Combined Science Grade Calculator
Enter your marks across all six AQA Combined Science Trilogy papers. Get your estimated double grade (e.g. 8-8) and see which science is pulling you down.
| Double Grade | Marks (out of 420) | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 9-9 | 357+ | 85%+ |
| 8-8 | 319 – 356 | 76% – 84% |
| 7-7 | 281 – 318 | 67% – 75% |
| 6-6 | 243 – 280 | 58% – 66% |
| 5-5 | 205 – 242 | 49% – 57% |
| 4-4 | 168 – 204 | 40% – 48% |
| 3-3 | 130 – 167 | 31% – 39% |
| Below 3-3 | 0 – 129 | 0% – 30% |
Combined Science awards two grades together. Boundaries reflect typical recent AQA Higher Tier Trilogy grades, vary each session.
What is GCSE Combined Science (Trilogy)?
Combined Science, sometimes called "Double Science", is the most common science route at GCSE. Students study Biology, Chemistry and Physics but sit a slimmed-down version of each, taking six papers in total and receiving two grades (e.g. 8-8, 7-6, 5-5). AQA calls this specification "Trilogy". Most state schools enter the majority of students for Combined Science rather than Triple (Separate) Science.
Six papers, each 1 hour 15 minutes
Two Biology papers (70 marks each), two Chemistry papers (70 each), two Physics papers (70 each). Total: 420 marks. Papers split content roughly in half, e.g. Biology Paper 1 covers cells to bioenergetics, Paper 2 covers homeostasis to ecology.
How the double grade works
Your total across all six papers is mapped to a pair of grades. Roughly matched scores give symmetrical grades (8-8, 7-7). Uneven performance can give grades like 9-8 or 6-5. Universities and sixth forms treat the two grades as equivalent to two separate GCSEs.
Where Combined Science Students Lose Marks
Three patterns we see most often at Think Smart Academy: weak performance on Required Practicals (worth ~15% across papers), poor application of knowledge to unfamiliar contexts (AO2), and running out of time on long-response questions. If your Biology marks look healthy but Chemistry is dragging you down by 10+ marks per paper, that's where the grade improvement lives.
Science pulling you down?
We specialise in fixing that.
Our science tutors run weekly small-group sessions across all three subjects. Book a free 30-minute diagnostic and we'll identify which science (and which papers) need focus.