is fixed. The Cambridge grade setting process means that the A threshold Physics IGCSE candidates need can be as low as 68% in one year and as high as 84% in another, depending entirely on how difficult the paper was.

This also means that raw score comparisons between different exam sessions are not directly meaningful. A student who scored 148 out of 200 in June 2023 performed at a different relative level than a student who scored 148 in June 2026.

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How IGCSE Physics grade thresholds vary between exam sessions

The variation in grade boundary IGCSE Physics data across sessions is substantial, and it is driven by several identifiable factors. Paper difficulty is the most obvious, but syllabus changes, the introduction of new topic areas, and even global disruptions to schooling have all influenced boundaries in recent years.

In our experience working with international students preparing across multiple Cambridge centres, the sessions that tend to produce the most significant boundary drops are those following a major syllabus revision. When new content enters the exam that students have had limited time to study under structured conditions, performance across the cohort falls, and Cambridge responds by lowering the threshold.

The May June October November Physics sessions do not follow a predictable pattern relative to each other either. It is a misconception that one sitting is consistently harder than the other. Both sessions produce their own set of papers, their own candidate cohort, and their own independently calculated thresholds.

Why the October/November session sometimes has different boundaries

The October/November cohort is typically smaller and includes a higher proportion of resit candidates or students in specific geographic regions. Because the candidate pool differs, the statistical distribution of scores differs, and the grade boundaries Cambridge publishes may not align closely with the June data from the same year.

Drawing on years of experience at Times Edu, students who use only June data to benchmark their practice performance are working with an incomplete picture. Always cross-reference both sessions when building your target range.

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Historical grade threshold data for IGCSE Physics 0625

The table below shows the Extended tier grade thresholds for IGCSE Physics 0625, compiled from Cambridge’s official grade threshold documents for recent exam sessions. All scores are out of a maximum of 200 total marks, which represents the combined weighted score across Paper 2 (Multiple Choice), Paper 4 (Theory), and Paper 5 or Paper 6 (Practical).

The June 2023 boundary stands out immediately. The A* threshold dropped to 136 out of 200, the lowest point in recent years, because Cambridge introduced a significant Space Physics component update that the majority of candidates found challenging under timed conditions.

By contrast, the June 2026 boundary climbed to 168, reflecting a paper that the cohort found more accessible overall. A student scoring 150 marks in 2026 would receive a B grade, while the same 150 marks in 2024 would have placed them at the A* threshold exactly.

What these numbers tell you about score strategy

The practical implication of this data is clear: You should not be aiming for a single raw score target. Instead, you should be building a scoring buffer that keeps you safely above the highest boundary recorded in recent history. For Extended tier candidates, that means consistently targeting 165 or above in practice if your goal is an A*.

A common mistake we see is students who prepare only against the easiest-year boundary and feel confident when they score 140, not realising that the same mark would fall short of an A* in a more accessible exam year.

>>> Read more: IGCSE Physics 0625 Mistakes: 10 Errors That Cost A* in 2026

How grade thresholds differ between Core and Extended IGCSE Physics

Core Extended grade threshold Physics data follows a different scale because Core tier candidates are assessed on a different set of papers with a narrower difficulty range. The Core tier is designed for students who are unlikely to achieve above a grade C on the Extended papers, and the maximum grade available to Core candidates is a C.

The thresholds for Core papers are generally set at lower raw mark values, but this does not mean they are easier to achieve relative to the difficulty of the questions. Core papers test a different subset of the syllabus and require a different style of preparation.

One detail that surprises many families is that both tiers share the same maximum total marks of 200. The difference lies in the ceiling grade, the content depth, and the style of questions, not the marking scale itself.

In our experience working with international students, the decision between Core and Extended should be made at the start of Year 10 or equivalent, not six weeks before the exam. Taking the Extended tier without adequate preparation is one of the most common structural mistakes that leads to underperformance, particularly for students whose goal is a strong A Level or IB subject profile.

>>> Read more: IGCSE Physics Study Plan for 2026: A Simple Revision Guide for Better Exam Preparation

How to use grade threshold data to set realistic score targets in IGCSE Physics

The most effective way to use historical grade boundaries 0625 data is to convert them into per-component targets rather than working only with the combined total. This gives you a clear action plan for each paper you sit.

The three components that contribute to your total are weighted as follows:

• Paper 2 or Paper 1 (Multiple Choice): 30% of total grade, marked out of 40
• Paper 4 or Paper 3 (Theory): 50% of total grade, marked out of 80
• Paper 5 or Paper 6 (Practical): 20% of total grade, marked out of 40

Given these weightings, the theory paper is the single highest-leverage component in your entire grade. A student who underperforms on Paper 4 cannot fully recover through strong MCQ or practical results alone.

Safe target marks per component for Extended tier A*

Drawing on years of experience at Times Edu advising students through multiple Cambridge sessions, the practical paper is consistently the component where well-prepared students lose the most unnecessary marks. Paper 6 is structured and predictable, yet students who have focused almost entirely on theory arrive at the practical unprepared for the specific language Cambridge expects in method descriptions and conclusion statements.

Building a preparation plan around threshold data

Step one is to download the Cambridge grade threshold document 0625 for the last four to six sessions and calculate the average A* boundary across those years. This gives you a personalised target range that accounts for both easy and difficult sittings.

Step two is to complete full past papers under timed conditions and convert your raw component scores into projected totals using the weighting percentages above. Do not simply add up raw marks; apply the 30/50/20 split to get an accurate picture of where you stand.

Step three is to identify the component where your projected score falls furthest below the safe target range and allocate the majority of your remaining preparation time to that area specifically.

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Where to find official IGCSE Physics grade threshold documents

The official source for all Cambridge grade threshold data is the Cambridge Assessment International Education website. The direct route is to search for “Cambridge IGCSE grade thresholds” and navigate to the dedicated past results section, where documents are archived by year and session.

Each document is labelled by exam series, for example “Grade Threshold Tables: May/June 2024” and contains threshold data for every subject code Cambridge offers that session. To find IGCSE Physics specifically, locate syllabus code 0625 within the document and identify the tier and variant that corresponds to your exam centre’s entry.

It is worth noting that Cambridge only publishes thresholds for the current syllabus version. When the syllabus undergoes a major revision, older threshold documents may not be fully comparable because the total marks or component structure may have changed. Always verify that the document you are referencing uses the same paper structure as your current syllabus before drawing conclusions.

>>> Read more: Ultimate IGCSE Physics 0625 Revision Guide

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

At Times Edu, we work with students across IGCSE, A Level, IB, and AP programmes every day, and the students who achieve the most consistent results are those who treat grade threshold data as a strategic planning tool rather than a post-exam surprise. If you want to build a personalised academic roadmap that accounts for your current performance level, your target grades, and your longer-term study-abroad profile, our consultants are available for one-on-one sessions designed specifically for international curriculum students. Reach out to Times Edu to begin that conversation.

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