Academic grading in France
Encyclopedia
The French grading system is based mostly on a 20-point grading scale: it is used above all in secondary schools and universities.
The French high school diploma baccalauréat
uses the 20-point scale, with the following mentions (honors):
Primary schools generally use a 10-point grading scale or a letter grade like the ECTS grading scale
. French universities traditionally use the 20-point grading scale, generally in a stricter way than secondary schools, which means that students have unlikely as high marks as in secondary school. The case of the so-called "Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles" is particular in the sense that class ranking rather than marks usually reflect the student performance. An average mark of 7 can therefore be considered as a satisfactory grade if the student performs to be in the top of his class.
The ECTS grading scale is more and more common in the post-secondary education system, since it is the standard for comparing study performance throughout the European Union
. The GPA grading scale is becoming more and more common as well, since it eases the comparison with American students.
Some Grandes écoles
use 'exotic' systems, like Ecole Centrale de Lille
, which uses a three-letter scale system:
The French high school diploma baccalauréat
Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
uses the 20-point scale, with the following mentions (honors):
- 18-20 : Congratulations (félicitations du jury not an official grade)
- 16-17,9 : very good (très bien : TB)
- 14-15,9 : good (bien : B)
- 12-13,9 : satisfactory (assez bien : AB)
- 10-11,9 : correct (passable not an official grade)
- 0-9,9 : Fail (insuffisant)
Primary schools generally use a 10-point grading scale or a letter grade like the ECTS grading scale
ECTS grading scale
The ECTS grading scale is a grading system defined in the ECTS framework by the European Commission. Since many different grading systems co-exist in Europe, and considering that interpretation of grades varies considerably from one country to another, if not from one institution to another, the...
. French universities traditionally use the 20-point grading scale, generally in a stricter way than secondary schools, which means that students have unlikely as high marks as in secondary school. The case of the so-called "Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles" is particular in the sense that class ranking rather than marks usually reflect the student performance. An average mark of 7 can therefore be considered as a satisfactory grade if the student performs to be in the top of his class.
The ECTS grading scale is more and more common in the post-secondary education system, since it is the standard for comparing study performance throughout the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The GPA grading scale is becoming more and more common as well, since it eases the comparison with American students.
Some Grandes écoles
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...
use 'exotic' systems, like Ecole Centrale de Lille
École Centrale de Lille
Located in the campus of the University of Lille in France, École Centrale de Lille is a renowned Graduate Engineering school, with roots back to 1854 as the École des arts industriels et des mines de Lille, re-organised in 1872 as Institut industriel du Nord.It is one of the Centrale Graduate...
, which uses a three-letter scale system:
- A: Excellent
- S: Satisfactory (satisfaisant)
- I: Fail (insuffisant)
External links
- French - American Grade Comparison http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/french/Grade%20Conversion%20Scales.pdf