Overview
Official 1123 English Language grade boundaries for June 2026 publish in August — O-Level grades 18 August 2026, component threshold tables following the 18 August results. Until then the verified tables below are the closest thing to a yardstick. Estimate with the [1123 calculator](/tools/grade-boundary-calculator/1123).
Quick answer
For Cambridge syllabus 1123, [Results day guide](/blog/cambridge-results-day-august-2026-guide) · [Post-exam prep](/blog/cambridge-post-exam-results-prep-2026)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When are June 2026 O-Level grades released? | 18 August 2026 (05:00 GMT · 06:00 BST · 10:00 PKT) |
| When are threshold tables published? | after the 18 August results |
| Papers? | Paper 1 (Writing) + Paper 2 (Reading), 50 marks each |
| Is A* set per paper? | No — A* exists only on the overall aggregate |
| Estimate tool | 1123 grade calculator |
June 2025 thresholds (verified)
These are the most recent published thresholds, taken from the official Cambridge PDF. They are not the June 2026 numbers — nobody has those until Cambridge publishes them — but they are the right yardstick for a marked past paper.
| Component | Paper | Max | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Paper 1 (Writing) | 50 | 29 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| 12 | Paper 1 (Writing) | 50 | 31 | 27 | 22 | 20 | 18 |
| 21 | Paper 2 (Reading) | 50 | 39 | 34 | 30 | 25 | 21 |
| 22 | Paper 2 (Reading) | 50 | 39 | 34 | 30 | 25 | 21 |
English Language is entered on one of two option routes: X combines components 11 and 21, Y combines 12 and 22. Overall out of 100 after weighting — X: A* 77, A 68, B 59, C 51. Y: A* 79, A 70, B 61, C 52.
Notice how far apart the two papers sit. Paper 2 needed 39 of 50 for an A in June 2025 while Paper 1 needed 29 — a ten-mark gap on identical maximums. Reading is marked against answers that are right or wrong; writing is banded. Comparing a Paper 1 mark to a Paper 2 boundary is the most common way to misread how you did in this subject.
What these numbers are, and are not
For Cambridge syllabus 1123, grade boundaries are the minimum raw marks for each grade on each component. They are set after every script is marked, so the same grade means the same standard each year: a harder paper moves the cut-off down, it does not put the grade out of reach.
Two things trip people up on results day:
- A* is not a component grade. English Language is two 50-mark papers weighted to 100. Your per-paper marks feed a weighted aggregate, and A* is set on that aggregate only.
- Variants have different boundaries. Match the component code on your statement of entry before comparing anything.
How to estimate your grade
This section covers How to estimate your grade — ranked by what Cambridge examiners return to most often in past papers.
- Sit a recent paper under timed conditions for your exact entry route.
- Mark strictly, and log every lost mark before deciding an answer basically counts.
- Compare each component's raw mark to the table above, or use the 1123 calculator.
- Re-check on 18 August, once the June 2026 table exists.
When the June 2026 numbers land
Cambridge releases O-Level grades on 18 August 2026 at 05:00 GMT (06:00 BST, 10:00 PKT). Component threshold tables follow the results rather than arriving with them, and Cambridge does not pre-announce the exact hour. This page is updated from the official PDF as soon as there is one — no estimates, no rumours.
Source: June 2025 threshold table, Cambridge International.