Academic grading in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
This is an article about the grading used below degree level in most of the United Kingdom
. The entire United Kingdom does not use the same grading scheme (grades are referred to as marks in the UK). For degree level, see British undergraduate degree classification
.
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
use a unified system for grading secondary school
qualifications. Generally, the English
and Welsh
secondary school grading follows in line with the GCSE grades, with intermediate grades such as A/B, or A-, the latter of which is used less commonly.
is graded on an 8-point scale of A* -A-B-C-D-E-F-G, with U as Unclassified (Failed).
Although any grade from A* -G is officially a pass, many employers accept only A*-C. The headline official school league table also measures only A*-C grades achieved. Many sixth form
colleges require at least 5 grades A*-C to progress on to Further education
. Grade C of GCSE corresponded to grade C of GCE Ordinary Level in the late 1980s, which in turn corresponded to a pre-1975 pass.
(GCE) Advanced Level ('A'-level), is graded on a scale of A-E, with U as Unclassified (Failed) . The marks in each paper are converted to a “Unified Mark Scheme” (UMS
) according to the difficulty and weighting of the paper, and the individual UMS for each paper is added to give an overall score (out of 600 for a full 'A'-Level). It is important to note that UMS marks for a paper are not the raw marks. The UMS marks for each grade, and maximum obtainable, are as follows:
The new 2008 specifications for most examining boards provide an overall A* by combining both Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Levels. To achieve this A*, the student must get above 90% UMS in a set number of A2 papers and an A overall.
s are sat by pupils aged 15-16 in Scotland, usually across eight subjects.
There are three different levels of exam which students may sit as a Standard Grade, namely Credit, General and Foundation. Often, students are required to take two exams, depending on their ability. For example, a Credit student will usually have to sit a General exam as well, in case they fail the former; and a general student may be asked to sit both a General and a Foundation paper.
There are two numbered grades for each level, as well as two fail grades. Should a credit pupil fail their exam, their results will drop to their general paper. For the final external exams, the percentage required for each grade is determined on a per-paper basis, usually to allow a certain percentage of people to pass. This allows for varying difficulty levels of papers.
Most writing papers allow the candidate to achieve the full range of grades (1-8) for that paper according to what percentage they attain. All other papers are level-specific, and the candidate may only be awarded with either of the two grades for that level, or a fail. As a rough guide, the top grade in each level requires 70-80% or more, and the second grade requires 50% or more, where below 50% is a fail.
The percentage bands for each exams are as follows:
Credit level
General level
Foundation level
All candidates sit the General paper and some sit the Credit or Foundation paper in addition.
Fail grades
Schools in Scotland are now moving away from the Standard Grade system towards the new Higher Still program, which is part of the National Qualifications package. They are phasing in the new system gradually, with certain departments within the school choosing to adopt the new system before other departments. It is therefore common for pupils to sit a few Standard Grades and a few subjects from the Higher Still curriculum.
National Qualifications
Advanced Highers
Higher
s
Intermediate 2
Intermediate 1
Each band is further sub-divided into 'bands'. The A grade comprises bands 1 and 2, the B grade has bands 3 and 4, and so on. These bands are not shown on certificates issued by the SQA and do not need to be stated on CVs.
The Intermediate 1 Grading is equivalent to Standard Grade General, while Intermediate 2 Grading is equivalent to Standard Grade Credit. Highers remain at the same level as the previous grading under the same name, and Advanced Highers
are equivalent to the old CSYS (Certificate of Sixth Year Studies).
Percentage pass marks for each grade change from year to year depending on performance levels.
Any lower standard of work will simply result in the failing of an exam, which is not graded.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The entire United Kingdom does not use the same grading scheme (grades are referred to as marks in the UK). For degree level, see British undergraduate degree classification
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
use a unified system for grading secondary school
Secondary 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...
qualifications. Generally, the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
secondary school grading follows in line with the GCSE grades, with intermediate grades such as A/B, or A-, the latter of which is used less commonly.
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
is graded on an 8-point scale of A
Although any grade from A
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
colleges require at least 5 grades A*-C to progress on to Further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
. Grade C of GCSE corresponded to grade C of GCE Ordinary Level in the late 1980s, which in turn corresponded to a pre-1975 pass.
Advanced Level
The General Certificate of EducationGeneral Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
(GCE) Advanced Level ('A'-level), is graded on a scale of A-E, with U as Unclassified (Failed) . The marks in each paper are converted to a “Unified Mark Scheme” (UMS
Uniform Mark Scheme
A Uniform Mark Scale, or UMS, is a way of standardising the marking of papers across different examination boards, allowing someone to compare two marks marked by two different examination boards...
) according to the difficulty and weighting of the paper, and the individual UMS for each paper is added to give an overall score (out of 600 for a full 'A'-Level). It is important to note that UMS marks for a paper are not the raw marks. The UMS marks for each grade, and maximum obtainable, are as follows:
| Grade | A2 UMS points | AS UMS points | Module UMS points, percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max | 600 | 300 | 100 |
| A | 480 | 240 | 80 |
| B | 420 | 210 | 70 |
| C | 360 | 180 | 60 |
| D | 300 | 150 | 50 |
| E | 240 | 120 | 40 |
The new 2008 specifications for most examining boards provide an overall A* by combining both Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Levels. To achieve this A*, the student must get above 90% UMS in a set number of A2 papers and an A overall.
Scotland
Scotland's education system uses the following structure:National Assessments 5-14
In these tests, there aren't Grades, but students are given tests for each level, when it's thought that they should be able to achieve them. Normally if they get over 2/3 they pass the test; and are "working towards" the next level.- Level A should be attainable by almost all pupils in P3.
- Level B should be attainable by most pupils in P4.
- Level C should be attainable by most in P6.
- Level D should be attainable by most in P7.
- Level E should be attainable by most in S2.
- Level F is usually attained by S2.
Standard Grade
Standard GradeStandard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
s are sat by pupils aged 15-16 in Scotland, usually across eight subjects.
There are three different levels of exam which students may sit as a Standard Grade, namely Credit, General and Foundation. Often, students are required to take two exams, depending on their ability. For example, a Credit student will usually have to sit a General exam as well, in case they fail the former; and a general student may be asked to sit both a General and a Foundation paper.
There are two numbered grades for each level, as well as two fail grades. Should a credit pupil fail their exam, their results will drop to their general paper. For the final external exams, the percentage required for each grade is determined on a per-paper basis, usually to allow a certain percentage of people to pass. This allows for varying difficulty levels of papers.
Most writing papers allow the candidate to achieve the full range of grades (1-8) for that paper according to what percentage they attain. All other papers are level-specific, and the candidate may only be awarded with either of the two grades for that level, or a fail. As a rough guide, the top grade in each level requires 70-80% or more, and the second grade requires 50% or more, where below 50% is a fail.
The percentage bands for each exams are as follows:
Credit level
- 1 - excellent - over 70-100%
- 2 - very good - over 65%
General level
- 3 - average - over 60-65%
- 4 - satisfactory - over 50%
Foundation level
- 5 - 70% and over
- 6 - 50-70%
All candidates sit the General paper and some sit the Credit or Foundation paper in addition.
Fail grades
- 7: less than 50%
- 8: no award (when the candidate does not attend the exam)
Schools in Scotland are now moving away from the Standard Grade system towards the new Higher Still program, which is part of the National Qualifications package. They are phasing in the new system gradually, with certain departments within the school choosing to adopt the new system before other departments. It is therefore common for pupils to sit a few Standard Grades and a few subjects from the Higher Still curriculum.
National QualificationsScottish Qualifications CertificateThe Scottish Qualifications Certificate is the successor to the Scottish Certificate of Education and the Record of Education and Training in Scotland, and is the main educational qualification awarded to students in secondary, further, and vocational education. The SQC is awarded by the Scottish...
Advanced Highers
- A: Best possible grade, excellent (around 70% and above)
- B: Above average grade, very good (around 60% - 70%)
- C: Minimum pass, improvement needed (around 50% - 60%)
- D: Close fail, (between 45% and 49%)
- F: Fail/No Award, (less than 45%)
Higher
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
s
- A: Best possible grade, excellent (around 70% and above)
- B: Above average grade, very good (around 60% - 70%)
- C: Minimum pass, improvement needed (around 50% - 60%)
- D: Close fail, (between 45% and 49%)
- F: Fail/No Award, (less than 45%)
Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2 level is Level 5 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Though equivalent to the Credit Level Standard Grade, there is an element of debate to this as it is perceived to be more difficult in some subjects, but less in others....
- A: Best possible grade, excellent (around 70% and above)
- B: Above average grade, very good (around 60% - 70%)
- C: Minimum pass, improvement needed (around 50% - 60%)
- D: Close fail, (between 45% and 49%)
- F: Fail/No Award, (less than 45%)
Intermediate 1
Intermediate 1
Intermediate 1 is an educational qualification in Scotland on the Scottish Qualifications Authority Scottish Qualifications Certificate achievement ladder similar to General Level at Standard Grades; it is the next step after Access 3...
- A: Best possible grade, excellent (around 70% and above)
- B: Above average grade, very good (around 60% - 70%)
- C: Minimum pass, improvement needed (around 50% - 60%)
- D: Close fail, (between 45% and 49%)
- F: Fail/No Award, (less than 45%)
Each band is further sub-divided into 'bands'. The A grade comprises bands 1 and 2, the B grade has bands 3 and 4, and so on. These bands are not shown on certificates issued by the SQA and do not need to be stated on CVs.
The Intermediate 1 Grading is equivalent to Standard Grade General, while Intermediate 2 Grading is equivalent to Standard Grade Credit. Highers remain at the same level as the previous grading under the same name, and Advanced Highers
are equivalent to the old CSYS (Certificate of Sixth Year Studies).
Percentage pass marks for each grade change from year to year depending on performance levels.
National courses
- A: best possible grade, excellent (around 75% and above)
- B: above average grade, very good (around 65% and above)
- C: below average grade, improvement needed (around 55% and above)
- D: fail (around 50% and below)
Any lower standard of work will simply result in the failing of an exam, which is not graded.