A grade distribution tells you much more than one headline pass or top-grade percentage.
A grade distribution shows how the results of a cohort are spread across the available grades.
It is one of the most useful ways of looking at examination results because it prevents a single threshold from dominating the analysis.
Look at both individual grades and cumulative thresholds.
A cumulative figure such as GCSE grade 4+ tells you how many entries achieved grade 4 or higher. It does not tell you how those students are distributed between grades 4 and 9.
Suppose 70% of a cohort achieved grade 4+.
That 70% might contain:
The headline is identical, but the performance profile is very different.
This is why the tutor2u Results Explorer allows distributions to be viewed both cumulatively and by individual grade.
Useful questions include:
Is there an unusually large group at one grade?
Is the distribution concentrated around the middle?
Is the upper end stronger or weaker than expected?
Is there a noticeable group immediately below an important threshold?
How does the shape compare with national results?
Thresholds such as GCSE grade 4+ are important, but they create an artificial dividing line.
A student receiving grade 3 may have performed only slightly differently from one receiving grade 4.
Similarly, a student receiving grade 6 may be very close to grade 7.
Avoid describing students on opposite sides of a boundary as if their performance were fundamentally different.
If three of twelve A-Level students achieve an A grade, that represents 25%.
If one additional student had achieved an A, the figure would have been 33.3%.
Percentages can make small cohorts look much more stable than they really are.
When comparing your cohort with national figures, make sure you use the same cumulative definitions.
At A-Level, A*–B means the percentage receiving A*, A or B.
At GCSE, grade 7+ means grade 7, 8 or 9.
Choose your subject in the tutor2u Exam Results Explorer and switch between Cumulative and Per grade views.
You can also enter your own cohort in My results.
Last checked August 2026. This is a plain-English summary of official guidance; always check the linked Ofqual, JCQ and exam-board pages for the definitive rules, which can change.
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