Is 262/300 Good Enough for an A* in IAL Chemistry?
Published on 18 August 2026
Pearson Edexcel released the June 2026 International A Level results to students on Thursday, 13 August 2026. One of my IAL Chemistry students received the following IAS unit results:
She was worried that this result might not be good enough for her to achieve an A* when she completes the full IAL Chemistry qualification next year.
However, her result is already very strong. The important point is to understand how the final A* grade is calculated.
1. 262/300 Is Already an A at IAS Level
The grade A boundary for Pearson Edexcel International AS Chemistry is 240/300 UMS.
This student achieved 262/300, which is 22 UMS above the grade A boundary:
The result is already a clear grade A at IAS level.
A* is not awarded for the IAS qualification. The highest IAS grade is A. The A* grade is awarded only after the IAS and IA2 units have been combined into the full International A Level.
2. What Is Needed for an A*?
IAL Chemistry contains six units:
- IAS: WCH11, WCH12 and WCH13 — 300 UMS
- IA2: WCH14, WCH15 and WCH16 — 300 UMS
The full qualification therefore has a maximum of 600 UMS.
To receive an A*, a student must meet both of the following requirements:
At least 480 UMS across all six units combined.
At least 270 UMS across WCH14, WCH15 and WCH16.
Both conditions must be met.
A high overall score is not enough if the IA2 total is below 270/300.
3. What Does She Need Next Year?
She already has 262 UMS from her IAS units. To reach the overall grade A requirement of 480, she would mathematically need:
However, 218/300 at IA2 would not be enough for an A*. This is because the separate IA2 requirement is 270/300.
Her actual A* target must therefore remain:
If she achieves exactly 270/300 at IA2, her final result will be:
A total of 532/600 is comfortably above the overall requirement of 480/600.
Therefore, her main challenge next year is not the overall total. It is achieving at least 270/300 in the IA2 units.
4. Would a Higher IAS Score Make IA2 Easier?
A higher IAS score would increase her final total and provide an extra overall buffer. However, it would not reduce the IA2 requirement.
Even if she had achieved 280 or 300 UMS at IAS, she would still need at least 270/300 across the three IA2 units to receive an A*.
| IAS | IA2 | Overall | A*? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 262 | 270 | 532 | Yes |
| 262 | 269 | 531 | No |
| 300 | 269 | 569 | No |
The final example is important.
Even with a perfect IAS score of 300/300, an IA2 result of 269/300 would still miss the A* requirement by one UMS.
5. The Simple Conclusion
- Her IAS total is 262/300 UMS.
- The IAS grade A boundary is 240/300 UMS.
- She has already achieved a strong grade A at IAS level.
- To achieve an A*, she needs at least 480/600 overall.
- She must also achieve at least 270/300 at IA2.
- A higher IAS score would increase her overall total, but it would not reduce the fixed IA2 requirement of 270/300.
There Is No Need to Be Disappointed
A score of 262/300 is already an excellent start. She should now focus on WCH14, WCH15 and WCH16, with the clear goal of achieving at least 270/300 across the three IA2 units.