How Many UCAS Points Is an E at A-level?

Quick answer: An E at A-level is worth 16 UCAS points on the 2026 Tariff. It is the minimum pass grade — the lowest A-level result that still earns points and still counts towards your total.

That distinction matters more than it first appears. An E is a pass, not a fail: it keeps the qualification on your record, keeps its points in your total and keeps doors open that a U grade closes completely. This page shows exactly what an E is worth, how it compares with every other grade, and what totals built on E grades still reach.

What an E at A-level is worth

An E earns a fixed 16 points on the UCAS Tariff — the same value whatever the subject, exam board or year you sat it. The breakdown below shows the figure alongside other qualification routes that land on the same value.

Several other qualifications carry exactly the same 16-point value, which puts the grade in useful context:

In other words, an E at A-level matches a B at AS-level — a reminder that a full A-level pass represents two years of study at the higher level, even at the bottom grade.

How an E compares with other A-level grades

Every step up the A-level scale adds exactly 8 points, and E sits on the bottom rung of that ladder with D one step above. The full A-level UCAS points table runs from E up to A*:

Read the gaps, not just the values. An E is worth half a C and one third of an A. Moving a single subject from E to D adds 8 points to your total; moving it from E to C adds 16 — a whole extra E's worth of points from one improved grade. That is why targeted work on your weakest subject is the highest-leverage revision decision on the entire Tariff.

How E grades stack into offer totals

Universities that use the Tariff add your three A-level grades into one combined total, and each E contributes its 16 points to that figure. Three Es come to 48 points, DEE reaches 56, DDE reaches 64 and CDE lands on 72 — the same total as DDD at A-level.

A single E does not sink an otherwise strong set of results either. Two As alongside an E total exactly 112 UCAS points — the most common offer band in UK admissions. On the Tariff, where your points come from matters far less than what they add up to.

If your predicted grades sit around the E-to-D boundary, every route to the low totals is mapped on the 48 UCAS points page and the bands either side of it.

What 16 points can still do — the minimum pass

A total built on E grades keeps real options open. Foundation years, HNC and HND courses and foundation-entry degrees sit at the lower end of the Tariff scale, and Clearing lists vacancies every August at totals that three Es reach. The path from E-grade results to a full honours degree usually runs through one of these stepping-stone routes rather than direct entry — longer, but well-trodden and fully funded through Student Finance in the same way.

The E also protects you in three ways a fail never does:

• It keeps the qualification. An E is a certificated A-level pass; a U leaves nothing on your record.
• It keeps the points. Each E stacks its 16 points with everything else you hold — other A-levels, an EPQ, AS-levels, graded music.
• It keeps Clearing open. Clearing courses ask for a points total or specific grades, and a three-E total clears more published entry lines than most students expect.

How to lift a total built on E grades

The fastest additions come from qualifications taken alongside your A-levels: an EPQ adds up to 28 points for an A*, an AS-level adds up to 20 points for an A, and Core Maths adds up to 20 as well. Resitting is the other route — a retake replaces the old grade entirely, so lifting one subject from E to C swaps 16 points for 32. Every option, with realistic timelines and effort levels, is covered in the guide to how to get more UCAS points.

One caveat before you plan around points: not every university accepts Tariff totals. Selective courses typically make offers in specific grades — an offer of BBC means those three grades, however your points add up. Courses that do use points totals, common at post-1992 universities and in applied subjects, accept any combination that reaches the stated figure, E grades included. Check the exact offer wording on each course page before relying on either version.

Enter your grades — real and predicted — to see your exact total and the bands within reach.

Work out your A-level points total