GCSE Design & Technology results pooled across AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas, plus each board’s grade boundaries. tutor2u’s analysis of official data, 2022–2026.
Entry-weighted cumulative percentage across every board offering this subject. Covers candidates of all ages. How are grades decided? →
| Year | Boards | Entries | 9 | 8+ | 7+ | 6+ | 5+ | 4+ | 3+ | 2+ | 1+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 76,581 | 4.7 | 12.5 | 23.3 | 37.9 | 53.2 | 66.8 | 83.2 | 93.4 | 98.3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 78,598 | 5.0 | 13.3 | 23.5 | 38.7 | 53.7 | 67.3 | 83.0 | 93.1 | 98.3 |
| 2024 | 4 | 80,732 | 4.8 | 12.7 | 22.7 | 36.8 | 51.8 | 66.1 | 82.5 | 92.7 | 98.0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 79,624 | 4.4 | 11.6 | 21.5 | 36.2 | 51.0 | 65.3 | 81.8 | 92.4 | 98.1 |
| 2022 | 4 | 78,966 | 7.3 | 16.2 | 27.2 | 42.5 | 58.0 | 71.8 | 84.6 | 93.5 | 98.2 |
Reading 2022? 2022 was an exceptional, transitional year for grading - positioned roughly midway between the more generous 2021 arrangements and pre-pandemic (2019) standards. Treat 2022→2023 changes with caution rather than as a normal year-on-year trend.
Results source: JCQ results statistics · grade boundaries from the official AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR & Eduqas pages · tutor2u analysis.
Comparing boards? A higher or lower grade boundary does not mean one board is easier or harder - boundaries adjust for differences in paper difficulty so the grade standard stays comparable. Differences in outcomes can also reflect the different students taking each specification.
Enter your own class or department results and see how your grade distribution compares with the national picture. No student names required.
Latest-year mark needed for a grade 7, by exam board (out of each board’s own maximum). How are these set? →
| Board | Year | Grade 7 boundary | % of max |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA | 2026 | 151/200 | 76% |
| Edexcel | 2026 | 120/200 | 60% |
| OCR | 2026 | 133/200 | 66% |
| Eduqas | 2026 | 140/200 | 70% |
Across all boards, 23.3% achieved grade 7 or higher in GCSE Design & Technology in 2026, from 76,581 entries.
GCSE Design & Technology is offered by AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas, OCR in this data (4 of the four main boards).
Use the board links on this page, or open the interactive Results Explorer to compare boards and years.
Across all boards, 23.3% achieved grade 7 or higher in 2026, compared with 23.5% in 2025 - down 0.2 percentage points.
Across the four main exam boards, entries went from 78,966 in 2022 to 76,581 in 2026 - down 3%.
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