Cambridge IGCSE History Boundaries Are Out… Here’s What You Needed for an A/A*

If you found some IGCSE History papers harder than others, you are not alone. Cambridge recognises this by using grade thresholds, which adjust the marks needed for each grade depending on the difficulty of each paper. This article explains the June 2025 grade thresholds for IGCSE History (0470), shows the minimum marks required for each component, and helps you understand how your final grade is calculated.

The table below shows the Grade Thresholds for the Cambridge IGCSE History (0470) exam from the June 2025 series. In simple terms, a "grade threshold" is the minimum raw mark a student needs to achieve a certain grade.

1. Understanding the Columns

• Component: This refers to the specific exam paper or coursework module. History students usually take three different components.

• Maximum Raw Mark Available: This is the total number of points you could possibly score on that specific paper.

• A through G: These columns show the minimum score needed to earn that grade for that specific component

2. Our Observations

   
   

Paper 1 (Components 11, 12, 13) — Max Mark: 60

These are some of the core content papers.

• Component 11 & 12: You needed 29 out of 60 to get an A.

• Component 13: This version was likely slightly "easier" or students performed better, as the requirement for an A was higher (32 out of 60).

Paper 2 (Components 21, 22, 23) — Max Mark: 40

The thresholds for an A are relatively low (23 or 24 out of 40), which indicates that this paper is generally considered quite challenging for students.

Paper 4 / Coursework (Components 03, 41, 42, 43)

• Component 03 (Coursework): This has a very high threshold (34 out of 40 for an A). This is common for coursework because students have more time to perfect their work.

• Component 41, 42, 43 (Alternative to Coursework): These have a lower threshold for an A (20 out of 40). This suggests the exam was quite rigorous or the marking criteria were very strict.

3. Important Notes

Why is there no A* column?

Grade A does not exist at the level of an individual component. You cannot get an A* on just Paper 1. The A* is only calculated at the syllabus level. After the exam board adds up all your marks from all three papers (applying "weighting" to them), they determine if your total score reaches the A* threshold for the entire qualification.

How to use this data

If you are practicing with past papers from the June 2025 series:

1. Grade your paper to find your raw mark.

2. Look at the component number (e.g., 12).

3. See where your mark falls. If you got a 22 on Component 12, you achieved a Grade C (since 20 is the minimum for C, but you didn't reach 25 for a B).

This second table provides the overall grade thresholds for the entire qualification. While the first table focused on individual papers, this table shows how those papers are combined and "weighted" to determine your final grade for the June 2025 series.

1. Understanding the Columns

• Option: This is the specific "entry path" you took. Different schools choose different combinations of components.

• Maximum mark after weighting: The total possible score for the whole IGCSE after individual paper marks are mathematically adjusted. For most History options, this is 150.

• Combination of components: This tells you which specific papers make up that option. For example, Option AX consists of Component 03, 11, and 21.

• A to G:* These are the minimum weighted marks required to achieve that final grade.

2. Weighting Explained

   
   

If you add up the raw marks for Option AX (40 + 60 + 40), the total is 140. however, the table shows the "Maximum mark after weighting" is 150. This means the exam board scales the marks (usually giving more "weight" or importance to Paper 1) to reach a total of 150.