Academic grading in Italy
Encyclopedia
There are two grading systems
used in Italy
:
a 10-point scale is used, 6 being the minimum grade for passing.
From worst to best, grades range from 2 to 10. When a professor wants to apply a more precise scale, rather than using decimals, they often use symbols such as "+" and "-" as rough equivalents. For example, the range between 5 and 6, as with all other marks, can be covered, in sequence, by 5+, 5½, 6−−, 6−. A 5+ would be anything above 5 that doesn't reach 5½ (5.5), a 6-- (rarely used, usually given out of courtesy as a potential second chance) can be anything between 5½ and 6-, and a 6- is usually between 5.75 and 6.
As these symbols (except ½) have no clear mathematical value, and as such, the decision of how much weight gets put unto them tends can involve a bit of bias based on the student's overall performance, effort, and general behavior. This is especially true for meeting final, passing criteria, where, when calculating the mean, a 6-- may be taken into consideration as a full 6 if the student is of generally good behavior and has had trouble studying due to lack of comprehension rather than laziness; To clear confusion, there has been a push in recent years to uniform the system to the 0–10 scale.
Prior to 2008, elementary and middle schools used a 5-point scale, with Non Sufficiente meaning "5 or less", and the other grades - Sufficiente, Buono, Distinto, Ottimo - standing respectively for 6, 7, 8 and 9/10.
To someone familiar with both the Italian and the U.S. college systems, Italian grades are best translated into American grades (and vice versa) according to the following table:
Grade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
used in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
:
Primary and secondary school
In Italian primary and secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
a 10-point scale is used, 6 being the minimum grade for passing.
From worst to best, grades range from 2 to 10. When a professor wants to apply a more precise scale, rather than using decimals, they often use symbols such as "+" and "-" as rough equivalents. For example, the range between 5 and 6, as with all other marks, can be covered, in sequence, by 5+, 5½, 6−−, 6−. A 5+ would be anything above 5 that doesn't reach 5½ (5.5), a 6-- (rarely used, usually given out of courtesy as a potential second chance) can be anything between 5½ and 6-, and a 6- is usually between 5.75 and 6.
As these symbols (except ½) have no clear mathematical value, and as such, the decision of how much weight gets put unto them tends can involve a bit of bias based on the student's overall performance, effort, and general behavior. This is especially true for meeting final, passing criteria, where, when calculating the mean, a 6-- may be taken into consideration as a full 6 if the student is of generally good behavior and has had trouble studying due to lack of comprehension rather than laziness; To clear confusion, there has been a push in recent years to uniform the system to the 0–10 scale.
Prior to 2008, elementary and middle schools used a 5-point scale, with Non Sufficiente meaning "5 or less", and the other grades - Sufficiente, Buono, Distinto, Ottimo - standing respectively for 6, 7, 8 and 9/10.
University
For ordinary exams, universities in Italy use a 30-point scale simply divided in two: non passing (0 to 17), and passing grades (18 to 30 cum laude). For the final score a 110-point scale is used, which is divided in two as well, with 66 being the minimum grade for passing. The 110-point takes into consideration of both exam scores and the final thesis. For outstanding results, the Lode "praise" is added to the maximum grade.| ECTS Grade | Definition | % of successful students | Corresponding Italian grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 10% | 29-30 cum Laude |
| B | Very Good | 25% | 26-28 |
| C | Good | 30% | 23-25 |
| D | Satisfactory | 25% | 19-22 |
| E | Sufficient | 10% | 18 |
| FX | Fail | 14-17 | |
| F | Fail | 0-13 |
To someone familiar with both the Italian and the U.S. college systems, Italian grades are best translated into American grades (and vice versa) according to the following table:
| U.S. Grade | Definition | Corresponding Italian grades |
|---|---|---|
| A-, A, A+ | Excellent | 27-30 cum Laude |
| B-, B, B+ | Good | 24-26 |
| C-, C, C+ | Satisfactory | 21-23 |
| D-, D, D+ | Barely passing | 18-20 |
| E or F | Fail | 0-17 |