How can a grade in 2026 mean the same as a grade in 2019? The answer is a mix of statistics and expert judgement - here’s how it works.
Standards are kept broadly stable using an approach often called comparable outcomes: boards use prior-attainment data to estimate the outcomes that might reasonably be expected from a cohort with a similar prior-attainment profile, alongside examiner judgement of students’ work. Ofqual regulates the boards to keep the standard for each grade comparable - between years and between boards.
Two things are used together. First, a statistical prediction at cohort level: what did students with a similar prior-attainment profile (for GCSE, their Key Stage 2 results; for A-level, their GCSEs) achieve in the past? Second, senior examiners look at real scripts around the boundaries to check the standard of work matches previous years. Neither is used alone - and this is a check at cohort level; it does not determine an individual student’s grade.
Comparable outcomes is not a quota. There is no cap on how many students can get each grade - the standard is held steady, not the number of each grade.
No. Ofqual is explicit that there are no quotas and no cap on the number of students who can achieve each grade. Source: Ofqual ↗
A measure of what this year’s students achieved earlier (for example, GCSE results for an A-level cohort). It helps predict a sensible outcome for a group with similar prior attainment. Source: Ofqual ↗
2022 was a transitional year, deliberately positioned between the more generous 2021 arrangements and pre-pandemic standards, so 2022→2023 changes reflect that transition. Source: Ofqual ↗
Compare a subject’s outcomes across years, or benchmark your own cohort against the national picture.
Compare years in the Explorer →Benchmark your class (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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