“Congratulations! What did your child get?”

The group chat replies-  “A*” “ B” “7” “5”  

You go, “ 👁️👄👁️ Eh?”

Four answers. Same subject. No idea who did best.

Is a 7 above a B? Is a 5 bad? Nobody says. Nobody's sure.

Because, IGCSE isn't one grading system. It's two. 

Cambridge gives letters, A* down to G.
Edexcel gives numbers, 9 down to 1. 

Same subject, same effort, two report cards that look nothing alike. Decided by the board your child's school picked. Not by your child.

Both scales how they line up, what counts as a strong result, and what to do if the grade stings.

First though, the bit every Parent’s WA group chat gets stuck on:

Why Do Some IGCSE Reports Show Letters and Others Show Numbers?

Cambridge Assessment International Education has kept A* to G as its main IGCSE grading scale for nearly three decades, after most Cambridge schools worldwide said they preferred to retain it because it's so widely understood by universities and employers.

Pearson Edexcel took a different path. Its International GCSE has used the 9 to 1 numerical scale - the same one introduced for domestic GCSEs in England from 2017, across all its subjects for several years now.

Some Cambridge subjects in certain regions also offer 9–1 reporting alongside the traditional scale, which is why, occasionally, one child's report card can show both letters and numbers across different subjects.

How the Two Scales Compare

The two scales don't line up cleanly, because one has nine grades and the other has eight plus U. Only three points are officially anchored by the exam boards; the grades between those points are approximate, not a precise swap.

The three anchor points worth remembering are these: 

• Grade 7 broadly aligns with the old Grade A.
• Grade 4 broadly aligns with the old Grade C.
• Grade 1 broadly aligns with the old Grade G.

The grades in between do not have exact historical equivalents; they are spread out across the scale.

This is why online conversion charts may show slightly different comparisons.

What Counts as a Pass?

Standard pass: Grade 4 or C

This is the threshold most schools and colleges treat as the minimum for progression. Students who don't reach a 4 or C in English or Maths typically need to continue studying and resitting these subjects.

Strong pass: Grade 5–6 or B

Increasingly, this is the number that actually matters in practice. Many competitive sixth forms and universities now look for a 5 or 6 specifically in English and Maths, rather than treating the standard pass as sufficient on its own.

Grades 1–3 or E–G: not a failure

A common and understandable misconception is that anything below a standard pass is a fail. It isn't. Grades 1 to 3 (or E to G) are genuine, classified results that show real subject knowledge, they simply sit below the level usually required for the next stage of study in that subject.

What does a U mean?

A U, or ungraded, means the minimum standard for a classified grade wasn't reached. This is the only outcome that functions as an actual fail, and it's worth speaking to the school directly about resit options or alternative pathways if it happens.

How Are Grade Boundaries Set?

The minimum marks needed for each grade are set after every exam session, not before. Senior examiners review how difficult that year's paper was and how students performed overall, then set boundaries so a given grade represents a consistent standard of achievement year to year, even when one year's paper is harder than another's.

This means the same percentage score can land a different grade in different years or different subjects. A 75% might be an A in one subject's boundary and a B in another's. It's never accurate to assume a fixed rule like “A* always means 90%.”

What Good IGCSE Grades Look Like, by Pathway

• Continuing to A-Level or IB Diploma generally: grade 4/C minimum, grade 5–6/B recommended
• A-Level or IB Higher Level Maths and Sciences: grade 7/A minimum, grade 8–9/A* ideal
• Competitive university pathways, including Medicine and Oxbridge-track applications: a profile weighted toward grades 7–9 or A–A* across core subjects
• General university entry: a spread across grades 5–7 or B–A across core subjects is typically sufficient

What If the Results Aren't What Was Hoped For?

A disappointing result doesn't close off the pathways a student was working toward — it usually changes the route, not the destination. A few genuine options are worth exploring before assuming the worst:

• Speaking directly with the school or coordinator about resit windows and whether a review of marking is worthwhile
• Checking whether the sixth form or next course has any flexibility for students who were close to the required grade
• Looking at alternative subject combinations or pathways that still lead toward the same eventual goal

Where the gap is specifically about how a subject was performed on the day rather than what was actually understood, that's usually a technique or timing issue rather than a knowledge one — and it's fixable with the right diagnostic, not just more revision of the same material.

Beyond Grades: The Real Key to Improvement

So now, you can read the report card. 

Fine. That's it, that's all it does.

A grade tells you where you landed. Not why. And the ‘why’ is the only bit that changes anything. 

Was it a content gap? Exam technique? Ran out of time on Paper 2? 

Three different problems. Three different fixes. 

Guess wrong and you get the same grade again.

This is where MentorMatch makes things easier. A baseline assessment finds exactly where the marks went- not roughly, exactly. Then a learning roadmap built around that gap, not a generic revision timetable. Sessions under real exam conditions, so the next result reflects readiness, not repetition.

And you watch it move. Every session, measured. No guesswork. No assumptions.

Book a free session, we'll show you where the marks actually went.

Key Takeaways

• Cambridge IGCSE mainly reports grades as A* to G; Edexcel International GCSE reports grades as 9 to 1 — the same numerical scale used for GCSEs in England
• A grade 4 (or the equivalent grade C) is the standard pass; a grade 5 or 6 (broadly B) is considered a strong pass
• Grades 1 to 3 (or E to G) are genuine classified results, not failures — only a U (ungraded) means the minimum standard wasn't reached
• The two scales are not a full clean one-to-one conversion — only three points (grade 7≈A, grade 4≈C, grade 1≈G) are officially anchored; everything else is approximate

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a grade 5 or a B a good IGCSE result?

Yes. A grade 5 (or the equivalent B) sits above the standard pass level and is increasingly what competitive sixth forms and universities look for, particularly in English and Maths.

Is grade 3 or D a fail at IGCSE?

No — grades 1 to 3 (or E to G) are still classified, graded results, not failures. They sit below the standard pass threshold, which matters for progression, but they are not the same as ungraded (U).

Why does my child's report show letters while their cousin's shows numbers?

It depends on the exam board, not the student's performance. Cambridge IGCSE mostly reports A* to G; Edexcel International GCSE reports 9 to 1. Some Cambridge subjects in certain regions also use 9 to 1, so a single report card can occasionally mix both.

How does MentorMatch help if IGCSE results come in lower than expected?

A baseline assessment identifies exactly where marks were lost in a specific subject — content, technique, or timing — and a personalised learning roadmap builds from that gap, so the next set of exams reflects genuine readiness rather than a repeat of the same result.