Academic grading in Norway
Encyclopedia
Universities and university college
s normally use the ECTS grading scale
. Most institutions have official "explanations" of the grades equivalent to the following:
In some subjects the grades Passed/Not passed and Recognized/Not recognized are used.
The formerly most common system of grades used at university level was based on a scale running from 1.0 (highest) through 6.0 (lowest), 4.0 being the lowest passing grade. Except from in natural sciences and mathematics, the grades from 1.0 to 1.5 were rarely used, de facto reducing the grade range from 1.6 to 6.0 outside these fields. Medicine and law studies used a different grading system. The way the ECTS grading scale was introduced implies that students who had started their studies while the old system still was in effect will graduate with transcripts containing grades from both systems (i.e., both numbers and letters).
Lower levels of education (secondary school) use a scale running from 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest and 2 as the lowest passing grade.
The grading scale is as follows:
For non-final tests and mid-term evaluations, grades are often postfixed with + or − (except 6+ and 1−), and it is also common to use grades such as 5/6 or 4/3 indicating borderline grades. This practice is unofficial. Finals, and the final grades for each subject, may only be graded with whole numbers.
In addition, grades are given for conduct, in particular tidiness and behavior. This scale runs:
"G" represents the normal good conduct. The "Ng" grade indicates clear deviations from normal good conduct, while the "Lg" grade are for extraordinary cases with major deviations. In some cases the scale is extended with + or - suffixes, most commonly "G-", to inform a student of a borderline status.
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
s normally use 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...
. Most institutions have official "explanations" of the grades equivalent to the following:
| Symbol | Description | General, qualitative description of valuation criteria |
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | An excellent performance, clearly outstanding. The candidate demonstrates excellent judgement and a high degree of independent thinking. |
| B | Very good | A very good performance. The candidate demonstrates sound judgement and a very good degree of independent thinking. |
| C | Good | A good performance in most areas. The candidate demonstrates a reasonable degree of judgement and independent thinking in the most important areas. |
| D | Satisfactory | A satisfactory performance, but with significant shortcomings. The candidate demonstrates a limited degree of judgement and independent thinking. |
| E | Sufficient | A performance that meets the minimum criteria, but no more. The candidate demonstrates a very limited degree of judgement and independent thinking. |
| F | Fail | A performance that does not meet the minimum academic criteria. The candidate demonstrates an absence of both judgement and independent thinking. |
In some subjects the grades Passed/Not passed and Recognized/Not recognized are used.
The formerly most common system of grades used at university level was based on a scale running from 1.0 (highest) through 6.0 (lowest), 4.0 being the lowest passing grade. Except from in natural sciences and mathematics, the grades from 1.0 to 1.5 were rarely used, de facto reducing the grade range from 1.6 to 6.0 outside these fields. Medicine and law studies used a different grading system. The way the ECTS grading scale was introduced implies that students who had started their studies while the old system still was in effect will graduate with transcripts containing grades from both systems (i.e., both numbers and letters).
Lower levels of education (secondary school) use a scale running from 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest and 2 as the lowest passing grade.
The grading scale is as follows:
- 1 Very low level of competence in the subject
- 2 Low level of competence in the subject
- 3 Fairly good competence in the subject
- 4 Good competence in the subject
- 5 Very good competence in the subject
- 6 Outstanding competence in the subject
For non-final tests and mid-term evaluations, grades are often postfixed with + or − (except 6+ and 1−), and it is also common to use grades such as 5/6 or 4/3 indicating borderline grades. This practice is unofficial. Finals, and the final grades for each subject, may only be graded with whole numbers.
In addition, grades are given for conduct, in particular tidiness and behavior. This scale runs:
- G (God or Good)
- Ng (Nokså god or Fairly good)
- Lg (Lite god or Little good)
"G" represents the normal good conduct. The "Ng" grade indicates clear deviations from normal good conduct, while the "Lg" grade are for extraordinary cases with major deviations. In some cases the scale is extended with + or - suffixes, most commonly "G-", to inform a student of a borderline status.