What is a good IGCSE grade?

"Is a 6 good? Is a B good enough?" There's no single answer, because "good" only means something relative to what you need next. A grade that's excellent for one student's plan is a problem for another's. Here's a level-headed way to judge your grades instead of chasing a number in a vacuum.

First, the objective anchors

A pass: grade 4 (or C) is the widely recognised "standard pass"; grade 5 is often called a "strong pass".
Strong grades: 7–9 (or A/A*) are what selective sixth forms and competitive university paths tend to want in relevant subjects.
Top grades: a 9 is rare by design — it sits above the old A* and marks out the strongest performances.

"Good" depends on the subject and your plan

Continuing the subject at A-Level/IB? Sixth forms commonly ask for a 7 (grade A) in a subject you'll take further — sometimes a 6. Here a 6 might be "not quite enough" even though it's a good grade in isolation.
Maths and English: these are gateway subjects. A 4–5 is a baseline many courses and jobs check for; below that can require a resit later regardless of how strong you are elsewhere.
Subjects you're dropping: a solid pass is usually plenty — no need to have chased a 9 in a subject you'll never study again.

What sixth forms and universities actually look at

Sixth forms look at your IGCSE profile to predict A-Level success — typically a cluster of strong grades overall plus the specific grade needed in subjects you want to continue. Universities, later, care most about your A-Levels/IB, but they do check IGCSE Maths and English, and highly selective courses may look at the breadth and strength of your IGCSE set as a tie-breaker. Nobody is impressed or unimpressed by the "International" label itself — it's the grades that talk.

A sane way to judge your own grades

Write down what each grade is for — continuing, gateway requirement, or dropping. Judge each against that, not against a friend's results.
Check the requirement, not the vibe — if your target sixth form's page says "6 in the subject", a 6 is good; a 7 is a bonus, not a rescue.
Read the margin, not just the letter — a 6 that was two marks off a 7 tells you far more about your A-Level prospects than the bare grade. Our calculator shows how close you were to the next boundary.
Separate "good" from "fixable" — a below-pass gateway grade isn't a catastrophe; IGCSE's November series lets you resit within months.

Are IGCSE grades getting harder to achieve?

Grade standards are held steady across sessions by moving the boundaries, so a "7" is meant to represent the same standard year to year even as the percentage behind it shifts. What does vary is how demanding a particular paper was — which is exactly what the boundary tables reveal. If you want evidence rather than anecdote about whether your session was "harsh", compare its thresholds with the previous series on the per-session pages.

Bottom line

A good IGCSE grade is one that opens the door you're walking through next. Anchor on the requirement, respect Maths and English as gateways, read your margins, and remember that anything short of a needed pass is usually fixable — not final.

Independent study tool. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Cambridge Assessment International Education or Pearson Edexcel. Grade boundary figures are sourced from official releases; always confirm with your exam board.