Grade (education)
Encyclopedia
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters (for example, A, B, C, D, or F), as a range (for example 4.0–1.0), as a number out of a possible total (for example out of 20 or 100), as descriptors (excellent, great, satisfactory, needs improvement), in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary institutions in some countries, as a Grade Point Average (GPA). GPA is calculated by taking the number of grade points a student earned in a given period of time divided by the total number of credits taken. The GPA can be used by potential employers or further post-secondary institutions to assess and compare applicants. A Cumulative Grade Point Average is a calculation of the average of all of a student's grades for all semesters and courses completed up to a given academic term, whereas the GPA may only refer to one term.
and first implemented by the University of Cambridge
in 1792. Hoskin's assertion has been questioned by Christopher Stray, who finds the evidence for Farish as the inventor of the numerical mark to be unpersuasive. Stray's article elucidates the complex relationship between the mode of examination (testing), in this case oral or written, and the varying philosophies of education these modes imply, both to teacher and student. As a technology, grading both shapes and reflects many fundamental areas of educational theory and practice.
, schools grades typically range from either 0 (worst) to 20 (best) or from 0 (worst) to 10 (best), depending on the level of education. A mark below the midpoint (10 out of 20 or 5 out of 10, depending on the scale) is usually a fail.
May also refer to
A 10 point GPA system is followed as a grading system in engineering universities and colleges, though most of the non-engineering universities are still sticking to the percentage system. The 10 point GPA is categorized as follows: 10 (Ex)- Excellent, 9(A)- Very good, 8(B)-Good, 7(C)-average, 6(D)- fare, 5(P)- pass, 0(F)- fail. In spite of this broad division, the average GPA of students remain around 7-7.5 A GPA over 9 is very exceptional. In fact a GPA over 7 guarantees strong grab on subjects.
For more information, see Education in Iraq
.
This system of grading based on 20 is also common in universities, but sometimes percent scoring is also used in higher educational systems.
10 or 95–100 = מצוין (excellent)
9 or 85–94 = טוב מאוד (very good)
8 or 75–84 = טוב (good)
7 or 65–74 = כמעט טוב (almost good)
6 or 55–64 = מספיק (sufficient)
5 or 45–54 = מספיק בקושי (barely sufficient)
<4 or <44 = בלתי מספיק/נכשל (insufficient/failed)
employs a four point grading system and percentages.
employs a five point grading system:
Example: Student's grades: (math 13.33/20, English 13.4/20, biology 8.25/20)
English: 5 credits x 13.4 = 67 out of possible 100
Math: 6 credits x 13.33 = 79.98 out of possible 120
Biology: 2 credits x 8.25 = 16.5 out of possible 40
Total points earned = 163.48 out of possible 260
Overall Average= 12.575 out of 20
(Considered a good average)
U.S. Equivalence
Scale / U.S. Grade Equiv.
14–20 / A
12–13.9 / B+
11–11.9 / B
10.5–10.9 / B−
10.1–10.4 / C+
10 / C
9–9.9 / C−
7.5–8.9 / D
0–7.5 /F
However in most universities the American grading system is used. Others use the 0–100 scale where the passing grade is 60 or 70 depending on the course. Yet French system universities use the 0–20 grading scale.
Yet, a 40/100 in the American system is a 0/20 in the French system with respect to the following formula: (grade x 3) + 40 = (10 x 3)+40 = 70/100 is the 50/100 as the passing grade in the French system.
Example: a 5/20 in the French system is equal to (5 x 3) + 40 = 55/100 in the American System. (Ref:ZE-2010)
Secondary/ Higher Secondary School Certificate
Grading Scheme
Nowadays most universities of Engineering and Technology follows following grading system.
In other universities in Saudi Arabia such as King Saud University
, King Abdulaziz University
and King Khalid University
, the following method is used:
Points are the student's raw score in midterms and finals(out of 100).
High School (10–12th grade)
Percentage is the students' relative position among other students taking same subject. (100% is the highest, 0% is the lowest).
The grading systems are converted as grade points as follows:
, grades from 1 to 5 are used.
, grades from 1 to 10 are used, with some schools allowing decimals (up to the hundredth digit) and some others only allowing whole numbers.
Most universities evaluate classes with two mid exams and a final. The final exam encompasses the whole course syllabus, whereas the mid exams usually review half. In some schools, if the average grade of the two mid exams is equal to or higher than 7.00, the student is able to pass the class without the need to take a final exam (since there are only two exams, some teachers also pass students who average 6.50; others weigh in the decision based on the student's performance in class). An average of less than 4.00 is failing; students who score such an average are not allowed to take the final exam.
In high schools, the year is divided into three trimesters and classes are usually yearlong. Students need an average of 6.00 or higher in the three trimestral exams to avoid having to take a final to pass the class. In the event of a student scoring less than 6.00 in the third trimester, he or she would have to take a final exam, regardless of average. This is considered controversial, since the last trimestral exam is not more important than the first two, but the rule stands to prevent students who have already reached the minimum average (e.g., two 10.00 in the first two give a student the lowest possible average of 6.33) from not making an effort during the last three months of the year.
Colleges use the same scale from 0 to 20 as Belgian Universities, although homework and presence may influence up to 10% of these 20 points (situation as of February 2011).
Scaling varies significantly depending on the university or high school.
, the following grade scale is used in schools:
For examinations and tests, exact grading is often used and is represented by two positions after the decimal point:
Grades as, e.g., Good (3.50), or Excellent (5.75), are common. Every passing grade at or above the .50 mark is prefixed with the term of the higher grade. The minimum is 2.00; grades below 3.00 are failing grades, and the maximum is 6.00.
Roughly, the Bulgarian grade system can be equated to the American one as the following: 6=A, 5=B, 4=C, 3=D, and 2=F. Also, in accordance with the Australian system, 6=HD, 5=D, 4=Cr, 3=P, and 2=F.
The most common formula used in Bulgarian schools is currently Grade=(6* number of correct answers)/ total number of questions.
That way if a student has answered 7 out of 10 questions correctly, their mark should be: (6*7)/10=4.20, which is graded as Good 4 or an average performance.
, the following grade scale is used in schools:
At the end of each semester the grades are averaged to form a Grade Point Average (prosječna ocjena), according to this scale:
In colloquial Croatian, grades are referred to be their numerical values: jedinica, dvojka, trojka, četvorka, petica. In the Kvarner region of Croatia jedinica is also known as komad or kolac and dvojka is also known as duja.
Students with failing grades (1 or F) are allowed to carry those grades throughout the school year, but are required to improve them to passing grades (2 or better) in order to finish the year. Failure to pass one class results in the student being held back a year.
, a five-point grading scale is used in both primary and secondary schools:
Plus and minus signs often follow grades in Czech Republic to further differentiate marks. E.g., "2+" corresponding to the US 'B+'. Intervals may also be used, e.g. "2–3" to refer to a grade halfway between 2 and 3.
On a university level only grades 1, 2 and 3 are "pass" grades; anything worse than 3 is automatically a failing grade.
.
Syv-trins-skalaen consists of seven different grades, ranging from 12 to −3, with 12 being the highest. This new scale remains an "absolute" scale, meaning that, proportions are not taken into consideration.
. The "school grade" system has historically been a scale of 0 to 10, but all grades lower than 4 have been discarded. Thus, it is now divided between 4, the failing grade, and 5–10, the succeeding grades. Upper secondary school has same grades for courses and course exams as comprehensive school but matriculation examination
grades are in Latin. Universities and vocational institutions use a scale of 0 (fail) and 1–5 (pass), or fail/pass. The professor selects which grading scheme is used; short, compulsory courses typically have pass/fail grades.
For the French National High School Level (baccalauréat
), a grade of 8–10 typically gives the right to take an additional oral exam in order to try to improve that average to 10 and pass. A grade between 10 and 12 is a simple pass (without grade) ; between 12 and 14 (more rarely 13–14) the grade is called "assez bien" (quite good) ; 14–16 is called "bien" (good) ; above 16 is "très bien" (very good). An exams jury can award the "Félicitations du Jury" for any mark, though they usually reserve it to a candidate who has achieved 18/20 or more.
that prepare for university studies, a point system is used with 15 points being the best grade and 0 points the worst. The percentage causes the grade can vary from teacher to teacher. The percentages shown in the table are the ones used in the "Oberstufe" (final classes).
*this conversion serves as an orientation, as conversions might differ.
, a five point scale is used. There is one fail grade: 1 – elégtelen (insufficient). In general, the lower limit of pass is 50% or 60%, or one mark (point) above. The pass grades are 2 – elégséges (sufficient or pass), 3 – közepes (mediocre or satisfactory), 4 – jó (good) and 5 – jeles (excellent).
Beyond the five point scale that is almost exclusively used at the end of the semester at several levels of education (i.e. elementary school, high school, university), during the academic year teacher may use a further detailed scale, especially in the elementary school. A comma sign after the grade lowers it (pronanciated below, "alá"); an apostrophe ( ’ ) after the grade raises (above, "fölé"); a grade half way between two grades is derived from the lower grade divided by the better grade, like 3/4 ("háromnegyed") that equals to 3.5, 4/5 that is between 4 and 5 etc. Sometimes "5*", five starred ("csillagos ötös") is used for showing outstanding performance throughout the semester.
, grades from 0 to 10 are used.
and 5 is usually the lowest a passing grade
but in some case the lowest passing grade can be 3.5
The Junior Cert has:
A – 85–100%, pass
B – 70–84%, pass
C – 55- 69%, pass
D – 40–54%, pass
E – 25–39%, fail
F – >24%, fail
NG – No grade. So poor it is unworthy of being marked, fail.
Passing or failing the Junior Cert (or any exams in Irish secondary schools), has no bearing on whether or not students can graduate or continue on.
For the Leaving Certificate, a points system is used. A maximum of 6 subjects are counted, with a possible 100 points in each subject. In practice, most students take 7 or 8 subjects and their best 6 results are counted. Each subject has 2 or 3 levels: higher, ordinary and foundation. The points are:
A1 – 100 (higher), 60 (ordinary)
A2 – 90 (higher), 50 (ordinary)
B1 – 85 (higher), 45 (ordinary)
B2 – 80 (higher), 40 (ordinary)
B3 – 75 (higher), 35 (ordinary)
C1 – 70 (higher), 30 (ordinary)
C2 – 65 (higher), 25 (ordinary)
C3 – 60 (higher), 20 (ordinary)
D1 – 55 (higher), 15 (ordinary)
D2 – 50 (higher), 10 (ordinary)
D3 – 45 (higher), 5 (ordinary)
You can get 20 points for an A1 in foundation level subjects. If you get any less than a B2, which is 5 points, you will get no points.
The points system allocates all university places in Ireland for Irish applicants.
Irish universities vary in their grading systems. For example, UCD (University College Dublin) awards letter grades, but 1, 2.1, 2.2 etc. for degrees, while TCD (Trinity College Dublin) awards all grades as 1, 2.1, 2.2 etc.
Traditionally in the most prestigious high schools (Licei), grades vary within a limited range, between 2 and 8, often with each professor applying his/her own custom.
When a professor wants to apply a more precise scale, instead of using the full 1–10 scale (which would have made their scale not comparable with that of other professors) they would often insert a plethora of symbols and decimals: the range between 5 and 6 would then be covered, in sequence, by 5+, 5++, 5½, 5/6, 6−−, 6−. Sufficiency starts at 6.
As these symbols (except ½) have no clear mathematical value, calculating end-year averages could be somewhat arbitrary; therefore, there has been a push since 2008 with the Gelmini reform to uniform the system to the 0–10 scale.
The "discipline grade", assessing a high-school pupil's behavior, obeys different rules: is almost always set to 9 by default, with 8 used for less disciplined pupils. 10 is less usual, though it is very much possible these days to receive it. 7 is extremely rare and used to be a failing grade. An Italian blog about student life in school is named for this particular grade.
Recently, there has been a school reform, so now the average grade of a student includes the discipline grade, which now is completely positive from 10 to 8, though many schools are not accustomed to this grading system yet.
In universities a point system is used for exams, with 30 points being the best grade and 18 the minimum passing grade. This come from the fact that exams were traditionally performed with 3 examiners; each of them had to express his opinion in a 0-10 scale, the final grade was the sum of the singular evaluations. In a 0-10 scale the sufficiency is 6, that is why in a 0-30 scale the minimum grade to pass is 3*6 = 18. Nowadays, the way an exam is performed is up to the professor (number of examiners, whether written, oral, or both, etc.), but the traditional grading system remained.
Degrees have a similar point system, in which however the highest grade can be 110, 100 or even 70, depending on faculty regulations.
A cum laude notation (e lode in Italian
) is used as an increasing level of the highest grade for both exams and degrees, in all its levels in case of outstanding performance.
has recently been changed to a ten-point scale, where "10" is the highest achievable grade, and "1" is awarded for extremely poor performance. The minimal passing grade is "4" , though some universities have a minimum passing grade of "5" .
The absence of any kind of performance is indicated by "nv" ( 'no assessment possible'); in the past, the mark for absence of work was "0" . Teacher
s in lower classes and for minor assignments in higher classes are encouraged to award one of two grades: "i" ( 'counted') for a passing grade, and "ni" ( 'not counted') for a failing grade. The grade of 10 is reserved for exceptional achievements. 9 is most commonly used for an USA equivalent of an A.
, the grading system has been changed to a 10-point scale since 1995. Prior to that, Soviet Lithuania
had a 5-point grading scale. 10 is the highest achievable grade for an excellent performance and 1 is the lowest. Usually, 1 is written when where is no work present at all (called kuolas in the academic jargon, which means 'a stick'), as most teachers tend to keep 2 the lowest grade and rarely mark work as 1.
The minimal grade for passing a subject in school is usually 4.
Teachers in lower classes are encouraged to write marks such as lg – labai gerai (very good), g – gerai (good), patenkinamai (sufficient to pass) or nepatenkinamai (insufficient to pass).
Some subjects (like Physical Culture or Music) can be pass-fail grades, having only įsk – įskaityta (passed) or neįsk – neįskaityta (not passed).
The same system is used for evaluating students' work in universities. The minimal grade to pass is usually 5, however.
Universities use the 10-point grade system, 6 being the minimum grade for passing:
, grades from 1.0 up to 10.0 are used, with 1 being worst and 10 being best. This system can correspond to a percentile system (1 means 0–5% correct and 10 means 95–100% correct) but sometimes points are deducted for number of faults on a test (typically, on vocabulary or topographical tests with more than 10 questions, each fault will nonetheless lead to a reduction in score of one. So 2 faults on a 50 question vocabulary test would constitute an 8) . The grades 9 and 10 are hardly ever given on large examinations (on average, a 9 is awarded in only 1.5%, and a 10 in 0.5% of the cases). Generally, either one or two decimal places are used, and a +/− means a quarter (rounded to either 0.8 or 0.3 if only one decimal place is used). Thus, a grade of 6.75 (or 6.8) could be written as 7−, whereas a grade of 7+ would count for 7.25 or 7.3, although the grades stylized as 7- or 7+ are hardly used.
A 5.5 constitutes a pass, whereas 5.4 and below constitute a fail. If no decimal places are used, 6 and up is a pass and 5 and below is a fail. Roughly, a student scores a 5.5 (pass) when 2/3 (66.67%) of an exam is correct. If the grade would be a 5.49 and one decimal is used, the 5.49 will be a 5.5, but if no decimals are used (usually at the end of the year) the 5.49 will end up as a 5 which indicates a fail.
Depending on the specific university, some students who finish their studies with an average of 8.0 or higher, could get the nomination Cum Laude (which is comparable with Summa Cum Laude as awarded in Germany and the United States).
The grade scale with its labels:
Lower secondary school and upper secondary school use a scale running from 1 through 6, with 6 being the highest and 2 the lowest passing grade. For non-final tests and mid-term evaluations the grades are often post fixed with + or &minus (except 6 + and 1−). It is also common to use grades such as 5/6 or 4/3 indicating borderline grades. However, the grades students get on their final paper (Vitnemål), are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
According to the ECTS-system grades for undergraduate and postgraduate examinations are awarded according to a graded scale from A (highest) to F (lowest), with E as the minimum pass grade.
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. The way the new Bologna system 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).
An academic year has two semesters, from August to December and from January to June, although exceptions occur. Courses are measured in "studiepoeng" according to the ECTS standard (European Credit Transfer System credits). A normal full time study progression awards 60 credits (studiepoeng/stp) per year (30 per semester). Most institutions either use a 7.5, 8, 10, 12, 15 or 20 credit block system.
Acceptable is a passing grade.
Grades (especially expressed numerically) might be suffixed with + (plus) or - (minus). On rare occasion = (double minus) is used, especially as 2= to express lowest possible passing grade.
Academic institutions use a different system, usually consisting of the following grades (with usual corresponding score percentages):
The scores corresponding to each grade vary highly from institution to institution and from course to course, but usually a score of 60 or 61% is required to obtain the lowest passing grade (3.0).
Scores zal. and nzal. are used when course require only attendance and/or isn't so important.
In secondary schools, high schools, and academic institutions, a 10-point scale is used, 5 being the minimum grade for passing:
Qualifiers + and − are often used to add some degree of differentiation between the grades: e.g., 4+ is better than 4, but a little worse than 5−. Grading varies greatly from school to school, university to university, and even teacher to teacher, even for courses that lend themselves to objective marking, such as mathematics and applied sciences. Even though the grades technically range from 1 to 5, 1 is not common and is rarely given for academic reasons—in many cases, a 1 is given as a result of failure to show up for or to complete an exam. A 2 grade usually means that the student showed no or little knowledge in a subject.
It may be worth mentioning that 1 is somewhat an exotic grade in Russian schools, but it does exist officially. The mostly used grades are 2 to 5. + and − modifiers follow the same tendency; they are used rarely in middle school, and almost never in colleges or universities. Some institutions and teachers (excluding Russia), unsatisfied with the five-point scale, work with various larger ones, but these grading systems are not recognized by the state and require conversion for official use.
A considerably more complex grading system has been implemented for the recently introduced Unified state examinations. In this system, a "primary grade" is the sum of points for completed tasks, with each of the tasks having a maximum number of points allocated to it. The maximum total primary grade varies by subject, so that one might obtain a primary grade of 23 out of 37 in mathematics and a primary grade of 43 out of 80 in French. The primary grades are then converted into final or "test grades" by means of a sophisticated statistical calculation, which takes into account the distribution of primary grades among the examinees. This system has been criticized for its lack of transparency.
In universities, the majority of subjects are graded on a "Pass/No pass" (Credit/No Credit) basis (зачёт/незачёт, pronounced "zach`ot/nezach`ot"), and the rest are typically graded on the five-point scale. The "Pass/No Pass" grades do not have any official numeric representation. When "zachot" – (credit- or pass-) type subjects are graded as "Pass/Not pass", this simply represents a student's good or poor knowledge of a subject. Each university implements its own understanding of the appropriate level of knowledge a student should have in order to pass studied subjects. Students in Russia must pass all of the offered subjects in order to graduate.
Due to several ways to translate the word "zachet" from Russian into English (it can be translated as "credit" or "pass"), this type of grading is a source of problems for Russian students applying to Western universities. Such grades may confuse Western universities and make it difficult to correctly calculate students' GPA in terms of Western systems.
has the same academic grading system of the Former Yugoslavia
. In elementary
schools and secondary
schools, a five-point grading scale is used:
, a five-point grading scale is used in primary and secondary schools:
The new system provides grades that lie between 1 and 12 and are matched with the 5-point grade system that was used previously, as presented in the table below. 12 being an equivalent of honors/AP course "A+" in the US, it is usually given only for significant achievements or exceptionally creative work, hence 11 is the grade that would be called A in the United States.
, and Moldova, which uses the Romanian grading system
, the majority of European countries create their own academic grading standards. Most involve combinations of the key elements of grading, and all are used to evaluate students' performance on a scale of passing to failing (or comprehending to not comprehending material).
Austria
, Belgium
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Croatia
, Czech Republic, Finland
, France
, Germany
, Greece
, Hungary
, Italy
, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg
, Norway
, Poland, Portugal
, Romania
, Serbia
, Slovakia, Slovenia
, Spain
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, Ukraine
, United Kingdom
In Senior High Schools:
In Alberta
Post-Secondary Colleges, Technical Institutes, or Universities:
There is no universal percentage grade associated with any letter grade in the Province of Alberta and such associations are made by professors or a bell curve.
Some universities in Alberta use or have used a 9 point grading scale: 9=A+, 8=A, 7=A−, 6=B+, 5=B, 4=B−, 3=C+, 2=C, 1=D, 0=F. See also the University of Alberta Office of the Registrar.
The University of Manitoba
uses a GPA system.
The University of Saskatchewan
and University of Regina
both use a percentage grade system, universal across faculties and departments.
In British Columbia
universities: F is a failing grade. The following table is only an approximation; faculties within universities sometimes follow a different system between percentiles and corresponding letter grades.
In Newfoundland and Labrador
Universities:
Grade F is the sole failing mark.
In most Nova Scotia
universities:
Grade F (or Grade E) is the only failing mark.
Percentage and grade equivalence
The University of Ottawa
uses a grade point average system with numbers ranging from 0 to 10.
Official grading system at the University of Ottawa
: Letter grade, numerical value, and percentage equivalency
In Quebec
universities:
This scale is used by at least UQTR. The Université de Montréal
scale is similar but goes from A+ to F. Université Laval
uses a similar 4.33 scale. UQAM, Concordia University
and Université de Sherbrooke
uses a 4.3 scale. This scale is much alike many other scales used in Canada.
McGill University
and the École polytechnique use a 4.0 scale. Université de Sherbrooke
scale is from A+ to E.
The percent equivalent of each grade and the passing mark can vary. The passing mark in high school and CEGEP
is 60%.
schools use a scale from 0 to 10 to measure students' scores. Since decimal scores are common, a scale from 0 to 100 is often used to remove the decimal point.
Students who fail a subject have the option of taking an extraordinary test (examen extraordinario, often shortened to extra) that evaluates the contents of the entire period. Once the test is finished and the score is assessed, this score becomes the entire subject's score, thus giving failing students a chance to pass their subjects. Those who fail the extraordinary test have two more chances to take it; if the last test is failed, the subject is marked as failed and pending, and depending on the school, the student may fail the entire year.
Some private schools (particularly in higher levels of education) require a 70 to pass instead of the regular 60.
Grades are often absolute and not class-specific. It may be the case that the top of the class gets a final grade of 79. Curve-adjustment is rare. Grad-level students are usually expected to have grades of 80 or above to graduate. Students in the honor roll are usually those with an overall GPA of 90 or higher upon graduation, and some private universities will award them a "With Honors" diploma. Additionally, in some private universities, the pass scores is higher or lower depending from the kind of studies that are related with (for example, in the case of Engineering, the minimum score is 7.3 and for Art Sciences is 8.8) and lower than this score is not acceptable.
uses discrete evaluation in the form of letter grades. Many schools use a GPA (grade-point average) system in combination with letter grades. There are also many other systems in place. Some schools use a scale of 100 instead of letter grades. Others, including many Montessoris, eschew discrete evaluation in favor of pure discursive evaluation. There is no standardized system of grading in the United States. As such, these issues are left up to individual universities, schools and the regulatory authority of the individual states.
At most schools, colleges and universities in the United States, letter grades follow a five-point system, using the letters A, B, C, D and E/F, with A indicating excellent, C indicating average and E/F indicating failing. Additionally, most schools calculate a student's grade point average (GPA) by assigning each letter grade a number and averaging those numerical values. Generally, American schools equate an A with a numerical value of 4.0. Most graduate schools require a 3.0 (B) average to take a degree, with C or C- being the lowest grade for course credit. Most undergraduate schools require a 2.0, or C average to obtain a degree with a minimum of D or D− to pass a course. For most secondary schools, the minimum overall and course passes are both D or D−. Some districts, such as Mount Olive Township School District
in New Jersey
, have eliminated D as a passing grade for their students due to a high failure rate.
Whereas most American graduate schools use four-point grading (A, B, C, and E/F), several—mostly in the west, especially in California—do award D grades but still require a B average for degree qualification. Some American graduate schools use nine- or ten-point grading scales, such as the Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan
, where 9.0 = A+, 8.0 = A, 7.0 = A−, and so on.
The American law school is, in terms of discrete evaluation, an eccentric collective of institutions. First, although the law degree is a graduate, doctoral-level degree, most law schools will still award the course grade D and confer the degree with a 2.0 average. Second, many law schools attempt to coordinate their degree pass standards to bar exam pass standards, so that most grade averages at these institutions are clustered between 2.0 and 2.5, with very few students between 2.5 and 3.0, and almost none (if any) above 3.0; while many other law schools cluster their grades just above the 3.0 average.
The percentage needed in any given course to achieve a certain grade and the assignment of GPA point values varies from one school to school, and sometimes between instructors within a given school. The most common grading scales for normal courses and honors/Advanced Placement courses are as follows:
Some states, such as Louisiana, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee may use the following grading scale:
Whether a school uses E or F to indicate failing grade typically depends on time and geography. Around the time of World War II
, several states began to use E, while the majority of the country continued to use the F, which traces to the days of Pass/Fail grading (P and F). In recent years, some schools have begun using an N for failing grades, presumably to represent "No Credit". Another letter used to represent a failing grade is U, representing "unsatisfactory."
Chromatic variants ("+" and "−") are often used. In most 100-point grading systems, the letter grade without variants is centered around a value ending in five. The "plus" variant is then assigned the values near the nine digit and the "minus" variant is assigned the values near zero. Any decimal values are usually rounded. Thus, a score of 80 to 82 is a B−, a score 83 to 87 is a B and a score of 87 to 89 is a B+. The four-point GPA scale, the letter grade without variants is assigned to the integer. The "plus" and "minus" variants are then assigned to .3 above the integer and .3 below the integer, respectively. Thus, a B is equal to 3.0, a B+ is equal to 3.3, and a B− is equal to 2.7.
The A range is often treated as a special case. In most American schools, a 4.00 is regarded as perfect and the highest GPA one can achieve. Thus, an A, being the prime grade, achieves the mark of a 4.00; for the A+ mark, most schools still assign a value of 4.00, equivalent to the A mark, to prevent deviation from the standard 4.00 GPA system. However, the A+ mark, then, becomes a mark of distinction that has no impact on the student's GPA. A few schools, however, do assign grade values of 4.33 or 4.30; but the scale is still called "4.0", because grading scales (or "quality indices") take their numerical names from the highest whole number.
In many American high school
s, students may also score above 4.0 if taking advanced, honors, Advanced Placement
, or International Baccalaureate classes (for example, a "regular" A would be worth 4 points, but an A earned in an advanced class might be worth 4.5 or 5 points towards the GPA.).
There has been dispute over how colleges should look at grades from previous schools and high schools because one grade in one part of the country might not be the equivalent of a grade in another part of the country. In other words, an "A" might be 90–100 somewhere, and a 94–100 somewhere else. In middle and high schools that do not use a system based on academic credit, the grade point average is computed by taking the mean of all grades. In colleges and universities that use discrete evaluation, the grade point average is calculated by multiplying the quantitative values by the credit value of the correlative course, and then dividing the total by the sum of all credits.
For example:
In a standards-based grading system, a performance standard is set by a committee based on ranking anchor papers and grading rubrics, which demonstrate performance which is below, meeting, or exceeding the "standard." This standard is intended to be a high, world-class level of performance, which must be met by every student regardless of ability or class, although they are actually set by a committee with no reference to any other national standard. Levels are generally assigned numbers between zero and four. Writing papers may be graded separately on content (discussion) and conventions (spelling
and grammar
). Since grading is not based on a curve distribution, it is entirely possible to achieve a grading distribution in which all students pass and meet the standard. While such grading is generally used only for assessments, they have been proposed for alignment with classroom grading. However, in practice, grading can be much more severe than traditional letter grades. Even after ten years, some states, such as Washington, continue to evaluate over half of their students as "below standard" on the state mathematics assessment.
GPA is not the only factor that determines future employment. Many employers look for other pertinent characters such as leadership, teamwork, flexibility and attitude. They may also look at the reputation of the college attended and other work related experiences such as internships. In a 2010 student survey for recruiters, 45 percent of the students who had completed an internship had already received a job offer. Many of these jobs were within the company that they interned for.
Although GPA seems to be important in the hiring process, other variables may contribute to the likelihood of getting hired. If a student’s GPA is below a 3.0 or what the employer is looking for, it is suggested to calculate your GPA for only the classes within your major for your resume.
Some (but not all) Australian tertiary institutions use close variations of the following grading structure:
Some other Australian universities have a marking system based on the Honours system used at Oxford and Cambridge:
Many courses also have Non-Graded Pass (NGP) and Non-Graded Fail (NGF), in which it is considered more appropriate to have qualitative than quantitative assessment. However, in some universities, an F1 category may be given a 'Pass Conceded' if the student's Weighted Average is greater than a nominated threshold. (More often than not, this is around the 53–55 range.)
Grade point averages are not generally used in Australia below a tertiary level. They are calculated according to more complicated formula than some other nations:
Grade Point Average (GPA) = Sum of (grade points × course unit values) / total number of credit points attempted, in which grade points are as follows:
At some universities, such as University of Technology, Sydney, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Monash University, Melbourne, a GPA calculation out of 4 is calculated, whereby 4.0 = a High Distinction; 3.0 is a Distinction, 2.0 is a Credit, and 1.0 is a pass. In certain faculties, such as law, it is therefore possible to graduate with "honors" with a GPA of less than 2.5.
Whenever a course result is a Non-Graded Pass, the result will normally be disregarded in GPA calculation.
The term course unit values is used to distinguish between courses which have different weightings e.g. between a full year course and a single semester course.
The High School Certificate system varies from state to state. But in most states the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) system determines tertiary positions. Government Supported Positions are given to students that achieve above a certain ATAR threshold. (An example of this is an ATAR of 85 for Civil Engineering at the University of New South Wales.) The value of the ATAR corresponds with their year 7 cohort, including students that did not complete year 12. An ATAR of 80.00, for example, indicates that students with that ATAR have performed in the HSC better than 80 percent of their year 7 cohort, had all these year 7 students completed year 12 and been eligible for an ATAR.
By contrast, in Queensland, graduating Year 12 students are awarded an OP of between 1 and 25, 1 being the most coveted; students are allocated their OP by means of a summation of marks from all their year 12 (and in some cases, year 11) courses, and also from the QCS ([Queensland Core Skills]) test, this being a series of four tests held at the end of secondary education.
In Argentina the GPA is calculated trimonthly, per semester or per year. Typically, grades vary between 1 and 10. The minimum grade for passing generally requires 60% which represents a grade 6, at Secondary School (some schools may require 70%).
Depending on the University, the admittance may require:
In some universities, people over 25 years old can be admitted even if they couldn't complete high school, but they must pass an entry exam. For University the grades also vary between 1 and 10, although a 4 represents 60%, which is the grade required for approval.
During college, the GPA is calculated as a weighted average of grade and course hours and have a bigger importance than in the high school as it determines priority in receiving scholarships, for example.
The majority of schools adopt a 0,0 (worst) to 10,0 (best) scale for grading, but some of the Brazilian schools adopt the following grading system:
A grade below 5,0 is surely a fail, although some schools have passing criteria of 6,0 or 7,0.
History of grading
Keith Hoskin argues that the concept of grading students' work quantitatively was developed by a tutor named William FarishWilliam Farish (professor)
William Farish was a British scientist who was a professor of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, known for the development of the method of isometric projection and development of the first written university examination.- Biography :Farish's father was the Reverend...
and first implemented by the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1792. Hoskin's assertion has been questioned by Christopher Stray, who finds the evidence for Farish as the inventor of the numerical mark to be unpersuasive. Stray's article elucidates the complex relationship between the mode of examination (testing), in this case oral or written, and the varying philosophies of education these modes imply, both to teacher and student. As a technology, grading both shapes and reflects many fundamental areas of educational theory and practice.
International grading systems
Most nations have individual grading systems unique to their own schools. However, several international standards for grading have arisen recently.International Baccalaureate
| Level | Approximate mark (varies according to subject and school) |
|---|---|
| 7 | ~96–100(%) |
| 6 | ~90–95 |
| 5 | ~80–89 |
| 4 | ~70–79 |
| 3 | ~60–69 |
| 2 | ~50–59 |
| 1 | ~0–49 |
| Theory of Knowledge (May 2006) | |
|---|---|
| Grade | Mark |
| A | 49–60 |
| B | 40–48 |
| C | 32–39 |
| D | 22–31 |
| E/F | 0–21 |
Tunisia
In TunisiaTunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, schools grades typically range from either 0 (worst) to 20 (best) or from 0 (worst) to 10 (best), depending on the level of education. A mark below the midpoint (10 out of 20 or 5 out of 10, depending on the scale) is usually a fail.
Asia
Different countries in Asia have a variety of grading scales. Grading scales for some countries on the continent are described in this article.May also refer to
India
Till high school, average percentage is provided. A percentage over 80 is considered excellent; between 60-80 is considered 'first division'; between 40-60 is considered 'second division', though these terminology and classification depends on 'board of education' are gradually evanescing and thus ultimately the percentage of marks is what matters.A 10 point GPA system is followed as a grading system in engineering universities and colleges, though most of the non-engineering universities are still sticking to the percentage system. The 10 point GPA is categorized as follows: 10 (Ex)- Excellent, 9(A)- Very good, 8(B)-Good, 7(C)-average, 6(D)- fare, 5(P)- pass, 0(F)- fail. In spite of this broad division, the average GPA of students remain around 7-7.5 A GPA over 9 is very exceptional. In fact a GPA over 7 guarantees strong grab on subjects.
Iraq
Most of the Primary, middle and high schools in Iraq grade out of 100 percent with a passing grade of 50 percent, So the grade point average is out of 100. Most of the post-secondary institutions (Universities, Colleges, Technical colleges ... etc.) uses the "word" grading system described below:| Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 90–100 |
| Very Good | 79–89 |
| Good | 70–78 |
| Adequate | 60–69 |
| Acceptable | 50–59 |
| Weak/Failure | 0–49 |
For more information, see Education in Iraq
Education in Iraq
Education in Iraq is administered by the Ministry of Education.UNESCO reports that prior to the first Gulf War in 1991 Iraq had one of the best educational performances in the region. Primary school Gross Enrollment Rate was 100% and literacy levels were high...
.
Iran
In schools, grades are based on 20. Depending on the school and the grade of study, a good mark varies, but in most occasions 16 or higher is considered to be a good one. This system is very traditional and established that even there is a proverb for it in everyday language; people often talk about things or persons that are "twenty", means that they are perfect with the highest value.This system of grading based on 20 is also common in universities, but sometimes percent scoring is also used in higher educational systems.
| Grade | Scale 1 | Scale 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 16–20 | A | 4 |
| 14–15 | B | 3 |
| 12–13 | C | 2 |
| 10–11 | D | 1 |
| 0–9 | E/F | 0 |
Israel
The 100-point grading scale is as follows:10 or 95–100 = מצוין (excellent)
9 or 85–94 = טוב מאוד (very good)
8 or 75–84 = טוב (good)
7 or 65–74 = כמעט טוב (almost good)
6 or 55–64 = מספיק (sufficient)
5 or 45–54 = מספיק בקושי (barely sufficient)
<4 or <44 = בלתי מספיק/נכשל (insufficient/failed)
Kuwait
KuwaitKuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
employs a four point grading system and percentages.
| GPA | GPA in percentage | GPA description | Percentage of Students that earned this grade in 2009–2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.80–4.00 | 97–100 | امتياز وتفوق (Excellence and Perfection) | 4 |
| 3.50–3.80 | 90–97 | امتياز (Excellence) | 9 |
| 3.00–3.50 | 85–89 | جيد جدا (Very Good) | 18 |
| 2.50–3.00 | 69–85 | جيد (Good) | 37 |
| 2.00–2.50 | 54–69 | مقبول (Acceptable) | 21 |
| 1.80–2.00 | 49–54 | غير كافي ولكن مقبول (Insufficient but Acceptable) | 6 |
| 1.50–1.80 | 45–49% | راسب لكن يمكن التعويض بالكورس الصيفي (Failure but possible compensation in summerschool) | 2 |
| 0.00–1.50 | 0–45% | راسب (Failure without possible compensation in summer school) | 2 |
Kyrgyzstan
KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
employs a five point grading system:
| Grade | Grade description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Эң жакшы (Excellent) | |
| 4 | Жакшы (Good) | |
| 3 | Канаатандырарлык (Satisfactory) | |
| 2 | Канаатандырарлык эмес (Unsatisfactory) | Not a passing grade |
| 1 | Эң kанаатандырарлык эмес (Most Unsatisfactory) | Uncommon |
Lebanon
In Lebanon, most schools use a 0–20 scale where the passing grade is 10 out of 20 or in some cases 7.5 out of 20. However there's a variety of grading systems used. Some schools that offer the IB (International Baccalaureate) or even Lebanese Bac use the 0–100 scale, 60 being the average score. Some use the American system. However in the typical school offering a Lebanese system, getting high grades is very hard, because teachers do not use the full scale. For instance the highest score one can earn in essay writing in some schools is 14 out of 20. All scores are based out of 20. Yet each subject has a weight for the overall average. This weight is determined by the credit hours. For instance math (6hours/week) x 20 (the base grade) = 120 (weight)Example: Student's grades: (math 13.33/20, English 13.4/20, biology 8.25/20)
English: 5 credits x 13.4 = 67 out of possible 100
Math: 6 credits x 13.33 = 79.98 out of possible 120
Biology: 2 credits x 8.25 = 16.5 out of possible 40
Total points earned = 163.48 out of possible 260
Overall Average= 12.575 out of 20
(Considered a good average)
U.S. Equivalence
Scale / U.S. Grade Equiv.
14–20 / A
12–13.9 / B+
11–11.9 / B
10.5–10.9 / B−
10.1–10.4 / C+
10 / C
9–9.9 / C−
7.5–8.9 / D
0–7.5 /F
However in most universities the American grading system is used. Others use the 0–100 scale where the passing grade is 60 or 70 depending on the course. Yet French system universities use the 0–20 grading scale.
Yet, a 40/100 in the American system is a 0/20 in the French system with respect to the following formula: (grade x 3) + 40 = (10 x 3)+40 = 70/100 is the 50/100 as the passing grade in the French system.
Example: a 5/20 in the French system is equal to (5 x 3) + 40 = 55/100 in the American System. (Ref:ZE-2010)
Pakistan
Federal Board of Education PakistanSecondary/ Higher Secondary School Certificate
Grading Scheme
| Grade | Percentage Marks | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 90 and above | Excellent |
| A | 70-90 | Very Good |
| B | 60–70 | Good |
| C | 50–60 | Fair |
| D | 40–50 | Acceptable |
| E | 33–40 | Just Passed |
Nowadays most universities of Engineering and Technology follows following grading system.
| Grade | Marks | GPA |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90 and above | 4.00 |
| A- | 85–89 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 80–84 | 3.3 |
| B | 75–79 | 3 |
| B- | 70–74 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 65-69 | 2.3 |
| C | 60-64 | 2.0 |
| C- | 55–59 | 1.7 |
| D | 50-54 | 1.3 |
| F | 50 AND below | 00.00 |
Palestine
Schools have grades from 1–100 starting from the 4th grade on. In Universities both numerical and alphabetical grade systems can be found, it is up to the teacher.Saudi Arabia
Most of the universities and colleges and schools in Saudi Arabia are very similar to United States except the way the grades are said.| Grade | Percentage | GPA value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent |
A+ | 95–100 | 4.0 |
| A | 90–94 | 3.75 | |
| Very Good |
B+ | 85–89 | 3.50 |
| B | 80–84 | 3.0 | |
| Good |
C+ | 75–79 | 2.50 |
| C | 70–74 | 2.0 | |
| Acceptable |
D+ | 65–69 | 1.50 |
| D | 60–64 | 1.0 | |
| Failure |
F | 0–59 | 0.0 |
In other universities in Saudi Arabia such as King Saud University
King Saud University
King Saud University is a public university located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdul Aziz as Riyadh University, as the first university in the kingdom not dedicated to religious subjects. The university was created to meet the shortage of skilled workers in...
, King Abdulaziz University
King Abdulaziz University
King Abdulaziz University was founded in 1967 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Designed by English architect John Elliott, it had 2,000 teachers and more than 37,000 students in 2000/2001....
and King Khalid University
King Khalid University
King Khalid University is a public university ,located in Abha, in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. a city located in the southwest of the country...
, the following method is used:
| Grade | Percentage | GPA value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent |
A+ | 95–100 | 5.0 |
| A | 90–94 | 4.75 | |
| Very Good |
B+ | 85–89 | 4.50 |
| B | 80–84 | 4.0 | |
| Good |
C+ | 75–79 | 3.50 |
| C | 70–74 | 3.0 | |
| Acceptable |
D+ | 65–69 | 2.50 |
| D | 60–64 | 2.0 | |
| Failure |
F | 0–59 | 1.0 |
Singapore
Secondary School (13–16 years old)| Percentage | Grades |
|---|---|
| 75–100 | A1 |
| <75 | A2 |
| <70 | B3 |
| <65 | B4 |
| <60 | C5 |
| <55 | C6 |
| D7 | |
| E8 | |
| 0–4 | F9 |
South Korea
Middle School (7–9th grade)Points are the student's raw score in midterms and finals(out of 100).
| Points | Grades |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | 수 / Su |
| 80–90 | 우 / Wu |
| 70–80 | 미 / Mi |
| 60–70 | 양 / Yang |
| 0–60 | 가 / Ga |
High School (10–12th grade)
Percentage is the students' relative position among other students taking same subject. (100% is the highest, 0% is the lowest).
| Percentage | Grades |
|---|---|
| 96–100 | 1등급 / Grade 1 |
| 89–96 | 2등급 / Grade 2 |
| 77–89 | 3등급 / Grade 3 |
| 62–77 | 4등급 / Grade 4 |
| 40–61 | 5등급 / Grade 5 |
| 23–40 | 6등급 / Grade 6 |
| 11–23 | 7등급 / Grade 7 |
| 4–11 | 8등급 / Grade 8 |
| 0–4 | 9등급 / Grade 9 |
Malaysia
In Malaysia and Thailand, higher education institutions usually apply the U.S. American grading system.The grading systems are converted as grade points as follows:
| Grade | Meaning | Grade point |
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 4.00 |
| B | Good | 3.00 |
| C+ | Fairly good | 2.50 |
| C | Fair | 2.00 |
| D+ | Poor | 1.50 |
| D | Pass Grade | 1.00 |
| F | Failure | 0.79 |
United Arab Emirates
Primary education is free at government run schools. The grading is managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE). However, there are many schools run by expatriates that are equally successful with their own grading system, or an accepted grading system of the country where the schools are affiliated to or share common standards with. At most universities and colleges, the United Arab Emirates' grading system is very similar to the United States' system.Austria
In AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, grades from 1 to 5 are used.
| Grade | Percentage | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Sehr gut) | 100–90 | Excellent |
| 2 (Gut) | 89–80 | Good |
| 3 (Befriedigend) | 79–64 | Satisfactory |
| 4 (Genügend) | 63–51 | Sufficient |
| 5 (Nicht genügend) | 50–0 | Insufficient |
Albania
In AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, grades from 1 to 10 are used, with some schools allowing decimals (up to the hundredth digit) and some others only allowing whole numbers.
| Grade | Qualification |
|---|---|
| 10.00 | Excellent |
| 8.00–9.99 | Very Good |
| 6.00–7.99 | Good |
| 5.00–5.99 | Sufficient |
| 0.00–4.99 | Insufficient |
Most universities evaluate classes with two mid exams and a final. The final exam encompasses the whole course syllabus, whereas the mid exams usually review half. In some schools, if the average grade of the two mid exams is equal to or higher than 7.00, the student is able to pass the class without the need to take a final exam (since there are only two exams, some teachers also pass students who average 6.50; others weigh in the decision based on the student's performance in class). An average of less than 4.00 is failing; students who score such an average are not allowed to take the final exam.
In high schools, the year is divided into three trimesters and classes are usually yearlong. Students need an average of 6.00 or higher in the three trimestral exams to avoid having to take a final to pass the class. In the event of a student scoring less than 6.00 in the third trimester, he or she would have to take a final exam, regardless of average. This is considered controversial, since the last trimestral exam is not more important than the first two, but the rule stands to prevent students who have already reached the minimum average (e.g., two 10.00 in the first two give a student the lowest possible average of 6.33) from not making an effort during the last three months of the year.
Belgium
In Belgian Universities a scale from 0 to 20 is used on a per subject basis, a weighted average is then computed on scale from 0 to 20, 10 being the passing grade (satisfactory). Belgian secondary schools use a scale from 0 to 100 for exams (50 usually being the passing grade). On report cards, certain schools also give grades on a percentage scale (0 to 100) while others use a 0–10 scale. Those total scores are weighted averages of exam, test and homework grades.Colleges use the same scale from 0 to 20 as Belgian Universities, although homework and presence may influence up to 10% of these 20 points (situation as of February 2011).
Scaling varies significantly depending on the university or high school.
Bulgaria
In BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, the following grade scale is used in schools:
| 6 | Отличен (Otlichen) | Excellent, best possible grade 92–100% A |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Много добър (Mnogo dobar) | Very Good, next highest 75–91% B |
| 4 | Добър (Dobar) | Good, indicates average performance 59–74% C |
| 3 | Среден (Sreden) | Sufficient, lowest passing grade 50–58% D |
| 2 | Слаб (Slab) | Poor, failing grade 0–49% F |
For examinations and tests, exact grading is often used and is represented by two positions after the decimal point:
| 5.50–6.00 | Отличен (Otlichen) | Excellent, best possible grade 92–100% A |
|---|---|---|
| 4.50–5.49 | Много добър (Mnogo dobyr) | Very Good, next highest 75–91% B |
| 3.50–4.49 | Добър (Dobyr) | Good, indicates average performance 59–74% C |
| 3.00–3.49 | Среден (Sreden) | Sufficient, lowest passing grade 50–58% D |
| 2.00–2.99 | Слаб (Slab) | Poor, failing grade 0–49% F |
Grades as, e.g., Good (3.50), or Excellent (5.75), are common. Every passing grade at or above the .50 mark is prefixed with the term of the higher grade. The minimum is 2.00; grades below 3.00 are failing grades, and the maximum is 6.00.
Roughly, the Bulgarian grade system can be equated to the American one as the following: 6=A, 5=B, 4=C, 3=D, and 2=F. Also, in accordance with the Australian system, 6=HD, 5=D, 4=Cr, 3=P, and 2=F.
The most common formula used in Bulgarian schools is currently Grade=(6* number of correct answers)/ total number of questions.
That way if a student has answered 7 out of 10 questions correctly, their mark should be: (6*7)/10=4.20, which is graded as Good 4 or an average performance.
Croatia
In CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, the following grade scale is used in schools:
| 5 | Odličan or Izvrstan | Excellent, best possible grade A |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Vrlo dobar | Very Good, next highest B |
| 3 | Dobar | Good, indicates average performance C |
| 2 | Dovoljan | Sufficient, lowest passing grade D |
| 1 | Nedovoljan | Insufficient, failing grade F |
At the end of each semester the grades are averaged to form a Grade Point Average (prosječna ocjena), according to this scale:
| 5.00–4.50 | Odličan or Izvrstan | Excellent, best possible grade A |
|---|---|---|
| 4.49–3.50 | Vrlo dobar | Very Good, next highest B |
| 3.49–2.50 | Dobar | Good, indicates average performance C |
| 2.49–2.0 | Dovoljan | Sufficient, lowest passing grade D |
| 1.49–1.0 | Nedovoljan | Insufficient, failing grade F |
In colloquial Croatian, grades are referred to be their numerical values: jedinica, dvojka, trojka, četvorka, petica. In the Kvarner region of Croatia jedinica is also known as komad or kolac and dvojka is also known as duja.
Students with failing grades (1 or F) are allowed to carry those grades throughout the school year, but are required to improve them to passing grades (2 or better) in order to finish the year. Failure to pass one class results in the student being held back a year.
Czech Republic
In Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, a five-point grading scale is used in both primary and secondary schools:
| Grade | Label | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Výborný | Excellent | The best grade achievable. US 'A' equivalent. |
| 2 | Chvalitebný | Praiseworthy | US 'B' equivalent. |
| 3 | Dobrý | Good | US 'C' equivalent. |
| 4 | Dostatečný | Sufficient | US 'D' equivalent. |
| 5 | Nedostatečný | Insufficient | Failing grade. US 'E/F' equivalent. |
Plus and minus signs often follow grades in Czech Republic to further differentiate marks. E.g., "2+" corresponding to the US 'B+'. Intervals may also be used, e.g. "2–3" to refer to a grade halfway between 2 and 3.
On a university level only grades 1, 2 and 3 are "pass" grades; anything worse than 3 is automatically a failing grade.
Denmark
The current scale, syv-trins-skalaen ("The 7-step-scale"), was introduced in 2007, replacing the old 13-skala ("13-scale"). The new scale is designed to be compatible with the ECTS-scaleECTS 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...
.
Syv-trins-skalaen consists of seven different grades, ranging from 12 to −3, with 12 being the highest. This new scale remains an "absolute" scale, meaning that, proportions are not taken into consideration.
Finland
Several systems are in use in different educational institutions in FinlandEducation in Finland
The Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees and with free meals served to full-time students. The present Finnish education system consists of well-funded and carefully thought out daycare programs and a one-year "pre-school" ; a nine-year compulsory basic...
. The "school grade" system has historically been a scale of 0 to 10, but all grades lower than 4 have been discarded. Thus, it is now divided between 4, the failing grade, and 5–10, the succeeding grades. Upper secondary school has same grades for courses and course exams as comprehensive school but matriculation examination
Matriculation examination
The term matriculation examination refers to educational qualifications in many countries. Usually this has to do with student's transfer from secondary to tertiary education. For more detailed information, see "Matriculation"....
grades are in Latin. Universities and vocational institutions use a scale of 0 (fail) and 1–5 (pass), or fail/pass. The professor selects which grading scheme is used; short, compulsory courses typically have pass/fail grades.
France
In France, schools grades typically range from either 0 (worst) to 20 (best) or from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). A mark below the average (10 out of 20 or 5 out of 10, depending on the scale) is usually a fail.For the French National High School Level (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...
), a grade of 8–10 typically gives the right to take an additional oral exam in order to try to improve that average to 10 and pass. A grade between 10 and 12 is a simple pass (without grade) ; between 12 and 14 (more rarely 13–14) the grade is called "assez bien" (quite good) ; 14–16 is called "bien" (good) ; above 16 is "très bien" (very good). An exams jury can award the "Félicitations du Jury" for any mark, though they usually reserve it to a candidate who has achieved 18/20 or more.
Germany
In Germany, school grades vary from 1 (excellent, sehr gut) to 6 (very poor, ungenügend). In the final classes of German Gymnasium schoolsGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
that prepare for university studies, a point system is used with 15 points being the best grade and 0 points the worst. The percentage causes the grade can vary from teacher to teacher. The percentages shown in the table are the ones used in the "Oberstufe" (final classes).
| German Grade System | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | Grades by education | Descriptor | Conversion | ||
| (varies with school/subject) | primary & 1st secondary (1st–10th grade) |
2nd secondary (Gymnasium, 11–13th grade) | tertiary (Hochschule Hochschule Hochschule is a German term with two meanings.The literal meaning of the word Hochschule is “high school” which is not appropriate as a translation.- Generic term :... & Universität University A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education... ) |
(approximately to US system*) | |
| 90–100% | 1 | 15 points | 1.0 | "sehr gut" (very good: an outstanding achievement) | A |
| 14 points | |||||
| 1- | 13 points | 1.3 | |||
| 80–90 | 2+ | 12 points | 1.7 | "gut" (good: an achievement which lies substantially above average requirements) | A- |
| 2 | 11 points | 2.0 | |||
| 2− | 10 points | 2.3 | |||
| 65–80 | 3+ | 9 points | 2.7 | "befriedigend" (satisfactory: an achievement which corresponds to average requirements) | B+ |
| 3 | 8 points | 3.0 | B | ||
| 3− | 7 points | 3.3 | B− | ||
| 50–65 | 4+ | 6 points | 3.7 | "ausreichend" (sufficient: an achievement which still meets the requirements) | C+ |
| 4 | 5 points | 4.0 | C | ||
| 0–50 | 4− | 4 points | 5.0 | C- | |
| 5+ | 3 points | "mangelhaft" / "nicht ausreichend" (below the requirements) | D | ||
| 5 | 2 points | ||||
| 5− | 1 point | ||||
| 6 | 0 points | 6.0 | "ungenügend" (not sufficient / failed: an achievement which does not meet the requirements) | F | |
*this conversion serves as an orientation, as conversions might differ.
Hungary
In HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, a five point scale is used. There is one fail grade: 1 – elégtelen (insufficient). In general, the lower limit of pass is 50% or 60%, or one mark (point) above. The pass grades are 2 – elégséges (sufficient or pass), 3 – közepes (mediocre or satisfactory), 4 – jó (good) and 5 – jeles (excellent).
Beyond the five point scale that is almost exclusively used at the end of the semester at several levels of education (i.e. elementary school, high school, university), during the academic year teacher may use a further detailed scale, especially in the elementary school. A comma sign after the grade lowers it (pronanciated below, "alá"); an apostrophe ( ’ ) after the grade raises (above, "fölé"); a grade half way between two grades is derived from the lower grade divided by the better grade, like 3/4 ("háromnegyed") that equals to 3.5, 4/5 that is between 4 and 5 etc. Sometimes "5*", five starred ("csillagos ötös") is used for showing outstanding performance throughout the semester.
| Grade | Meaning (Hungarian) | English translation | Percentage (pass=50%+1 scale) |
Percentage (pass=60% scale) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Jeles / Ötös | Excellent | 87–100 | 90–100 |
| 4 | Jó / Négyes | Good | 75–86 | 80–89 |
| 3 | Közepes / Hármas | Satisfactory or Mediocre | 63–74 | 70–79 |
| 2 | Elégséges / Kettes | Pass or Sufficient | 51–62 | 60–69 |
| 1 | Elégtelen / Egyes | Fail or Insufficient | 0–50 | 0–59 |
Iceland
In IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, grades from 0 to 10 are used.
and 5 is usually the lowest a passing grade
but in some case the lowest passing grade can be 3.5
Ireland
The two government regulated educational qualifications are the Junior Certificate (usually taken at 15/16) and the Leaving Cerficiate (usually taken at between the ages of 17 and 19).The Junior Cert has:
A – 85–100%, pass
B – 70–84%, pass
C – 55- 69%, pass
D – 40–54%, pass
E – 25–39%, fail
F – >24%, fail
NG – No grade. So poor it is unworthy of being marked, fail.
Passing or failing the Junior Cert (or any exams in Irish secondary schools), has no bearing on whether or not students can graduate or continue on.
For the Leaving Certificate, a points system is used. A maximum of 6 subjects are counted, with a possible 100 points in each subject. In practice, most students take 7 or 8 subjects and their best 6 results are counted. Each subject has 2 or 3 levels: higher, ordinary and foundation. The points are:
A1 – 100 (higher), 60 (ordinary)
A2 – 90 (higher), 50 (ordinary)
B1 – 85 (higher), 45 (ordinary)
B2 – 80 (higher), 40 (ordinary)
B3 – 75 (higher), 35 (ordinary)
C1 – 70 (higher), 30 (ordinary)
C2 – 65 (higher), 25 (ordinary)
C3 – 60 (higher), 20 (ordinary)
D1 – 55 (higher), 15 (ordinary)
D2 – 50 (higher), 10 (ordinary)
D3 – 45 (higher), 5 (ordinary)
You can get 20 points for an A1 in foundation level subjects. If you get any less than a B2, which is 5 points, you will get no points.
The points system allocates all university places in Ireland for Irish applicants.
Irish universities vary in their grading systems. For example, UCD (University College Dublin) awards letter grades, but 1, 2.1, 2.2 etc. for degrees, while TCD (Trinity College Dublin) awards all grades as 1, 2.1, 2.2 etc.
Italy
In Italy, high-school grades may vary from 10 (excellent) to 1/0 (impossible to assess), with the sufficiency being 6.Traditionally in the most prestigious high schools (Licei), grades vary within a limited range, between 2 and 8, often with each professor applying his/her own custom.
When a professor wants to apply a more precise scale, instead of using the full 1–10 scale (which would have made their scale not comparable with that of other professors) they would often insert a plethora of symbols and decimals: the range between 5 and 6 would then be covered, in sequence, by 5+, 5++, 5½, 5/6, 6−−, 6−. Sufficiency starts at 6.
As these symbols (except ½) have no clear mathematical value, calculating end-year averages could be somewhat arbitrary; therefore, there has been a push since 2008 with the Gelmini reform to uniform the system to the 0–10 scale.
The "discipline grade", assessing a high-school pupil's behavior, obeys different rules: is almost always set to 9 by default, with 8 used for less disciplined pupils. 10 is less usual, though it is very much possible these days to receive it. 7 is extremely rare and used to be a failing grade. An Italian blog about student life in school is named for this particular grade.
Recently, there has been a school reform, so now the average grade of a student includes the discipline grade, which now is completely positive from 10 to 8, though many schools are not accustomed to this grading system yet.
In universities a point system is used for exams, with 30 points being the best grade and 18 the minimum passing grade. This come from the fact that exams were traditionally performed with 3 examiners; each of them had to express his opinion in a 0-10 scale, the final grade was the sum of the singular evaluations. In a 0-10 scale the sufficiency is 6, that is why in a 0-30 scale the minimum grade to pass is 3*6 = 18. Nowadays, the way an exam is performed is up to the professor (number of examiners, whether written, oral, or both, etc.), but the traditional grading system remained.
Degrees have a similar point system, in which however the highest grade can be 110, 100 or even 70, depending on faculty regulations.
A cum laude notation (e lode in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) is used as an increasing level of the highest grade for both exams and degrees, in all its levels in case of outstanding performance.
Latvia
The academic grading system in LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
has recently been changed to a ten-point scale, where "10" is the highest achievable grade, and "1" is awarded for extremely poor performance. The minimal passing grade is "4" , though some universities have a minimum passing grade of "5" .
The absence of any kind of performance is indicated by "nv" ( 'no assessment possible'); in the past, the mark for absence of work was "0" . Teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s in lower classes and for minor assignments in higher classes are encouraged to award one of two grades: "i" ( 'counted') for a passing grade, and "ni" ( 'not counted') for a failing grade. The grade of 10 is reserved for exceptional achievements. 9 is most commonly used for an USA equivalent of an A.
Lithuania
In LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, the grading system has been changed to a 10-point scale since 1995. Prior to that, Soviet Lithuania
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
had a 5-point grading scale. 10 is the highest achievable grade for an excellent performance and 1 is the lowest. Usually, 1 is written when where is no work present at all (called kuolas in the academic jargon, which means 'a stick'), as most teachers tend to keep 2 the lowest grade and rarely mark work as 1.
The minimal grade for passing a subject in school is usually 4.
Teachers in lower classes are encouraged to write marks such as lg – labai gerai (very good), g – gerai (good), patenkinamai (sufficient to pass) or nepatenkinamai (insufficient to pass).
Some subjects (like Physical Culture or Music) can be pass-fail grades, having only įsk – įskaityta (passed) or neįsk – neįskaityta (not passed).
The same system is used for evaluating students' work in universities. The minimal grade to pass is usually 5, however.
FYROM
Elementary, Middle Schools and High School in Macedonia use the following grading scale:- Excellent 5 (одличен 5, odličen 5)
- Very good 4 (многу добар 4, mnogu dobar 4)
- Good 3 (добар 3, dobar 3)
- Satisfactory 2 (доволен 2, dovolen 2)
- Unsatisfactory 1 (недоволен 1, nedovolen 1)
Universities use the 10-point grade system, 6 being the minimum grade for passing:
- 10 (excellent)
- 9 (very good)
- 8 (good)
- 6–7 (satisfactory)
- 5 (unsatisfactory)
Moldova
Moldova uses a 10-point scale system, 5 being the minimum grade for passing:- 10 (excellent)
- 9 (very good)
- 8 (good)
- 6–7 (satisfactory)
- 5 (sufficient)
- 1–4 (unsatisfactory)
Netherlands
In the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, grades from 1.0 up to 10.0 are used, with 1 being worst and 10 being best. This system can correspond to a percentile system (1 means 0–5% correct and 10 means 95–100% correct) but sometimes points are deducted for number of faults on a test (typically, on vocabulary or topographical tests with more than 10 questions, each fault will nonetheless lead to a reduction in score of one. So 2 faults on a 50 question vocabulary test would constitute an 8) . The grades 9 and 10 are hardly ever given on large examinations (on average, a 9 is awarded in only 1.5%, and a 10 in 0.5% of the cases). Generally, either one or two decimal places are used, and a +/− means a quarter (rounded to either 0.8 or 0.3 if only one decimal place is used). Thus, a grade of 6.75 (or 6.8) could be written as 7−, whereas a grade of 7+ would count for 7.25 or 7.3, although the grades stylized as 7- or 7+ are hardly used.
A 5.5 constitutes a pass, whereas 5.4 and below constitute a fail. If no decimal places are used, 6 and up is a pass and 5 and below is a fail. Roughly, a student scores a 5.5 (pass) when 2/3 (66.67%) of an exam is correct. If the grade would be a 5.49 and one decimal is used, the 5.49 will be a 5.5, but if no decimals are used (usually at the end of the year) the 5.49 will end up as a 5 which indicates a fail.
Depending on the specific university, some students who finish their studies with an average of 8.0 or higher, could get the nomination Cum Laude (which is comparable with Summa Cum Laude as awarded in Germany and the United States).
The grade scale with its labels:
| Grade | Qualification | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | excellent | uitstekend |
| 9 | very good | zeer goed |
| 8 | good | goed |
| 7 | more than sufficient | ruim voldoende |
| 6 | sufficient | voldoende |
| 5 | insufficient | onvoldoende |
| 4 | strongly insufficient | matig |
| 3 | very strongly insufficient | zeer matig |
| 2 | poor | slecht |
| 1 | very poor | zeer slecht |
Norway
In primary school (Barneskole, from age 6 to 13) no official grades are given. However, the teachers write an individual comment or analysis on tests and in the end of every term.Lower secondary school and upper secondary school use a scale running from 1 through 6, with 6 being the highest and 2 the lowest passing grade. For non-final tests and mid-term evaluations the grades are often post fixed with + or &minus (except 6 + and 1−). It is also common to use grades such as 5/6 or 4/3 indicating borderline grades. However, the grades students get on their final paper (Vitnemål), are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
According to the ECTS-system grades for undergraduate and postgraduate examinations are awarded according to a graded scale from A (highest) to F (lowest), with E as the minimum pass grade.
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. The way the new Bologna system 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).
An academic year has two semesters, from August to December and from January to June, although exceptions occur. Courses are measured in "studiepoeng" according to the ECTS standard (European Credit Transfer System credits). A normal full time study progression awards 60 credits (studiepoeng/stp) per year (30 per semester). Most institutions either use a 7.5, 8, 10, 12, 15 or 20 credit block system.
Poland
The most commonly used system in Polish grade schools is as follows (with usual corresponding score percentages):- niedostateczny (unsatisfactory) – 1 – 0–30%
- dopuszczający (acceptable) – 2 – 31–50%
- dostateczny (satisfactory) – 3 – 51–65%
- dobry (good) – 4 – 66–80%
- bardzo dobry (very good) – 5 – 81–100%
- celujący (excellent) – 6 – This grade as a final grade is usually awarded for extracurricular merit. In examinations it is sometimes awarded for a perfect or near-perfect (98–100%) score.
Acceptable is a passing grade.
Grades (especially expressed numerically) might be suffixed with + (plus) or - (minus). On rare occasion = (double minus) is used, especially as 2= to express lowest possible passing grade.
Academic institutions use a different system, usually consisting of the following grades (with usual corresponding score percentages):
- niedostateczny (unsatisfactory) – 2.0 – 0–59%
- dostateczny (satisfactory) – 3.0 – 60–69%
- dostateczny plus (satisfactory plus) – 3.5 – 70–79%
- dobry (good) – 4.0 – 80%+
- dobry plus (good plus) – 4.5
- bardzo dobry (very good) – 5.0 – 90%+
- celujący (excellent) – 6.0, at some institutions 5.5 – This grade is rarely used, usually for extracurricular merit or a perfect score.
- zaliczony (passed) – zal.
- niezaliczony (not passed) – nzal.
The scores corresponding to each grade vary highly from institution to institution and from course to course, but usually a score of 60 or 61% is required to obtain the lowest passing grade (3.0).
Scores zal. and nzal. are used when course require only attendance and/or isn't so important.
Romania
The used system in Romanian primary schools is as follows:- Foarte Bine (FB, very good)
- Bine (B, good)
- Sufficient/Satisfăcător (S, pass)
- Insufficient/Nesatisfăcător (I, fail)
In secondary schools, high schools, and academic institutions, a 10-point scale is used, 5 being the minimum grade for passing:
- 10 (excellent)
- 9 (very good)
- 8 (good)
- 6–7 (satisfactory)
- 5 (sufficient)
- 1–4 (unsatisfactory)
Russia
Most Russian educational institutions use a five-point grading scale:- 5, "Отлично", "отл" / Otlichno, otl.: Very good or Excellent, equal to highest distinction (best possible grade), around 85%+
- 4, "Хорошо", "хор" / Horosho, hor.: Good (above average) approximately 75–84%
- 3, "Удовлетворительно", "уд" / Udovletvoritelno, ud.: Satisfactory, sometimes translated into English as Fair (lowest passing grade) 50–74%
- 2, "Неудовлетворительно", "неуд" / Neudovletvoritelno, neud.: Unsatisfactory (failing) 0–49%
- 1 : Poor (lowest possible grade) Failure to show up / complete exam
Qualifiers + and − are often used to add some degree of differentiation between the grades: e.g., 4+ is better than 4, but a little worse than 5−. Grading varies greatly from school to school, university to university, and even teacher to teacher, even for courses that lend themselves to objective marking, such as mathematics and applied sciences. Even though the grades technically range from 1 to 5, 1 is not common and is rarely given for academic reasons—in many cases, a 1 is given as a result of failure to show up for or to complete an exam. A 2 grade usually means that the student showed no or little knowledge in a subject.
It may be worth mentioning that 1 is somewhat an exotic grade in Russian schools, but it does exist officially. The mostly used grades are 2 to 5. + and − modifiers follow the same tendency; they are used rarely in middle school, and almost never in colleges or universities. Some institutions and teachers (excluding Russia), unsatisfied with the five-point scale, work with various larger ones, but these grading systems are not recognized by the state and require conversion for official use.
A considerably more complex grading system has been implemented for the recently introduced Unified state examinations. In this system, a "primary grade" is the sum of points for completed tasks, with each of the tasks having a maximum number of points allocated to it. The maximum total primary grade varies by subject, so that one might obtain a primary grade of 23 out of 37 in mathematics and a primary grade of 43 out of 80 in French. The primary grades are then converted into final or "test grades" by means of a sophisticated statistical calculation, which takes into account the distribution of primary grades among the examinees. This system has been criticized for its lack of transparency.
In universities, the majority of subjects are graded on a "Pass/No pass" (Credit/No Credit) basis (зачёт/незачёт, pronounced "zach`ot/nezach`ot"), and the rest are typically graded on the five-point scale. The "Pass/No Pass" grades do not have any official numeric representation. When "zachot" – (credit- or pass-) type subjects are graded as "Pass/Not pass", this simply represents a student's good or poor knowledge of a subject. Each university implements its own understanding of the appropriate level of knowledge a student should have in order to pass studied subjects. Students in Russia must pass all of the offered subjects in order to graduate.
Due to several ways to translate the word "zachet" from Russian into English (it can be translated as "credit" or "pass"), this type of grading is a source of problems for Russian students applying to Western universities. Such grades may confuse Western universities and make it difficult to correctly calculate students' GPA in terms of Western systems.
Serbia
SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
has the same academic grading system of the Former Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. In elementary
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
schools and secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
schools, a five-point grading scale is used:
- 5 (excellent)
- 4 (very good)
- 3 (good)
- 2 (sufficient) is the lowest passing grade.
- 1 (insufficient) is the lowest possible grade, and the failing one.
Slovakia
In SlovakiaSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, a five-point grading scale is used in primary and secondary schools:
| Grade | Meaning | US equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Výborný (EXCELLENT) – best possible grade. | A |
| 2 | Chválitebný (PRAISEWORTHY) | B |
| 3 | Dobrý (GOOD) | C |
| 4 | Uspokojivo (SATISFACTORILY) | D |
| 5 | Dostatočne (SUFFICIENT) | E |
| 6 | Nedostatočný (INSUFFICIENT) – failing grade. | F |
Ukraine
Ukraine introduced a new grading system in autumn 2000, which replaced the existing Russian grading system.The new system provides grades that lie between 1 and 12 and are matched with the 5-point grade system that was used previously, as presented in the table below. 12 being an equivalent of honors/AP course "A+" in the US, it is usually given only for significant achievements or exceptionally creative work, hence 11 is the grade that would be called A in the United States.
| New system | Old system |
|---|---|
| 12 | 5+ |
| 11 | 5 |
| 10 | 5− |
| 9 | 4+ |
| 8 | 4 |
| 7 | 4− |
| 6 | 3+ |
| 5 | 3 |
| 4 | 3− |
| 3 | 2+ |
| 2 | 2 |
| 1 | 1 |
European academic grading
With the exception of Liechtenstein, which uses the Swiss grading systemAcademic grading in Switzerland
In Switzerland, usually a 6-point grading scale, where 6 represents the highest grade and 1 the lowest possible one.* 6 is the best possible grade.* 5.5 * 5 * 4.5 * 4 * 3...
, and Moldova, which uses the Romanian grading system
Academic grading in Romania
In Romanian primary schools, a 4-point grading scale is used:*Foarte Bine *Bine *Sufficient/Satisfăcător *Insufficient/Nesatisfăcător...
, the majority of European countries create their own academic grading standards. Most involve combinations of the key elements of grading, and all are used to evaluate students' performance on a scale of passing to failing (or comprehending to not comprehending material).
Austria
Academic grading in Austria
In Austria, scholastic grades use a 5-point grading scale, where:* 1 is the best possible grade,* 2 is the next highest grade,* 3 indicates "average" performance,...
, Belgium
Academic grading in Belgium
In the French speaking part of Belgium, the following grade scale applies to university and college students:In the French speaking part of Belgium, the following grade scale applies to university and college students:...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Academic grading in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia, the following grade scale applies to elementary and high school students:The following applies to university students:The entire grading scale was inherited from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, Croatia
Academic grading in Croatia
Academic grading in Croatia is regulated by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports.-Grading scale :In Croatia the following official grade scale applies to elementary school, high school and university students:...
, Czech Republic, Finland
Academic grading in Finland
This is an article on the grading that is currently being used in the country of Finland. Several systems are in use in different educational institutions in Finland.- Comprehensive school :...
, France
Academic grading in France
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 :...
, Germany
Academic grading in Germany
Germany uses a 6-point grading scale to evaluate the performance of school children:* 1 is the best possible grade and is given for outstanding performance...
, Greece
Academic grading in Greece
There are four Grading systems in Greece – four different GPA – one for higher education, one for secondary education, and two for primary education .-Universities – Polytechnics – A.T.E.I.:...
, Hungary
Academic grading in Hungary
In Hungary, a 5-point grade system is used. There are only whole numbers in report cards, but for grading exams, there are also fractions...
, Italy
Academic grading in Italy
There are two grading systems used in Italy:-Primary and secondary school:In Italian primary and secondary school a 10-point scale is used, 6 being the minimum grade for passing....
, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg
Academic grading in Luxembourg
In Luxembourg, a grade system from 01 to 60 is used in primary and secondary schools. A grade of at least 30 is required to pass. An insufficient mark is called a Datz in Luxembourgish. The grades are distributed in the following way:*50–60: very good...
, Norway
Academic grading in Norway
Universities and university colleges 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....
, Poland, Portugal
Academic grading in Portugal
In Portuguese middle-schools, a five-point grading scale is used, where:* 5 is the best possible grade ,* 4 ,* 3 indicates "average" performance ,* 2 ,...
, Romania
Academic grading in Romania
In Romanian primary schools, a 4-point grading scale is used:*Foarte Bine *Bine *Sufficient/Satisfăcător *Insufficient/Nesatisfăcător...
, Serbia
Academic grading in Serbia
Serbia inherited the academic grading system of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In elementary schools and secondary schools, a five-point grading scale is used:* 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 is the lowest passing grade...
, Slovakia, Slovenia
Academic grading in Slovenia
Slovenia inherited the academic grading system of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A five-point grading scale is used in primary and secondary schools:*5: excellent...
, Spain
Academic grading in Spain
-Elementary, high schools, and vocational schools:Spain uses a 10-point grading scale for elementary and high schools:*9.0-10 is the best possible grade and is called "sobresaliente" . A 10 grade may also include a distinction called "Matrícula de Honor" or "Mención de Honor," but usually only a...
, Sweden
Academic grading in Sweden
-Primary school:In the Swedish grundskola , students are currently graded from the eight grade and onward...
, Switzerland
Academic grading in Switzerland
In Switzerland, usually a 6-point grading scale, where 6 represents the highest grade and 1 the lowest possible one.* 6 is the best possible grade.* 5.5 * 5 * 4.5 * 4 * 3...
, Ukraine
Academic grading in Ukraine
Academic grading in Ukraine was changed from the old Soviet system after 2002.The new system provides grades that lie within 1 and 12 and are matched with the 5-point grade system that was used previously, as presented in the table below...
, United Kingdom
Academic grading in the United Kingdom
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...
Canada
Conversions from percentile grades to letter grades, by province:Alberta
In Senior High Schools:
| Letter | Percentage | Provincial Standing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 80-100 | Standard of Excellence | Final course grades in this range are annotated with Honors Standing in the Alberta Senior High School. |
| B | 70-79 | Exceeds Acceptable Standard | |
| C | 60–69 | Acceptable Standard | |
| D | 50–59 | Below Acceptable Standard | |
| E/F | 0–49 | Failing grade, no credits awarded toward Alberta High School Diploma. |
In Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
Post-Secondary Colleges, Technical Institutes, or Universities:
| Letter grade | Grade points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.3 (4.0 at University of Alberta University of Alberta The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada... and University of Calgary University of Calgary The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently... ) |
|
| A | 4.0 | |
| A− | 3.7 | Student may be awarded an Honours designation on a parchment if semester and cumulative grade point average of 3.7 is achieved on the first attempt of courses required towards graduation of major. In addition, students will need to complete graduation requirements within specific time restrictions. |
| B+ | 3.3 | |
| B | 3.0 | |
| B− | 2.7 | |
| C+ | 2.3 | |
| C | 2.0 | |
| C− | 1.7 | |
| D+ | 1.3 | |
| D | 1.0 | Minimum general passing letter grade to receive credit for a course. Certain faculties may require higher grades to receive course credit. |
| E/F | 0.0 |
There is no universal percentage grade associated with any letter grade in the Province of Alberta and such associations are made by professors or a bell curve.
Some universities in Alberta use or have used a 9 point grading scale: 9=A+, 8=A, 7=A−, 6=B+, 5=B, 4=B−, 3=C+, 2=C, 1=D, 0=F. See also the University of Alberta Office of the Registrar.
Manitoba
The University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
uses a GPA system.
| GPA | Description | Letter grade equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | Exceptional | A+ |
| 4.00 | Excellent | A |
| 3.50 | Very Good | B+ |
| 3.00 | Good | B |
| 2.50 | Satisfactory | C+ |
| 2.00 | Adequate | C |
| 1.00 | Marginal | D |
| 0.00 | Failure | F |
Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
and University of Regina
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
both use a percentage grade system, universal across faculties and departments.
| Percent | Letter grade equivalent | Descriptors |
|---|---|---|
| 95–100 | A+ | A profound / dandy / super-duper performance. |
| 75–94 | A | An excellent / outstanding performance. |
| 65–74 | B | A very good / above average performance. |
| 55–64 | C | A generally satisfactory, intellectually adequate performance. |
| 50–54 | D | A barely sufficient performance. |
| 0–49 | F | An unacceptable performance. |
British Columbia
In British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
universities: F is a failing grade. The following table is only an approximation; faculties within universities sometimes follow a different system between percentiles and corresponding letter grades.
| Letter | Percent |
|---|---|
| A | 86–100 |
| B | 85–73 |
| C+ | 72–68 |
| C | 60–66 |
| C− | 50–59 |
| D | 0–49 (temporary) |
| F (Fail) | 0–49 (permanent) |
Newfoundland and Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
Universities:
| Letter | Percent |
|---|---|
| A | 80–100 |
| B | 65–79 |
| C | 55–64 |
| D | 50–54 |
| F | 0–49 |
Grade F is the sole failing mark.
Nova Scotia
In most Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
universities:
| Letter | Percent |
|---|---|
| A+ | 90–100 |
| A | 85–89 |
| A− | 80–84 |
| B+ | 77–79 |
| B | 73–76 |
| B− | 70–72 |
| C+ | 65–69 |
| C | 60–64 |
| C− | 55–59 |
| D | 50–54 |
| E/F | 0–49 |
Grade F (or Grade E) is the only failing mark.
Ontario
Percentage and grade equivalence
| Grade points for 1.0 credits | Percentage equivalency |
|---|---|
| A+ | 90–100 |
| A | 85–89 |
| A− | 80–84 |
| B+ | 76–79 |
| B | 73–75 |
| B− | 70–72 |
| C+ | 67–69 |
| C | 63–66 |
| C− | 60–62 |
| D+ | 57–59 |
| D | 53–56 |
| D− | 50–52 |
| R | 0–49 |
The University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
uses a grade point average system with numbers ranging from 0 to 10.
Official grading system at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
: Letter grade, numerical value, and percentage equivalency
| Letter Grade | Numerical Value | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 10 | 90–100 |
| A | 9 | 85–89 |
| A− | 8 | 80–84 |
| B+ | 7 | 75–79 |
| B | 6 | 70–74 |
| C+ | 5 | 65–69 |
| C | 4 | 60–64 |
| D+ | 3 | 55–59 |
| D | 2 | 50-54 |
| E | 1 | 40–49 |
| F | 0 | 0–39 |
Quebec
In Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
universities:
| Letter | Grade point | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.33 | |
| A | 4.00 | Excellent |
| A− | 3.66 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | |
| B | 3.00 | Very Good |
| B− | 2.66 | |
| C+ | 2.33 | |
| C | 2.00 | Good |
| C− | 1.66 | |
| D+ | 1.33 | |
| D | 1.00 | Passable |
| E | 0.00 | Failure ("échec") |
This scale is used by at least UQTR. The Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
scale is similar but goes from A+ to F. Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
uses a similar 4.33 scale. UQAM, Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
and Université de Sherbrooke
Université de Sherbrooke
The Université de Sherbrooke is a large university with campuses located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It is one of two universities, and the only French language university, in the Estrie region of Quebec.In 2007, the...
uses a 4.3 scale. This scale is much alike many other scales used in Canada.
McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and the École polytechnique use a 4.0 scale. Université de Sherbrooke
Université de Sherbrooke
The Université de Sherbrooke is a large university with campuses located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It is one of two universities, and the only French language university, in the Estrie region of Quebec.In 2007, the...
scale is from A+ to E.
The percent equivalent of each grade and the passing mark can vary. The passing mark in high school and CEGEP
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
is 60%.
Mexico
MexicanMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
schools use a scale from 0 to 10 to measure students' scores. Since decimal scores are common, a scale from 0 to 100 is often used to remove the decimal point.
Students who fail a subject have the option of taking an extraordinary test (examen extraordinario, often shortened to extra) that evaluates the contents of the entire period. Once the test is finished and the score is assessed, this score becomes the entire subject's score, thus giving failing students a chance to pass their subjects. Those who fail the extraordinary test have two more chances to take it; if the last test is failed, the subject is marked as failed and pending, and depending on the school, the student may fail the entire year.
Some private schools (particularly in higher levels of education) require a 70 to pass instead of the regular 60.
Grades are often absolute and not class-specific. It may be the case that the top of the class gets a final grade of 79. Curve-adjustment is rare. Grad-level students are usually expected to have grades of 80 or above to graduate. Students in the honor roll are usually those with an overall GPA of 90 or higher upon graduation, and some private universities will award them a "With Honors" diploma. Additionally, in some private universities, the pass scores is higher or lower depending from the kind of studies that are related with (for example, in the case of Engineering, the minimum score is 7.3 and for Art Sciences is 8.8) and lower than this score is not acceptable.
United States
The most popular grading system in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
uses discrete evaluation in the form of letter grades. Many schools use a GPA (grade-point average) system in combination with letter grades. There are also many other systems in place. Some schools use a scale of 100 instead of letter grades. Others, including many Montessoris, eschew discrete evaluation in favor of pure discursive evaluation. There is no standardized system of grading in the United States. As such, these issues are left up to individual universities, schools and the regulatory authority of the individual states.
At most schools, colleges and universities in the United States, letter grades follow a five-point system, using the letters A, B, C, D and E/F, with A indicating excellent, C indicating average and E/F indicating failing. Additionally, most schools calculate a student's grade point average (GPA) by assigning each letter grade a number and averaging those numerical values. Generally, American schools equate an A with a numerical value of 4.0. Most graduate schools require a 3.0 (B) average to take a degree, with C or C- being the lowest grade for course credit. Most undergraduate schools require a 2.0, or C average to obtain a degree with a minimum of D or D− to pass a course. For most secondary schools, the minimum overall and course passes are both D or D−. Some districts, such as Mount Olive Township School District
Mount Olive Township School District
The Mount Olive Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves nearly 5,000 students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade from Mount Olive Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States....
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, have eliminated D as a passing grade for their students due to a high failure rate.
Whereas most American graduate schools use four-point grading (A, B, C, and E/F), several—mostly in the west, especially in California—do award D grades but still require a B average for degree qualification. Some American graduate schools use nine- or ten-point grading scales, such as the Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where 9.0 = A+, 8.0 = A, 7.0 = A−, and so on.
The American law school is, in terms of discrete evaluation, an eccentric collective of institutions. First, although the law degree is a graduate, doctoral-level degree, most law schools will still award the course grade D and confer the degree with a 2.0 average. Second, many law schools attempt to coordinate their degree pass standards to bar exam pass standards, so that most grade averages at these institutions are clustered between 2.0 and 2.5, with very few students between 2.5 and 3.0, and almost none (if any) above 3.0; while many other law schools cluster their grades just above the 3.0 average.
The percentage needed in any given course to achieve a certain grade and the assignment of GPA point values varies from one school to school, and sometimes between instructors within a given school. The most common grading scales for normal courses and honors/Advanced Placement courses are as follows:
| "Normal" courses | Honors/AP courses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Percentage | GPA | Percentage | GPA |
| A | 90–100 | 3.5–4.0 | 90–100 | 4.5–5.0 |
| B | 80–89 | 2.5–3.49 | 80–89 | 3.5–4.49 |
| C | 70–79 | 1.5–2.49 | 75–79 | 2.5–3.49 |
| D | 60–69 | 1.0–1.49 | 70–74 | 2.0–2.49 |
| E / F | 0–59 | 0.0–0.99 | 0–69 | 0.0–1.99 |
Some states, such as Louisiana, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee may use the following grading scale:
| Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 93–100 |
| B | 87–92 |
| C | 75–86 |
| D | 70–74 |
| E/F | 0–69 |
Whether a school uses E or F to indicate failing grade typically depends on time and geography. Around the time of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, several states began to use E, while the majority of the country continued to use the F, which traces to the days of Pass/Fail grading (P and F). In recent years, some schools have begun using an N for failing grades, presumably to represent "No Credit". Another letter used to represent a failing grade is U, representing "unsatisfactory."
Chromatic variants ("+" and "−") are often used. In most 100-point grading systems, the letter grade without variants is centered around a value ending in five. The "plus" variant is then assigned the values near the nine digit and the "minus" variant is assigned the values near zero. Any decimal values are usually rounded. Thus, a score of 80 to 82 is a B−, a score 83 to 87 is a B and a score of 87 to 89 is a B+. The four-point GPA scale, the letter grade without variants is assigned to the integer. The "plus" and "minus" variants are then assigned to .3 above the integer and .3 below the integer, respectively. Thus, a B is equal to 3.0, a B+ is equal to 3.3, and a B− is equal to 2.7.
The A range is often treated as a special case. In most American schools, a 4.00 is regarded as perfect and the highest GPA one can achieve. Thus, an A, being the prime grade, achieves the mark of a 4.00; for the A+ mark, most schools still assign a value of 4.00, equivalent to the A mark, to prevent deviation from the standard 4.00 GPA system. However, the A+ mark, then, becomes a mark of distinction that has no impact on the student's GPA. A few schools, however, do assign grade values of 4.33 or 4.30; but the scale is still called "4.0", because grading scales (or "quality indices") take their numerical names from the highest whole number.
In many American high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, students may also score above 4.0 if taking advanced, honors, Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
, or International Baccalaureate classes (for example, a "regular" A would be worth 4 points, but an A earned in an advanced class might be worth 4.5 or 5 points towards the GPA.).
There has been dispute over how colleges should look at grades from previous schools and high schools because one grade in one part of the country might not be the equivalent of a grade in another part of the country. In other words, an "A" might be 90–100 somewhere, and a 94–100 somewhere else. In middle and high schools that do not use a system based on academic credit, the grade point average is computed by taking the mean of all grades. In colleges and universities that use discrete evaluation, the grade point average is calculated by multiplying the quantitative values by the credit value of the correlative course, and then dividing the total by the sum of all credits.
For example:
| Class | Credits | Grade | Grade Points |
| Speech 101 | 3 | A | 3 × 4.0 = 12.0 |
| Biology 102 | 4 | B+ | 4 × 3.3 = 13.2 |
| History 157 | 3 | B− | 3 × 2.7 = 8.1 |
| Physical Education 104 | 1 | C | 1 × 2.0 = 2.0 |
- Total Credits: 11
- Total Grade Points: 35.3
- Grade Point Average: 35.3 / 11 = 3.209 or slightly below B+
In a standards-based grading system, a performance standard is set by a committee based on ranking anchor papers and grading rubrics, which demonstrate performance which is below, meeting, or exceeding the "standard." This standard is intended to be a high, world-class level of performance, which must be met by every student regardless of ability or class, although they are actually set by a committee with no reference to any other national standard. Levels are generally assigned numbers between zero and four. Writing papers may be graded separately on content (discussion) and conventions (spelling
Spelling
Spelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters...
and grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
). Since grading is not based on a curve distribution, it is entirely possible to achieve a grading distribution in which all students pass and meet the standard. While such grading is generally used only for assessments, they have been proposed for alignment with classroom grading. However, in practice, grading can be much more severe than traditional letter grades. Even after ten years, some states, such as Washington, continue to evaluate over half of their students as "below standard" on the state mathematics assessment.
GPA in Job Market
College and post-college students often wonder how much weight their GPA carries in future employment. The employer, company and industry plays the largest factor in answering this question. According to Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., senior vice president of human resources for IAC/InterActive Corp, a company with over 33,000 employees, an applicant’s GPA is the single best indicator of future success in job employment. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, since 2001 there has been an increase in employers looking at, and making hiring decisions based on a candidate's GPA. In addition, Job Outlook 2005 survey reported that 70 percent of employers looked at an applicants GPA, increasing to 75 percent in 2010. Those looking at and weighing in college GPA accounted that their cut off was a GPA of 3.0 or lower.GPA is not the only factor that determines future employment. Many employers look for other pertinent characters such as leadership, teamwork, flexibility and attitude. They may also look at the reputation of the college attended and other work related experiences such as internships. In a 2010 student survey for recruiters, 45 percent of the students who had completed an internship had already received a job offer. Many of these jobs were within the company that they interned for.
Although GPA seems to be important in the hiring process, other variables may contribute to the likelihood of getting hired. If a student’s GPA is below a 3.0 or what the employer is looking for, it is suggested to calculate your GPA for only the classes within your major for your resume.
Australia
Australian primary and secondary schools are currently migrating to a common reporting and assessment format. Education is the responsibility of the states in Australia. In 2005 the Federal Government introduced a universal common assessment and reporting standards legislation that all states had to adhere to. The Band 1–6 grading system is evident in the educational testing of primary and secondary school students via government-administered programs such as the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and other numerical and literacy tests for primary students. The grading system is now structured as follows, though the percentages are only an approximate guide:| 90–99.95% | BAND 6 |
| 80–89% | BAND 5 |
| 70–79% | BAND 4 |
| 60–69% | BAND 3 |
| 50–59% | BAND 2 |
| 0–49% | BAND 1 |
Some (but not all) Australian tertiary institutions use close variations of the following grading structure:
| HD | 80% and above (High Distinction) |
|---|---|
| D | 70–80% (Distinction) |
| Cr | 60–70% (Credit Pass) |
| P | 50–60% (Pass) |
| F1 | 45–49% (Fail level 1) |
| F2 | below 45% (Fail level 2) |
Some other Australian universities have a marking system based on the Honours system used at Oxford and Cambridge:
| H1 | 80% and above (First Class Honours) |
|---|---|
| H2A | 75–79% (Second Class Honours (A Division)) |
| H2B | 70–74% (Second Class Honours (B Division)) |
| H3 | 65–69% (Third Class Honours) |
| P | 50–64% (Pass) |
| N | below 50% (Fail) |
Many courses also have Non-Graded Pass (NGP) and Non-Graded Fail (NGF), in which it is considered more appropriate to have qualitative than quantitative assessment. However, in some universities, an F1 category may be given a 'Pass Conceded' if the student's Weighted Average is greater than a nominated threshold. (More often than not, this is around the 53–55 range.)
Grade point averages are not generally used in Australia below a tertiary level. They are calculated according to more complicated formula than some other nations:
Grade Point Average (GPA) = Sum of (grade points × course unit values) / total number of credit points attempted, in which grade points are as follows:
- High Distinction = 7
- Distinction = 6
- Credit = 5
- Pass = 4
- Fail level 1 = 1
- Fail level 2 = 0
At some universities, such as University of Technology, Sydney, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Monash University, Melbourne, a GPA calculation out of 4 is calculated, whereby 4.0 = a High Distinction; 3.0 is a Distinction, 2.0 is a Credit, and 1.0 is a pass. In certain faculties, such as law, it is therefore possible to graduate with "honors" with a GPA of less than 2.5.
Whenever a course result is a Non-Graded Pass, the result will normally be disregarded in GPA calculation.
The term course unit values is used to distinguish between courses which have different weightings e.g. between a full year course and a single semester course.
The High School Certificate system varies from state to state. But in most states the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) system determines tertiary positions. Government Supported Positions are given to students that achieve above a certain ATAR threshold. (An example of this is an ATAR of 85 for Civil Engineering at the University of New South Wales.) The value of the ATAR corresponds with their year 7 cohort, including students that did not complete year 12. An ATAR of 80.00, for example, indicates that students with that ATAR have performed in the HSC better than 80 percent of their year 7 cohort, had all these year 7 students completed year 12 and been eligible for an ATAR.
By contrast, in Queensland, graduating Year 12 students are awarded an OP of between 1 and 25, 1 being the most coveted; students are allocated their OP by means of a summation of marks from all their year 12 (and in some cases, year 11) courses, and also from the QCS ([Queensland Core Skills]) test, this being a series of four tests held at the end of secondary education.
New Zealand
GPA is not often used in New Zealand but when it is a 9-point scale is used. The grades equate to points as follows| A+ | = | 9 |
| A | = | 8 |
| A- | = | 7 |
| B+ | = | 6 |
| B | = | 5 |
| B- | = | 4 |
| C+ | = | 3 |
| C | = | 2 |
| C- | = | 1 |
Argentina
In Argentina the GPA is calculated trimonthly, per semester or per year. Typically, grades vary between 1 and 10. The minimum grade for passing generally requires 60% which represents a grade 6, at Secondary School (some schools may require 70%).
Depending on the University, the admittance may require:
- Completion of secondary school.
- A common basic year to all degrees.
- In some of the most popular degrees, students may need to pass an entry exam. This may also apply to all degrees in private universities.
In some universities, people over 25 years old can be admitted even if they couldn't complete high school, but they must pass an entry exam. For University the grades also vary between 1 and 10, although a 4 represents 60%, which is the grade required for approval.
Brazil
In Brazil the GPA – known as Coeficiente de Rendimento, or Índice de Rendimento Acadêmico – is calculated per semester or per year or both. The High School GPA is never used for college entrance evaluation in public universities (state funded and free of charge). To enter state colleges, Brazilian students must attend to entrance exams called vestibulares. The most famous ones are FUVEST, the entrace exam for University of São Paulo, and ENEM, a national exam that ranks high school students to be accepted by federal funded colleges. The private colleges system also apply entrance exams, but some might use the GPA as an evaluation method.During college, the GPA is calculated as a weighted average of grade and course hours and have a bigger importance than in the high school as it determines priority in receiving scholarships, for example.
The majority of schools adopt a 0,0 (worst) to 10,0 (best) scale for grading, but some of the Brazilian schools adopt the following grading system:
| A (Excellent) | 90% – 100% |
|---|---|
| B (Good) | 80 – 89% |
| C (Fair) | 60 – 79% |
| D (Fail) | 50 – 59% |
| E (Bad) | 0 – 49% |
A grade below 5,0 is surely a fail, although some schools have passing criteria of 6,0 or 7,0.