The 25-Point Maths Bonus, Explained in Two Minutes
Score an H6 or better in Higher Level maths and the CAO adds 25 points to your total. That is the whole rule. The bonus counts when maths lands in your best six subjects, and it does whenever it improves your total, so an H6 or better means the 25 points are yours. The maximum on the scale is 625: six H1s plus the bonus.
What each grade is worth
| Higher Maths grade | Base points | With the bonus |
|---|---|---|
| H1 | 100 | 125 |
| H2 | 88 | 113 |
| H3 | 77 | 102 |
| H4 | 66 | 91 |
| H5 | 56 | 81 |
| H6 | 46 | 71 |
| H7 | 37 | 37 (no bonus) |
| H8 | 0 | 0 (no bonus) |
The bonus turns a modest grade into a serious contributor. An H6 on its own carries 46 points; with the bonus it counts 71. An H5 and an O1 both carry 56 base points, a straight tie, yet the bonus lifts the H5 to 81.
A quick worked total: two H4s (66 each), three H5s (56 each), and an H6 in maths (46) add up to 346 base points. The bonus brings it to 371. Swap that maths H6 for an H7 and the total falls to 337, a 34-point gap from one grade boundary in one subject.
The H7 cliff
The bonus stops at H6. An H7 earns 37 points with no bonus, and an H8 earns zero. One grade boundary separates 71 points from 37.
Now set the Ordinary paper beside that cliff. An O1 carries 56 and an O2 carries 46, and both beat an H7. A student heading for an H7 on the Higher paper would score more by switching to the Ordinary paper and landing in its top two grades. Dropping down costs nothing in that scenario.
Higher or Ordinary, the honest version
The decision hangs on which grade band you would land in on each paper, and your maths teacher has the clearest view of that. Bring your mock result to the conversation.
- H6 or better within reach: stay Higher. The bonus pays at each grade, and the bottom rung, 71 points, beats anything the Ordinary paper offers.
- H7 or H8 the probable outcome: the Ordinary paper protects you. An O1 (56) or O2 (46) outscores the H7's 37, and the gap to an H8's zero is wider again.
Students sitting on the H6/H7 boundary face the genuine dilemma, a 71 against a 56 if both papers go well, against a 37 if the Higher paper goes wrong. The honest answer there comes from past papers and a teacher who has watched you work, and you have months left to move the odds before you commit.
Two misreadings to avoid
First, the best-six rule does not require maths to be your strongest subject. Suppose maths is your weakest of seven at H6 (46 base), with an H4 (66) elsewhere as your sixth-best. With the bonus, maths counts 71 and replaces the H4 in your best six. The count handles this for you; you cannot lose points by sitting Higher maths and passing it.
Second, the bonus belongs to the Higher maths paper alone. Strong Ordinary grades earn no top-up, however good the result, and no other Higher subject carries one either. The LCVP link module has its own scale (66 for a Distinction, 46 for a Merit, 28 for a Pass), and that scale stands on its own, with no connection to the maths bonus.
See it against real cut-offs
Enter your expected grades into the points calculator. It applies the bonus on its own, picks your best six, and shows which courses the total puts in reach. Once you know the number, spend your energy on the part of the form the bonus cannot fix: the order of your list.