Grade (education)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"GPA" redirects here. For other uses, see GPA (disambiguation).
A grade education can mean either a teacher's evaluation of a student's work or a student's level of educational progress, usually one grade per year (often denoted by an ordinal number, such as the "3rd Grade" or the "12th Grade"). This article is about evaluation of students' work and various systems used in different countries and in some places called a grade point average (GPA).
[edit] 20-point grading scale
In Belgium, France, Morocco, Portugal, Peru, Venezuela, Senegal, Mali, Iran and Tunisia a 20-point grading scale is used, in which 20 is the highest grade and 0 is the lowest. A score of 20 is considered perfect; accordingly, it is rarely if ever awarded in courses that are graded subjectively.
The "passing" grade is usually 10 (in contrast to the U.S. system)
- Grades of 10-11 is "adequate". .
- Grades of 12 or 13 are "passable"(better than adequate)
- Grades of 14 to 15 are "good" (better than "passable")
- Grades of 16 to 17 are regarded as excellent and outstanding, respectively. From this point on, you have truly mastered the course.
- Grades of 18 to 19 are nearing perfection.
- Grades of 20 are just perfect.
[edit] Albania
see GPA in Albania
[edit] Australia
see GPA in Australia
[edit] Austria
see GPA in Austria
[edit] Bulgaria
see GPA in Bulgaria
[edit] Canada
see GPA in Canada
[edit] Central and Eastern Europe
see GPA in Central and Eastern Europe
[edit] Chile
see GPA in Chile
[edit] Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, the classification systems occur in a range between 0 and 100, where it is generally required to have at least a 70 to pass a course.
[edit] Croatia
For the grading system used in Croatia please see the section Yugoslavia (former).
[edit] Czech Republic
For the Czech system, please see section on Central and Eastern Europe.
[edit] Denmark
see GPA in Denmark
The current Danish gradation scale is called the 13-scale and consists of 10 grades ranging from 00 to 13, with 00 being the worst.
| Grade | Given for... | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | the completely unacceptable performance. | If you refer to Wikipedia in a school paper, you might end up with this grade! |
| 03 | the very hesitant, very insufficient and unsatisfactory performance. | |
| 5 | the hesitant and not satisfactory performance. | |
| 6 | the just acceptable performance. | |
| 7 | the mediocre performance, slightly below average. | |
| 8 | the average performance. | |
| 9 | the good performance, a little above average. | |
| 10 | the excellent but not particularly independent performance. | |
| 11 | the independent and excellent performance. | |
| 13 | the exceptionally independent and excellent performance. |
[edit] Finland
see GPA in Finland
[edit] France
The French grading system is similar to that of Belgium in secondary schools and universities; the passing grade is 10. Primary schools generally use a 10-point grading scale.
[edit] Germany
see GPA in Germany
[edit] Hong Kong
see GPA in Hong Kong
[edit] Hungary
For the Hungarian system, please see section on Central and Eastern Europe.
[edit] India
see GPA in India
[edit] Nepal
- Division I- 60% or higher
- Division II- 48% or higher
- Division III- 32% or higher
- Fail- less than 32%
[edit] Indonesia
see GPA in Indonesia
[edit] International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate uses an integer scale ranging from 1 through 7.
- 7: Excellent
- 6: Very Good
- 5: Good
- 4: Satisfactory
- 3: Mediocre
- 2: Poor
- 1: Very Poor
The Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay are graded on an A to E scale.
- A: Excellent
- B: Good
- C: Satisfactory
- D: Mediocre
- E: Elementary
Up to three bonus points (for an A and a B) can be awarded for good performance on these essays. An E on both Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay is a failing condition, preventing a diploma from being awarded.
Students in the IB Diploma Programme are graded in six subjects for a total of 42 points, and the possible three points which are awarded for the Theory of Knowledge subject and the Extended Essay bring the maximum up to 45. For the diploma to be awarded students must accumulate at least 24 points, and there are restrictions on the number of grades below 4 which are tolerated. This requires an average grade of 4, but in some cases a grade of 3 or 2 can be compensated by a grade of 5 or better in an other subject, or by bonus points from good performance on the Extended Essay and/or Theory of Knowledge. In admission to university programs, the IB grades are often converted to a local or national assessment system by some appropriate formula.
[edit] Ireland
In Irish secondary schools grades are awarded using letters along this scale:
- A: 100% - 85%
- B: 84% - 70%
- C: 69% - 55%
- D: 54% - 40%
Anything below 40% is considered a failing grade and is awarded an E (40% - 25%) or F (25% - 10%) grade. Any score below 10% is classed as NG or No Grade. At Higher Level a C grade and above is considered an 'Honor' grade. For some purposes the grade letter ranges are further sub-divided from 15% ranges to 5% ranges yielding grades A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc. (or A1, A2, B1, B2, B3...).
Leaving Certificate results are measured by the number of 'points' awarded to the student. It is usually the amount of points awarded to the student that forms the basis for the student's acceptance or otherwise into a course of higher education (e.g. a university degree course). A number of points between 0 and 100 are awarded to the student for each Leaving Certificate exam sat. The student then combines the points from his or her six top scoring exams giving a final total score between 0 and 600. The number of points awarded for a particular grade depend on whether the student sat the exam for the 'Higher Level' course or the 'Ordinary Level' course. The number of points awarded for each grade at the two levels are as follows:
| Grade | Percentage Range | Points at Higher Level | Points at Ordinary Level |
| A1 | 100% - 90% | 100 | 60 |
| A2 | 89% - 85% | 90 | 50 |
| B1 | 84% - 80% | 85 | 45 |
| B2 | 79% - 75% | 80 | 40 |
| B3 | 74% - 70% | 75 | 35 |
| C1 | 69% - 65% | 70 | 30 |
| C2 | 64% - 60% | 65 | 25 |
| C3 | 59% - 55% | 60 | 20 |
| D1 | 54% - 50% | 55 | 15 |
| D2 | 49% - 45% | 50 | 10 |
| D3 | 44% - 40% | 45 | 5 |
Anything below a D3 is considered a failing grade, and no points are awarded.
[edit] Israel
In Israel there are two scales, 0-10 (usually small quizzes, surprise quizzes etc.) and 0-100 (usually exams).
The 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 (hardly sufficient)
<4 or <44 = בלתי מספיק/נכשל (insufficient/failed)
In secondary school (grades 7-12), any grade of 54 and below is considered a failing grade.
It's worth mentioning that the Israeli education system does not employ curved grading at any stage (incl. in the academic level).
To compensate for this, most academic institutions require that candidates undergo a psychometric exam, which in Israel provides examinees with an overall score of 200-800, the average being 535 (according to the National Institute of Scoring and Evaluation's [1] report of 2005 results).
As previously mentioned, though, the vast majority of Israeli academic institutions also refrain from grading on a curve. Only certain law faculties use curved grading, and one management faculty recently announced its intention to gradually introduce curved grading at the undergraduate level as well.
[edit] Italy
In Italian primary school, a 5-point grading scale is used, where:
- Ottimo (excellent)
- Distinto (good)
- Buono (average)
- Sufficiente (pass)
- Non Sufficiente (non pass)
In high school a 10-point scale is used , being 6 the minimum grade for passing. Specifications such as + and -, half grades, and grades like 6/7 are often used. Note that the grades used in primary school are derived from this scale, with Non Sufficiente meaning "5 and under", and the other grades standing respectively for 7, 8, 9, 10. A 10 is very rare to score, as well as a 1. An 8 is usually considered an excellent grade. The average grade goes between 6 and 7.
Universities in Italy use a 30-point scale simply divided in two, non passing (0 to 17 points), and passing grades (18 to 30 points), for ordinary exams, and a 110-point scale, divided in two as well, being 66 the minimum grade for passing. Engineering schools ( Politecnici ) have a 100-point scale, being 60 the minimum grade for passing. For outstanding results the Lode "praise", is added at the maximum grade.
| ECTS Grade | Definition | % of successful students | Corresponding Italian grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 10% | 30-30 Lode |
| B | Very Good | 25% | 27-29 |
| C | Good | 30% | 24-26 |
| D | Satisfactory | 25% | 19-23 |
| E | Sufficient | 10% | 18 |
| FX | Fail | 14-17 | |
| F | Fail | 0-13 |
To someone familiar with both the Italian and the U.S. college systems, Italian grades are best translated into American grades (and vice versa) according to the following table:
| U.S. Grade | Definition | Corresponding Italian grades |
|---|---|---|
| A-, A, A+ | Excellent | 28-30 Lode |
| B-, B, B+ | Good | 25-27 |
| C-, C, C+ | Satisfactory | 21-24 |
| D-, D, D+ | Barely passing | 18-20 |
| E or F | Fail | 0-17 |
[edit] Iran
The Iranian grading system is similar to that of Belgium in secondary schools and universities; the passing grade is 10. Graduate programs require 12 as passing grade.
[edit] Mexico
Mexican schools use a scale from 0 to 10 to measure the students' scores. Since decimal scores are common, a scale from 0 to 100 is often used to remove the decimal point. The grades are:
- 100: Excellent. (Rarely given)
- 90: Very good.
- 80: Good (most common score in non-math subjects like philosophy).
- 70: Average (most common in math subjects like calculus).
- 60: Passing threshold.
- 0-59: Failed.
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 asessed, this score becomes the entire subject's score, thus giving slacking students a chance to pass their subjects. Those who fail the extraordinary test have 2 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 might fail the entire year. As a result, the extraordinary tests often cause a lot of stress among students, because they have to study for the entire period often in a couple of weeks.
[edit] The Netherlands
In The Netherlands, grades from 1.0 up to 10.0 are used, with 1 being worst and 10 being best. Generally one decimal place is used and a +/- means a quarter, rounded to either .8 or .3. Thus, a 6.75 could be written as 7- and count as an 6.8, whereas a 7+ would be a 7.25 and count as an 7.3. The grade scale with the labels:
- 10 (excellent)
- 9 (very good)
- 8 (good)
- 7 (more than sufficient)
- 6 (sufficient)
- 5 (insufficient)
- 4 (strongly insufficient)
- 3 (very strongly insufficient)
- 2 (bad)
- 1 (very bad)
Depending on the grade, several honors are available: total average of grades 8 with no grade under 7 and finishing in time: cum laude. For an average better than 7, but not meeting the criteria for cum laude, met genoegen (with pleasure), is sometimes awarded. This honor system is typically only used at universities.
Usually 5.5 and up constitute 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 a fail. Sometimes, when no decimal place is used, an additional grade, 6-, is used as "barely passed". This is what would have been a 5.5 if a decimal place was used.
A description (in Dutch) of the grading system in Dutch schools can be found at http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cijfer#Schoolcijfers
Grading systems compared
Converting the numbers of the Dutch grading system into the letters of systems such as those used in the United States and Great Britain, is difficult. It can really only be done if one can compare the frequency distribution of grades in the two systems.
The grades 9 and 10 are hardly ever given on examinations (on average, a 9 is awarded in only 1.5%, and a 10 in 0.5% of cases).
As the incidence of a 9 or 10 in HAVO examinations is considerably lower than that of the top marks in the American or British grading system, it would be a mistake to equate a 10 to an A, a 9 to a B, and so forth. If the 8, 9 and 10 are taken together, as in the table above, they represent the top S to 15% of examination results. If, in a grading system based on letters, the A represents the top 10% or thereabouts, grade A may be regarded as equivalent to grades 8 and above.
The conversion of the lowest passing grade may present another problem. A grade of 4 is a clear fail, although one 4 at the examination is acceptable if high grades are obtained in all the other subjects. A 5, on the other hand, is 'almost satisfactory'. For purposes of assessing a pupil's progress throughout the year, a 5 is usually considered to be good enough, provided the pupil does better on the next test. For examinations, a 5 is unacceptable only as an average, but is condoned in one or two subjects. Its use is comparable to that of the D in many systems: a weak pass, but as an average too low for admission into a higher cycle of education.
For the award of the HAVO diploma, the average final grade should be a 6. In view of the high frequency of 6's, coupled with the fact that it is the minimum requirement for admission into a higher cycle of education, there are good grounds for equating a 6 with a C, which has a similar frequency and purpose.
[edit] New Zealand
| Official Name | Common Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Achievement with excellence | Excellence / E | The candidate has demonstrated in depth understanding of the material tested |
| Achievement with merit | Merit / M | The candidate has met the criteria of the standard which demonstrates substantial knowledge of the material tested |
| Achievement | Achieved / A | The candidate met the criteria of the standard to a level which demonstrates adequate understanding of the material tested |
| Not achieved | Not achieved / NA | Fail |
| Grade | Percentage | Grade Value | Averaged GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90-100 | 9 | 8.5-9 |
| A | 85-89 | 8 | 7.5-8.49 |
| A- | 80-84 | 7 | 6.5-7.49 |
| B+ | 75-79 | 6 | 5.5-6.49 |
| B | 70-74 | 5 | 4.5-5.49 |
| B- | 65-69 | 4 | 3.5-4.49 |
| C+ | 60-64 | 3 | 2.5-3.49 |
| C | 55-59 | 2 | 1.5-2.49 |
| C- | 50-54 | 1 | 0.5-1.49 |
| D | 40-49 | 0 | 0.4-0.49 |
| E | 0-39 | 0 | 0.0-0.39 |
D and E are fail grades. Grade Value is used to convert Grade into GPA. (eg A+ = 9) Averaged GPA is used to convert GPA bact into Grade. (eg 8.57 = A+)
[edit] Norway
Most of Norway's university-level study programs have now introduced the Bologna system of grading. Thus, in classes above high school, letter grades A, B, C, D, E and F are used. A is the highest and E is the lowest passing grade. F is fail.
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).
Lower levels of education use a scale running from 0 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 postfixed with + or - (except 6+ and 0-) and it is also common to use grades such as 5/6 or 4/3 indicating borderline grades. The grading scale looks like this:
- 1 (fail)
- 1+
- 1(+)
- 1/2
- 2/1
- 2-
- 2(-)
- 2
- 2+
- 2(+)
- 2/3
- 3/2
- 3-
- 3(-)
- 3
- 3+
- 3(+)
- 3/4
- 4/3
- 4-
- 4(-)
- 4
- 4+
- 4(+)
- 4/5
- 5/4
- 5-
- 5(-)
- 5
- 5+
- 5(+)
- 5/6
- 6/5
- 6-
- 6(-)
- 6 (highest grade)
[edit] Peru
Peru's grading system is very similar to Belgian, please see that entry.
[edit] Philippines
Most schools and universities, such as De La Salle University (DLSU), use the 4-point number grading system.
(DLSU-Manila Grading System)
- 4.0 : 94-100%
- 3.5 : 89-93%
- 3.0 : 83-88%
- 2.5 : 78-82%
- 2.0 : 72-77%
- 1.5 : 66-71%
- 1.0 : 60-65% (passing grade)
- 0.0 : < 60% (failing grade)
A student who has a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.0 is entitled to graduate "With Honors". Those having a CGPA of 3.4 to below 3.6 will graduate with a "Cum Laude". From 3.6 to below 3.8 is a "Magna Cum Laude", and from 3.8 above is a "Summa Cum Laude".
There are also schools, such as the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), that use letter grades. The equivalent percentages for each letter grade varies depending on the passing grade of the subject (some have a passing grade of 70%; others, 50%).
- A : 4.0
- B+ : 3.5
- B : 3.0
- C+ : 2.5
- C : 2.0
- D : 1.0 (passing grade)
- F : 0.0 (failing grade)
The state university, University of the Philippines (UP), uses a reverse 5.0 scale, with 1.0 as the highest grade, 3.0 as the passing, and 5.0 as the failing grade. Below is the usual grading scale:
- 1.0 : 92% to 100%
- 1.25 : 88% to below 92%
- 1.5 : 85% to below 88%
- 1.75 : 82% to below 85%
- 2.0: 78% to below 82%
- 2.25 : 74% to below 78%
- 2.5 : 70% to below 74%
- 2.75 : 65% to below 70%
- 3.0 : 60% to below 65%
- 4.0 : unconditional pass/fail
- 5.0 : below 60%
A student with a GWA (general weighted average) of 1.75 to below 1.45 will graduate as a "Cum Laude", 1.45 to below 1.20 is a "Magna Cum Laude," and 1.20 to 1.0 is a "Summa Cum Laude."
[edit] Poland
For the Polish system, please see section on Central and Eastern Europe.
[edit] Portugal
Portugal's grading system in high-schools and universities is very similar to Belgian, please see that entry. For middle-schools the 5-1 central European system is used, please see that entry. It goes from 1 to 20 being 20 the highest!
[edit] Romania
For the Romanian system, please see section on Central and Eastern Europe.
[edit] Russia
For the Russian system, please see section on Central and Eastern Europe.
[edit] Serbia
In Serbia a five-point grading scale is used in elementary schools and secondary schools, where:
- 5 (excellent) is the best possible grade
- 4 (very good)
- 3 (good)
- 2 (sufficient) is the lowest passing grade
- 1 (insufficient) is the lowest possible grade, and the failing one.
At universities, a six-point grading scale is used, where:
- 10 (excellent, equivalent to U.S. A+), the best possible grade
- 9 (excellent)
- 8 (very good)
- 7 (good)
- 6 (sufficient) is the lowest passing grade
- 5 is failing grade.
[edit] Singapore
Singapore's grading system in schools is differentiated by the existence of many types of institutions with different education focus and systems. The grading systems that is used at Primary, Secondary, and Junior College levels are the most fundamental to the local system used.
[edit] Primary Schools
Primary schools in Singapore implement a grading system along an "Achievement Band", until the system disregarded the EM3 stream and concentrate on an "Overall Grade" scheme, which grade students as below:
[edit] Lower Primary (Primary 1 to 3)
- A*: 91% and above
- Band 1: 85% and above
- Band 2: 70% to 84%
- Band 3: 51% to 69%
- Band 4: Below 50%
[edit] Upper Primary (Primary 4 to 6)
- A*: 91% and above
- A: 75% to 90%
- B: 60% to 74%
- C: 50% to 59%
- D: Below 50%
- E: Below 25%
[edit] PSLE
[edit] Secondary Schools
Secondary schools are the first institutions in Singapore to have implemented the “Overall Grade” grading system for academic subjects. Since the 2000s, the education system allow more capable Normal (Academic) stream students to participate in the O Levels examination for Mother Tongue and Mathematics (Elementary) a year instead of taking the N Levels equivalents. This has resulted with a quasi-O Levels grading system used for such students, although their N Levels subjects are graded along the Overall Grade grading system, thus in their result slip, some subjects will be graded along the Overall Grade, and some with the O Levels grading system.
Express and Special stream students are graded along the Overall Grade grading system for the first 3 academic years in their secondary schools, and then graded along the O Levels grading system in their final secondary school year (year 4). Normal (Academic) students are graded for first 3 academic years and the N Levels year (year 4), and subsequently graded along the O Levels grading system in their final secondary school year (year 5). Normal (Technical) stream students are graded along the Overall Grade grading system throughout their entire education in secondary schools.
Non-academic subjects like Religious Knowledge, Civic & Moral Education and Music are graded with an alphabetical grading system of A, B, C or D.
[edit] Overall Grade
- 1: 75% and above
- 2: 70% to 74%
- 3: 65% to 69%
- 4: 60% to 64%
- 5: 50% to 59%
- U: Below 50%, considered Un-graded, or failed.
[edit] GPA
In some Secondary Schools, Grade Point Averages are used. The Grade Point Average is calculated by taking the Grade Point of each subject, adding them together, then dividing the total by the amount of subjects the student takes. This value is rounded to two decimal places, giving the student's GPA. A minimum GPA of 2.0 would be needed for promotion (A Secondary 2 student not getting a GPA of at least 2.0 would mean that he/she would fail to be promoted to Secondary 3, but would be forced to redo Secondary 2.)
| Grade | Percentage | Grade Point |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 80-100 | 4.0 |
| A | 70-79 | 3.6 |
| B+ | 65-69 | 3.2 |
| B | 60-64 | 2.8 |
| C+ | 55-59 | 2.4 |
| C | 50-54 | 2.0 |
| D | 45-49 | 1.6 |
| E | 40-44 | 1.2 |
| F | <40 | 0.8 |
[edit] O Levels Grades
- A1: 75% and above
- A2: 70% to 74%
- B3: 65% to 69%
- B4: 60% to 64%
- C5: 55% to 59%
- C6: 50% to 54%
- D7: 45% to 49%
- E8: 40% to 44%
- F9: Below 40%
- Grades D7, E8 and F9 are considered the failing grades. Students taking Higher Mother Tongue, or Mother Tongue Syllabus B (e.g.: Chinese, Malay, Tamil) may be awarded a Distinction, Merit, Pass, or a Fail grade.
The grades from O Levels will subsequently be collated into an array of combined scores that will deem the eligibility of an O Levels students for higher education in a junior college, centralised institute, polytechnic or other private higher institution. These scores are grouped in language and relevant subjects, hence the term L1R4 for centralised institutes, polytechnics and other private institutions; L1R5 for junior colleges, which stands for 1 language & 4 relevant subjects for L1R4, and 1 language & 5 relevant subjects for L1R5.
O Level scores of L1R4 and L1R5 are determined by adding up all of the point values of the various grades of each subject, this value is taken from the digit proceeding each letter in the grade name (e.g. a value of 1 for A1, a value of 2 for A2, value of 3 for B3 et ctr).
The first language subject component in the L1 is by default, English language, though Higher Mother Tongue Language may also be taken. The relevant subject components for the R4 and R5, a comprised of a humanities component, a Maths or Science component, another component from either humanities, maths or science and depending on the system used, 1 or 2 remaining subjects from any of the offered groups.
All students are required to take the elective subject of Social Studies and another elective humanity subject of either history, geography or literature, to satisfy the humanities component.
A lower overall score is better than a higher one, e.g.: L1R4 = 10 points is better than L1R4 = 20 points.
For illustration, if an O Levels student scored A1s for English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies and A2s for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Art & Design and C6 for Mother Tongue:
English Language (compulsory: language subject component): A1 = 1 point Mathematics (compulsory; relevant subjects component): A1 = 1 point Social Studies (optional; relevant subjects component): A1 = 1 point Physics (optional; relevant subjects component): A2 = 2 points Chemistry (optional; relevant subjects component): A2 = 2 points Biology (optional; relevant subjects component): A2 = 2 points Art & Design (optional; relevant subjects component): A2 = 2 points Mother Tongue (compulsory; relevant subjects component): C6 = 6 points
For centralised institutes, L1R4 for enrolment is required. That includes the compulsory subjects of English Language, Mathematics and Mother Tongue, and 2 more relevant subjects that students can choose from their result slips, which often occur to be their 2 best-scored subjects. In this hypothetical case, this student is more than eligible to enrol into a centralised institute. The L1R4 for this student will be English Language (1 point) + Mathematics (1 point) + Mother Tongue (6 points) + Social Studies (1 point) + Physics (2 points) = 11 points. Centralised institute requires students to score L1R4 20 points and below to be enrolled.
For junior colleges, L1R5 for enrolment is required, and students are required to score below 20 points to be enrolled. Junior colleges enrolment also includes the compulsory subjects of English Language, Mathematics and Mother Tongue, but 3 more relevant subjects. The L1R5 for this student will be English Language (1 point) + Mathematics (1 point) + Mother Tongue (6 points) + Social Studies (1 point) + Physics (2 points) + Chemistry (2 points) = 13 points. Junior colleges admission criteria differ from colleges to colleges. Minimum requirement for neighbourhood junior colleges are L1R5 below 20 points, while certain elitist junior colleges require L1R5 6 points and below.
[edit] Junior College Level (GCE A and AO levels)
- A: 70% and above
- B: 60% to 69%
- C: 55% to 59%
- D: 50% to 54%
- E: 45% to 49% (passing grade)
- O: 35% to 44% (denotes standard is at AO level only), grade N in the British A Levels.
- F: Below 35%
In addition, students offering Special Papers (offered for the last time in 2006) will be awarded either 1 (Distinction), 2 (Merit), or U (Unclassified). Grades 1 and 2 may only be awarded with a grade E and above in the main A level paper. Grade U will be awarded if a candidate fails to achieve at least a grade E in the main subject paper, and will not be reflected in the A level result cerificate.
Different JCs have different expectations and thus, the school reserves the discretion to moderate the marks when deemed necessary. For example, some JCs may regard 50% as the passing mark instead of 45% by others.
Note: AO level grades at Junior College level follows the O level system above.
All percentages with their corresponding grades shown here are just approximate guidelines because ultimately at the end of all major examinations (Primary School Leaving Examinations or PSLE in short, GCE N, O and A Levels) the Ministry of Education, Singapore, will moderate the results. Hence, an A grade for instance may no longer be at 70%. It could possibly be 68% or even 73% depending on the performance of the cohort. This is usually done to prevent grade inflation.
In addition, some schools are also offering the International Baccalaureate diploma program.
[edit] Polytechnic (Diploma)
Grading
- Z: Distinction (Top 5% score in the subject for the cohort)
- A: Excellent (>=80%)
- B+: Very good (75%-79%)
- B: Good (70%-74%)
- C+: Above average (65%-69%)
- C: Average (60%-64%)
- D+: Pass (55%-59%)
- D: Borderline pass (50%-54%)
- F: Fail (<50%)
Grade Point Average
- Z: 4.0
- A: 4.0
- B+: 3.5
- B: 3.0
- C+: 2.5
- C: 2.0
- D+: 1.5
- D: 1.0
- F: 0
The graduation criteria is to accumulate at least 1.0 for their GPA. For entrance into local university, the minimum criteria is to accumulate at least 3.2-3.5 for their GPA depending on each course. As for overseas university, the criteria is slightly lower which can range from 2.0-3.0. The matriculation requirement for local university is very high because there is only 15% of vacancy is allocated to polytechnic graduates. CCA is also taken into consideration for matriculation.
[edit] Slovakia
For the Slovak system, please see section on Central and Eastern Europe.
[edit] Slovenia
In Slovenia a five-point grading scale is used in elementary schools and high schools, where:
- 5 (excellent) is the best possible grade
- 4 (very good)
- 3 (good)
- 2 (sufficient) is the lowest passing grade
- 1 (insufficient) is the lowest possible grade, and the failing one.
In universities a ten-point grading scale is used, where:
- 10 (excellent) is the best possible grade
- 9 (very good)
- 8 (very good)
- 7 (good)
- 6 (sufficient) is the lowest passing grade
- 5 or less are failing grades.
[edit] Spain
In Spain there is a ten-point grading scale used in elementary schools and high schools where:
- 9-10 is the best possible grade and is called "sobresaliente" ("outstanding". 10 is also sometimes called "Matrícula de Honor" or "Mención de Honor".
- 7-8 is called "notable bajo" ("low remarkable") or "notable alto" ("high remarkable")
- 6 is called "bien" ("good")
- 5 is the lowest passing grade and is called "suficiente" ("sufficient")
- 3-4 is called "insuficiente" ("insufficient")
- 0-2 is the lowest possible grade and is called "muy deficiente" (literally "very defficient", but equivalent to "fail")
In universities, the scale is retained, but 6 is no longer called "bien" and there are not difference between "notable alto" and "notable bajo". Instead, 5-6 is called "suficiente" and 7-8 is called "notable". "Matricula de Honor" or 10, is given to less than 1% of the student population at university level.
| ECTS Grade | Definition | Spanish Grade | Definition | University Spanish Academic Record Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 10 | Matrícula de Honor | 4 |
| B | Very Good | 9-9.9 | Sobresaliente | 3 |
| C | Good | 7-8.9 | Notable | 2 |
| D-E | Sufficient | 5-6.9 | Suficiente | 1 |
| FX-F | Fail | 0-4.9 | Insuficiente |
[edit] Sweden
These grades are used in the Grundskola (primary school) and the Gymnasium (secondary school):
- MVG - Mycket väl godkänd (Passed with special distinction)
- VG - Väl godkänd (Passed with distinction)
- G - Godkänd (Passed)
- IG - Icke godkänd (Fail) (Only in the gymnasium, which resembles grades 10-12. In mandatory school IG is represented by a "-")
When grading tests, the following limits are sometimes used:
- >90% of the possible points of the test - MVG
- >75% - VG
- >50% - G
- <50% - IG
but the grades relate to stated goals and not to a certain percentile of students.
Until 1994 relative grades on the scale 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 were used. The scale was intended to have a national average of 3 and a standard deviation of 1, where 5 was the highest grade.
Up until 1962 yet another scale was used:
- A - Berömlig (Passed with great distinction)
- a - Med utmärkt beröm godkänd (Passed with distinction)
- AB - Med beröm godkänd (Passed with great credit)
- Ba - Icke utan beröm godkänd (Passed with credit)
- B - Godkänd (Passed)
- Bc - Icke fullt godkänd (Not entirely passable)
- C - Underkänd (Fail)
A was the highest grade, but rarely given.
Universities (such as Stockholm University), with some exceptions, use the grading:
- VG - Väl godkänd (Passed with distinction)
- G - Godkänd (Passed)
- U - Underkänd (Fail)
Many of these univerities are in a transition phase towards the ECTS credit system with an A to F grading, where A is the highest, following the Bologna process.
The Stockholm School of Economics uses:
- Ber - Berömlig (Excellent)
- MBG - Med beröm godkänd (Pass with distinction)
- G - Godkänd (Pass)
Engineering colleges and universities such as KTH or Chalmers use a truncated five-point numeric scale, where 5 is the highest possible grade:
- 5 (>=80%)
- 4 (60%-79%)
- 3 (40%-59%)
- U - Underkänd (Fail)
School of Economics and Commerce Law, Gothenburg University uses the same system as Stockholm University:
- VG - Väl godkänd (Passed with distinction >=75%)
- G - Godkänd (Passed 50%-74% )
- U - Underkänd (Fail <50%)
[edit] Switzerland
In Switzerland, a 6-point grading scale similar to that in Germany is used, but in reverse order and with a higher failing grade.
- 6 (very good) is the best possible grade.
- 5 (good) is a good grade.
- 4 (sufficient) is the lowest grade that suffices to pass an exam.
- 3 (insufficient) is a failing grade.
- 2 (poor) is a low failing grade.
- 1 (very poor) is the worst possible grade.
Every grade below 4 is a failing grade, so a 3.9 is considered insufficient. In exams, quarter steps are usually used to indicate grades in between integer grades, for example 5.25. Sometimes, finer grained systems are used with steps of one tenth. This is often the case in exams where the grade is a linear function of the number of achieved points (Grade = achieved_point/max_points*5 + 1). In certificates, grades are either rounded to integers or to half integers. After having rounded the individual grades, a weighted mean is used to calculate the overall result. The weight of a grade is normally proportional to the number of hours the according subject was taught per week. To pass a year, this overall result needs to be sufficient. Sometimes further conditions need to be fulfilled, such as a maximum allowed number of grades below four. At university level, classes can often be repeated individually in case of an insufficient grade, so not the whole year or semester needs to be repeated.
In a typical exam, the average result will be somewhat above 4 with a variance between 0.5 and 1. This of course varies depending on the kind of exam, the tested class, the school level, the region, the teacher and other factors.
Since education is in the responsibility of the cantons (except for the federal universities), grading notations may differ depending on the region. In some regions, + and - are used to indicate marks below or above an integer. Sometimes the - is used to indicate a better grade if it stands after the grade and a lower grade if it stands before the grade (in which case - is a symbol for "bis" 'to' rather than 'minus'), for example -5 is lower than 5 which is lower than 5- in that system.
At university level, Latin expressions are used in some cases. The lain grades for a passed final exam in law at the University of Zurich for example are "summa cum laude" (excellent), "magna cum laude" (very good), "cum laude" (good) and "rite" (sufficient). Promotionsordnung der Rechtswissenschaftlichen Fakultät (German). Retrieved on August 5, 2005.
[edit] Ukraine
For the Ukrainian system, please see section on Central and Eastern Europe.
[edit] United Arab Emirates
At most universities and colleges The United Arab Emirates grading system is very similar to the United States grading system. Please see that entry.
[edit] United Kingdom
The whole of the United Kingdom does not use the same grading (marking) scheme.
[edit] Scotland
Scotland's education system uses the following structure:
[edit] Standard Grade
Credit level
- 1: best possible grade, excellent (around 80% and above)
- 2: above average grade, very good (around 70% and above)
General level
- 3: average grade, satisfactory (around 60% and above)
- 4: below average grade (around 50% and above)
Foundation level
- 5: basic understanding (around 40% and above)
- 6: limited understanding (around 30% and above)
- 7: fail (in exams, usually less than 50%)
- 8: no award (when exam candidates do not attend the exam)
It should now be noted that Scotland is moving on from the old System, and now uses the Higher Still Programme, which is Part of the National Qualifications Package. These are as follows:
[edit] National Qualifications
- A: Best Possible Grade, excellent (around 75% and above)
- B: Above Average Grade, very good (around 65% and above)
- C: Minimum Pass, improvement needed (around 50% and above)
- D: Close Fail, (between 45 and 49%)
- A: Best Possible Grade, excellent (around 75% and above)
- B: Above Average Grade, very good (around 65% and above)
- C: Minimum Pass, improvement needed (around 50% and above)
- D: Close Fail, (between 45 and 49%)
- A: Best Possible Grade, excellent (around 75% and above)
- B: Above Average Grade, very good (around 65% and above)
- C: Minimum Pass, improvement needed (around 50% and above)
- D: Close Fail, (between 45 and 49%)
- A: Best Possible Grade, excellent (around 75% and above)
- B: Above Average Grade, very good (around 65% and above)
- C: Minimum Pass, improvement needed (around 50% and above)
- D: Close Fail, (between 45 and 49%)
For each qualification grades are divided into Band 1 and Band 2, the former indicating a higher mark. These bands are not shown on certificates issued by the SQA and do not need to be stated on CVs.
The Intermediate 1 Grading is equivalent to Standard Grade General Pass, Intermediate 2 Grading is equivalent to Standard Grade Credit, Highers are equivalent to the old Highers whilst Advanced Highers are equivalent to the old CSYS.
Most Secondary Schools have moved to this new system, however there are still some schools that use the old System of Standard Grades.
[edit] National Courses
- A: best possible grade, excellent (around 75% and above)
- B: above average grade, very good (around 65% and above)
- C: below average grade, improvement needed (around 55% and above)
- D: fail (around 50% and above)
Any lower standard of work will simply result in the failing of an exam, which is not graded.
[edit] England, Wales and Northern Ireland
England, Wales and Northern Ireland use a unified system for grading secondary school qualifications.
[edit] General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is graded on scale of A*-G, with U as Ungraded (Fail). NOTE: Grade % Averages are estimates. Exact percentage values vary depending on the subject, exam board, and year.
- A*: Outstanding (Grade % Average: 80 and above)
- A: Excellent (Grade % Average: 70 - 79)
- B: Above average (Grade % average: 60-69)
- C: Average (Grade % average: 45-59)
- D: Below Average (Grade % average: 35-44)
- E: Poor (Grade % average: 25-34) is the lowest passing % average
- U: Ungraded (Grade % average: 0-24)
Although grade boundaries for F and G grades do exist, most schools and exam boards will count any result below an E grade as ungraded (U).
[edit] Advanced Level
The General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A level), is graded on a scale of A-E, with U as Ungraded (Fail).
NOTE: Grade % Averages are estimates
- A: Excellent (80%+)
- B: Above average (70-79%)
- C: Average (60-67%)
- D: Below Average (50-59%)
- E: Poor (40-49%) is the lowest passing grade
- U: Ungraded (Grade % average: 0-39)
[edit] United States
Classical five-point discrete evaluation is the system most commonly used in the United States, but there are many variations. There are also a few schools, colleges and universities that eschew discrete evaluation (letter grading) in favor of pure discursive evaluation.
Here is a common example of an American quality index, showing letter grade, qualitative definition and correlative quantitative value.
- A = Excellent or Superior; or top 10% (90 to 100, of 100) = 4.00
- B = Above Average or Above Average Expectation; or second 10% (80-89) = 3.00
- C = Average or Average Expectation; or third 10% (70-79) = 2.00
- D = Below average but passing (60-69) = 1.00
- F (or E): Failure or Exceptionally Poor; or bottom 60% (0-59) = 0.00
Percentage ranges may vary from one school to another. In some schools, these ranges may even vary from one class to another.
Whether the failing grade is F or E typically depends on time and geography. Some states, but not many, have tended to favor E since World War II while the majority of the country tends to use F. Ultimately, the grade F traces to the days of two-point grading as Pass (P) and Fail (F).
In schools, the grade point average is computed by multiplying the summing the quantitative values (4.0, etc.) and dividing the total by the number of factors. 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 | 2 | A | 2 x 4.0 = 8.0 |
| Biology 102 | 4 | B+ | 4 x 3.3 = 13.2 |
| History 103 | 3 | B- | 3 x 2.7 = 8.1 |
| Physical Education 104 | 1 | C | 1 x 2.0 = 2.0 |
- Total Credits: 10
- Total Grade Points: 31.3
- Grade Point Average: 31.3 / 10 = 3.13 or B average
Chromatic variants (+ and -) are often used. In hypomodal grading on a 100 point scale, the prime letter grade is assigned a value of X5, the + grade is assigned the top value of X9 and the - grade is assigned the bottom value of X0. Thus, 87 to 89 is B+, 83 or 84 to 86 is B, and 80 to 82 or 83 is B-. In straight modal grading on a 4.0 decimal scale, the prime number is the prime letter grade. The + range of the grade begins at X.333 (repeating), rounded to X.30, above the prime number. The - range of the grade begins at X.666 (repeating), rounded up to X.70, below the prime number. Thus, B = 3.0, B+ = 3.3, and B- = 2.7.
[edit] Yugoslavia (former)
In Croatia and likely the rest of the former Yugoslavia, a similar five-point grading scale is used, where:
- 5 (excellent) is the best possible grade
- 4 (very good)
- 3 (good)
- 2 (sufficient) is the lowest passing grade
- 1 (poor) is the lowest possible grade, and the failing one
Teachers in grade schools and high schools are also allowed to record individual exam results with grades such as "3+" or "5-" or "3/4" which indicate varying ambiguities, but final grades at the end of the year need to be one of the basic five. An arithmetic mean is usually calculated, with X.45 being the threshold.
[edit] See also
- Dumbing down
- Education by country
- Educational evaluation
- Grade inflation
- Student Evaluation Standards
Degree grades:
