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.