IAL January 2026 Grade Boundaries: What to Expect Now (And How to Win June exams)

Hosni Showike • 17 January 2026

Straight Answers, Real Data, Smarter Preparation

Sitting the June 2026 series? The June 2026 grade boundaries are out — every Biology and Chemistry unit, with a UMS calculator →

Edexcel IAL January 2026 grade boundaries

Pearson has published the grade boundaries for the January 2026 International AS and A Level series. Below is every Biology and Chemistry unit: the raw mark needed for each grade, and the UMS mark it converts to.

Two things are worth knowing before you find your row. The UMS boundaries never move — a 120-mark unit converts at 96 for an a, 84 for a b, 72 for a c, in every session — so all the variation between one series and the next sits in the raw marks. And on Chemistry, three of the A-variant papers carried different boundaries from the main papers this session, so check which paper you sat before you count.

Biology — International AS units

Unit	Scale	Max	a	b	c	d	e
WBI11 Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health	Raw	80	54	48	42	36	30
WBI11 Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health	UMS	120	96	84	72	60	48
WBI12 Cells, Development, Biodiversity and Conservation	Raw	80	57	50	43	37	31
WBI12 Cells, Development, Biodiversity and Conservation	UMS	120	96	84	72	60	48
WBI13 Practical Skills in Biology I	Raw	50	38	33	28	23	19
WBI13 Practical Skills in Biology I	UMS	60	48	42	36	30	24

Biology — International A2 units

Pearson publishes a theoretical a* boundary for A2 units.

Unit	Scale	Max	a*	a	b	c	d	e
WBI14 Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity	Raw	90	61	55	49	44	39	34
WBI14 Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity	UMS	120	108	96	84	72	60	48
WBI15 Respiration, Internal Environment, Coordination and Gene Technology	Raw	90	67	60	53	47	41	35
	UMS	120	108	96	84	72	60	48
WBI16 Practical Skills in Biology II	Raw	50	43	38	33	29	25	21
WBI16 Practical Skills in Biology II	UMS	60	54	48	42	36	30	24

Every Biology A-variant paper carried the same boundaries as its main paper this session.

Chemistry — International AS units

Unit	Scale	Max	a	b	c	d	e
WCH11 Structure, Bonding and Introduction to Organic Chemistry	Raw	80	63	55	47	39	32
	UMS	120	96	84	72	60	48
WCH12 Energetics, Group Chemistry, Halogenoalkanes and Alcohols	Raw	80	60	52	44	36	29
	UMS	120	96	84	72	60	48
WCH13 Practical Skills in Chemistry I	Raw	50	35	30	26	22	18
WCH13 Practical Skills in Chemistry I	UMS	60	48	42	36	30	24

Chemistry — International A2 units

Unit	Scale	Max	a*	a	b	c	d	e
WCH14 Rates, Equilibria and Further Organic Chemistry	Raw	90	81	72	63	54	46	38
WCH14 Rates, Equilibria and Further Organic Chemistry	UMS	120	108	96	84	72	60	48
WCH15 Transition Metals and Organic Nitrogen Chemistry	Raw	90	73	66	59	52	45	39
WCH15 Transition Metals and Organic Nitrogen Chemistry	UMS	120	108	96	84	72	60	48
WCH16 Practical Skills in Chemistry II	Raw	50	41	37	33	29	26	23
WCH16 Practical Skills in Chemistry II	UMS	60	54	48	42	36	30	24

Chemistry — the variant papers that differ

If you sat a variant paper, these are your boundaries, not the ones above. Units 1A, 2A, 5A and 6A matched their main papers.

Unit	Scale	Max	a*	a	b	c	d	e
WCH13 Unit 3A: Practical Skills in Chemistry I	Raw	50	—	37	32	28	24	20
WCH14 Unit 4A: Rates, Equilibria and Further Organic Chemistry	Raw	90	81	73	64	55	47	39

Full qualification boundaries

Cash-in grades are awarded on UMS totals only.

Code	Qualification	Max UMS	A	B	C	D	E
XBI11	International AS Level Biology	300	240	210	180	150	120
YBI11	International A Level Biology	600	480	420	360	300	240
XCH11	International AS Level Chemistry	300	240	210	180	150	120
YCH11	International A Level Chemistry	600	480	420	360	300	240

What the January figures tell you before June

Chemistry Unit 4 was the hardest paper in either subject. An a* needed 81 raw marks out of 90 — 90% of the paper. An a needed 72, exactly 80%. Biology Unit 4 set a* at 61 out of 90, under 68%. If you are sitting WCH14 in June, treat 90% as the working target for an a* rather than the 80% that feels intuitive.

Chemistry Unit 1 ran nine marks above Biology Unit 1. WCH11 needed 63 out of 80 for an a; WBI11 needed 54, on papers of identical length. A Chemistry student converting AS marks into a June plan should not borrow a Biology classmate's arithmetic.

The practical units split in opposite directions. WCH13 needed 35 out of 50 for an a and WBI13 needed 38 — but the WCH13 variant paper needed 37, two marks above its own main paper. Practical boundaries move more than students expect, and the variant is where that bites.

Figures throughout are from Pearson's published January 2026 grade boundaries for International AS and A Level.

Students sitting a formal exam in a large exam hall under strict exam conditions, writing answers at spaced desks with an invigilator supervising in the background, representing IAL and A-level examination environment for January 2026.

Where to Check Updates and Get Help

Official Boundaries and Policy

Pearson grade boundaries and methodology

Historical and Comparison Context

Cross-board examples (not IAL, but useful for understanding adjustment logic):
AQA A-Level grade boundaries 2025
OCR June 2025 grade boundaries

Primary Analysis of January 2026 Unit 1

Educator and student debrief – YouTube

Structured Preparation for Units 2 and 3

If you want exam-technique-focused preparation, including timed mocks, mark-scheme alignment, and boundary-aware strategy for IAL Biology and Chemistry Units 2 and 3, see:

👉 IAL Edexcel Biology Live Classes

👉 IAL Edexcel Chemistry Live Classes