A-level grade boundaries

After the A–Level results are published, the exam boards release further details about the papers, including the grade boundaries.  Here is a document published yesterday from AQA, with such grade boundaries.  Scrolling down to the first physics paper gives fairly representative numbers.  In percentage terms, the scores needed for each grade are

A* 73%

A  60%

B  50%

C  40%

D  30%

E  20%

I don't think I knew these numbers before.  At Universities in the UK module pass marks are usually 40% (at least, I looked at a few at random: Southampton, Royal Holloway, Hull, and they all have 40%).  I dare say one has to demonstrate some real knowledge of the subject to hit even 20% of marks, so having a nominal pass outcome to show achievement at 20% seems reasonable enough.  Interesting!  70% seems to be a pretty standard University score for a first class degree (see p6 of the Southampton document, above), so actually, the A–Level and Unviersity schemes seem pretty will lined-up, except that a C grade at A–Level would be about the lowest grade to consider accepting without any other indicators to go on.