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Grading Systems by Country 2024

Each country follows its own grading system for measuring academic performance in school. Since the grading systems are not completely in alignment with each other, determining what qualifies as a good grade between countries can be a challenge. Each university that accepts international students must be familiar with the grading system for the various countries where their prospective students come from.

Grading System in China

China's grading system uses marks and grades that correspond to a number grade on a scale of 0 to 100. The passing mark is usually at 60. When being graded, students may be given a combination of marks, or a pass/fail grade.

Grading System in South Korea

Grading in South Korea varies depending on the type of school that is administering the grade. Middle schools use a five point grading scale with grades that are based on Korean characters. High schools use a 10-point grading scale based on the position of the student in the class. Universities use a letter grade system that corresponds to a number grade, similar to the grading system in the United States.

Grading System in Finland

The grading scale in Finland uses a 4 to 10 grading scale in comprehensive and upper secondary schools. In vocational and higher education institutions, a 0 to 5 grading scale is used.

Grading System in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's university system uses a grade point average (GPA) system. The GPA corresponds to a number that itself corresponds to a letter. Some universities (A, B, C, D, F). Some universities include A+, others do not.

What Are the Types of Grading Systems In Effect?

Different schools around the world use different types of grading systems. Some use letter grading from A to F, others use grading percentage from 0 to 100. Standard-referenced grading compares students to each other with letter grades, while the common scale grading uses pass/fail only.

Grading of absolute standards compares student success to a pre-established expectation of quality. Narrative grading involves writing a narrative feedback to the student.

Some countries use a different grading system for various types of schools, depending on the students' grade level.

  • In countries that use a letter-based scale, the letter E is often skipped. For example, most US schools use the grades A, B, C, D, and F. The symbols + or - may be used to indicate scores at the high or low end of that letter's respective range.
  • In countries that use a numerical scale, the lowest possible grade may be 1 or 0 (although 0 is often reserved for incompletes).
  • Scoring systems shown pertain primarily to government-funded primary and secondary schools. Preschools, private schools, and tertiary schools (colleges, trade schools) may use entirely different grading systems.
  • The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) average reflects all grades earned for all semesters. It is determined by dividing the sum total of all grade points by the sum total of all credit hours attempted.
  • A Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the total amount of grade points earned by the total amount of GPA credits attempted.

Download Table Data

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Country
Low Score
High Score
Additional Details
Description
Lowest Passing Grade
Canada0100%
Score of 90-100% being equivalent to an A, 80-89% to a B, 70-79% to a C, 60-69% to a D, and anything...
Based on a percentage system60%
India0100
GPA stands for the Grade Point Average. It is a standard method of calculating a student’s average s...
100-point scale65
China0100
Most Chinese transcripts use a grading system with either marks or grades (letters or words) on a sc...
100-point scale60
Indonesia0100
Default System/National Education Standards
100-point scale54
Ethiopia0100
100-point scale50
Egypt0100
100-point scale50
South Africa0100
The percentages have been adjusted as follows: A 1st grade pass is awarded at 75% or above and a 2nd...
Percentage system40
Iraq0100
100-point scale60
Afghanistan0100
The criteria for good grades vary by school and grade level, but in most cases a grade of 75 or abov...
100-point scale40
Saudi Arabia0100
95 to 100 = 5.0 = A+ Excellent | 90 to less than 95 = 4.75 = A Excellent | 85 to less than 90 = 4.5 ...
100-point scale60
Malaysia0100
Malaysia has its own educational grade system. Different institutions use different grading systems....
100-point scale40
Australia0100
Both NAPLAN and final year secondary school grades are designated in 'bands' as follows: In the fina...
Unique GPA scale50
Syria0100
The minimum passing score varies from 50% to 60%. Syria has no national academic credit system. Univ...
Percentage system50
Israel1100
In Israel, schools have grades from 1 to 100 starting in the 4th grade. Private schools typically us...
100-point scale56
Nicaragua0100
The minimum passing grade for undergraduate students and students doing a post graduate program is 7...
100-point scale70
Costa Rica0100
For primary school level, a score of 65 is good enough to pass, while in high school and further lev...
100-point scale65
Panama0100
Panama's grading system is different for universities than for schools. The university uses a 0-100 ...
100-point scale71
Eswatini0100
Percentage system40
Malta0100
The numerical grading system is different to other places because the grading scale is from 0 to 100...
100-point scale70
Italy030
The lowest passing grade is 18.
20-point scale18
San Marino030
The University of San Marino uses the European Ects Credit System, and has adopted the same grades s...
20-point scale18
Iran020
Grading is based on a 0 to 20 scale with 10 as the lowest passing grade. At the master's level a min...
20-point scale10
France020
In France, school grades usually range from 0 (worst) to 20 (best), or sometimes from 0 (worst) to 1...
20-point scale10
Algeria020
A mark of 10.00 or higher is a pass.
20-point scale10
Morocco020
A score of 20 signifies perfection and is virtually never given. Scores of 19 and 18 are equally rar...
20-point scale10
Peru020
Grades range from 0 to 20 and are represented by a nearly unique grading table. For most schools and...
20-point scale10
Venezuela020
00 being the lowest, 20 being the highest, and 10 being a passing grade.
20-point scale10
Chad020
20-point scale8
Benin020
20-point scale10
Tunisia120
20-point scale10
Belgium020
Belgian universities use a scale of 0 to 20 for each subject. A weighted average is then calculated ...
20-point scale10
Portugal120
In Portugal, the grading system for primary and secondary schools up to grade 9 is as follows: From ...
20-point scale10
Lebanon020
Most schools use a 0-20 scale with a passing score of 10 out of 20 (sometimes the lowest passing sco...
20-point scale7
Luxembourg120
Excellent (18-20): outstanding performance/no or only insignificant errors. Very Good (16-<18): abov...
20-point scale12
Ukraine112
Primary education is free in government-run schools. Grading is administered by the Ministry of Educ...
12-point scale4
Denmark-312
The current scale, syv-trins-skalaen ("7 step scale"), was introduced in 2007, replacing the old 13-...
7-point scale2
Uruguay112
Grading scale 1-12 is used, where in grade 1 is the lowest and grade 12 is the highest. Grades of 10...
12-point scale7
Brazil010
Coeficiente de Rendimento or Índice de Rendimento Acadêmico. The majority of schools use a scale of ...
Varied6
Mexico010
Since decimal scores are common, a scale of 0 to 100 is often used to remove decimal points.
10-point scale6
Vietnam110
Schools and universities in Vietnam use a 10-point rating scale, with 10 being the best and 0 being ...
10-point scale5
Spain010
10-point scale5
Argentina110
Passing score being represented by a 4 and usually equivalent to a 70. 75% or more.
4
Romania110
If the student scores 86%, she is given a grade of 8.60, which is rounded to 9. Additionally, a scor...
10-point scale5
Ecuador010
Ecuador's grading system is 10 out of 10 with two decimal places for both primary, secondary and uni...
10-point scale7
Netherlands110
1 being the worst and 10 being the best. | The score is determined by dividing the number of points ...
10-point scale6
Greece010
Scale: 0.00-10.00 (0-100%) Pass (module): 5.00 (50%) The table below shows the Greek grading system ...
10-point scale5
Belarus110
Marks "1" and "2" are considered as "Fail" at school. In higher education "3" is also considered as ...
10-point scale3
Finland010
Several systems are used in different educational institutions in Finland. The "grade" system histor...
10-point scale4
Moldova110
10-point scale5
Albania110
Grades from 4 to 10 are used in Albania, and some schools allow decimal points (up to the hundredth ...
10-point scale5
Armenia010
10-9 Excellent 7-8.99 Good, 5-6.99 Satisfied, <5 not enough (failure) Multiply the grade by 10 to co...
10-point scale5
Lithuania110
In Lithuania, the rating system was changed to a 10-point scale in 1993. Previously, he was given a ...
10-point scale5
Latvia110
The Latvian academic performance evaluation system uses a 10-point scale, with a "10'' (Latvian: des...
10-point scale4
Cyprus010
The grading system is numerical, from 0 to 10, with increments of 0.5. The minimum passing grade is ...
10-point scale5
Iceland010
10-point scale
Andorra110
5 is the passing score.
10-point scale5
Chile17
Grades are assigned on a numerical scale from 1.0 to 7.0 with at least one decimal point, with a min...
7-point scale4
Switzerland16
6 being the best, 1 being the worst and 4 being the lowest passing score.
4
Bulgaria26
In Bulgaria, the following grade scale is used in schools: Exact scoring is often used in exams and ...
6-point scale3
Singapore16
6 being the best, 1 being the worst and 4 being the lowest passing score.
4
Russia15
In higher education, most subjects are graded 'Pass/No pass' ('Credit/No Credit') (зачёт/незачёт, pr...
5-point scale2
Japan15
2
Philippines15
The Elementary and high school grading system in Philippines uses a 5-point grading system. The lowe...
5-point scale2.5
Turkey15
In Turkey, high school exam grades range from 0 to 100, but final grades range from 1 to 5. Regulati...
2
Colombia05
The most commonly used rating system is a number from 0 to 5 or 0 to 10, usually approved at 3 or 6 ...
6-point scale3
Poland25
The Polish grading system in higher education is based on the 5 to 2 scale, where 5 is the best mark...
3
Uzbekistan25
The academic grading system of Uzbekistan is numerical. The highest grade is 5 (excellent = A), then...
3
Kazakhstan15
Grade 2 is the unsatisfactory grade, while grade 3, 4 and 5 are the passing grades. Grade 3 indicate...
5-point scale3
Honduras15
5-point scale3
Czech Republic15
In the Czech Republic, a five-point grading system is used in both primary and secondary schools. Pl...
5-point scale3
Hungary15
There is one failing grade: 1 – elégtelen (inadequate). Generally, the minimum passing score is 50% ...
5-point scale2
Serbia15
Serbia has the same grading system as the former Yugoslavia. In elementary and middle school, the fo...
2
Paraguay15
Grades range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest achievable grade and 1 being the lowest. The mini...
2
Kyrgyzstan15
5-point scale2
Slovakia15
Grading is on a five-point scale: 5: Excellent; 4: Very Good; 3: Good; 2: Satisfactory; 1: Unsatisfa...
2
Croatia15
In Croatia, the following grade scale is used in schools: At the end of each semester, grades are av...
5-point scale2
Bosnia and Herzegovina15
Bosnia and Herzegovina uses grades 5 to 1 for primary and secondary education and grades 10 to 5 for...
5-point scale2
Slovenia15
Grading is on a five-point scale: 5: Excellent; 4: Very Good; 3: Good; 2: Satisfactory; 1: Unsatisfa...
2
North Macedonia15
Grading is on a five-point scale: 5: Excellent; 4: Very Good; 3: Good; 2: Satisfactory; 1: Unsatisfa...
5-point scale2
Estonia05
A grade of A/5, B/4, C/3, D/2 and E/1 is considered as a pass, with a grade of F/0 considered as a f...
6-point scale1
Montenegro15
2
Jordan04
Point Grading System (the course grades are recoded in letters) and Percentage Grading System.
Varied2
Germany61
In Germany, school performance varies from 1 (very good, sehr got) to 6 (poor, ungenügend). The fina...
6-point scale4
Malawi91
1 being the highest and 9 the lowest. MSCE
9-point scale8
Austria51
The Austrian grading system offers a range of five different grades (1 to 5), with 1 being the highe...
5-point scale4
Ireland81
Any score below 10% is classed as No grade (NG). At Higher Level, a C grade and above is considered ...
8-point scale6
Namibia41
4-point scale4
Mauritius91
The School Certificate results are graded from 1 to 9, where 1 & 2 are distinctions, 3 to 6 represen...
9-point scale8
NigeriaVariesVaries
The choice of grading system in schools in Nigeria varies from institution to institution and, in so...
VariesVaries
United StatesFA
In the United States, academic grading commonly takes on the form of five, six or seven letter grade...
5-point scale (letter grades)D
BangladeshFA
Grade Point Average (GPA) | Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) | `I’ stands for (incomplete), W (...
5-point scale (letter grades)D
ThailandFA
5-point scale (letter grades)D
United KingdomFA
The grading system in the UK typically uses letters to denote different levels of achievement. In hi...
5-point scale (letter grades)D
KenyaEA
5-point scaleD
CameroonEA
A candidate with Grades A, B, or C has reached the standard of subject pass at the Ordinary Level. G...
5-point scale (letter grades)C
RwandaFA
Examination subjects are graded A - F, with each grade representing a specific number of points: A (...
6-point scale (letter grades)E
SwedenEA
A to E represents a pass, and F represents a fail. Grades A, C, and E each have different requiremen...
5-point scale (letter grades)E
Papua New GuineaDA
4-point scale (letter grades)C
Hong KongFA
Results of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and Hong Kong Advanced Level E...
6-point scale (letter grades)D
NorwayFA
6-point scale (letter grades)E
New ZealandEA
5-point scale (letter grades)C
KuwaitFA
A four-tier rating system and percentagesD
BhutanEA
A (80% & above) excellent, E (Below 49.9%) - Fail.
5-point scale (letter grades)D
BelizeFA
The grading for secondary schooling follows a scale of 6 grade points. The scale of 1 resembles the...
5-point scale (letter grades)D
BahamasFA
Grade A is the highest possible grade and grades below D are considered failing. Plus (+) or minus (...
5-point scale (letter grades)D
BarbadosGA
The grading system constitutes of grade A onwards for outstanding to G for unsatisfactory. However t...
6-point scale (letter grades)F
showing: 106 rows

Which country has the best grading system?

China has the best grading system, followed by Korea, Finland, and Hong Kong.

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Sources