Grading Systems by Country
How school grades work in each country: scales, passing marks, report cards and conversions, written for teachers and tutors.
Checked against official sourcesRe-verified every quarter
At a Glance
Compare the countries we’ve published side by side: the grading scale, the passing grade, which end of the scale is best, and when we last checked each one.
Africa
| Country | Scale | Best to worst | Passing grade | Direction | Levels covered | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 6-step points scale, 18.00-20.00 is best | 18.00-20.00 to 0-9.99 | 10.00-11.99 (Passable) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Botswana | 10-step grading scale, A* is best | A* to X | No pass mark | Lower is better | All school years, Primary, Upper secondary | |
| Cameroon | 5-step points scale, 16-20 is best | 16-20 to 0-9 | 10-11 (Passable) | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary | |
| Kenya | 12-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to E | D (Fair) | Higher is better | Upper secondary, All school years | |
| Nigeria | 9-step grading scale, A1 is best | A1 to F9 | D8 (Pass) | Lower is better | Upper secondary | |
| South Africa | 7-step numeric scale, 7 is best | 7 to 1 | 3 (Satisfactory) | Higher is better | Upper secondary | |
| South Sudan | 4-step numeric scale, 1 is best | 1 to 4 | No pass mark | Lower is better | All school years | |
| Sudan | 5-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to F | C (Good) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Tanzania | 5-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to F | D (Satisfactory) | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary | |
| Uganda | 5-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to E | No pass mark | Higher is better | All school years |
Americas
| Country | Scale | Best to worst | Passing grade | Direction | Levels covered | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 6-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 1-5 | 6 (Suficiente) | Higher is better | Upper secondary, Primary | |
| Bahamas | 7-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to G | No pass mark | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Belize | 5-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to F | No pass mark | Lower is better | All school years | |
| Brazil | 4-step numeric scale, 8.6 to 10.0 is best | 8.6 to 10.0 to 0.0 to 4.9 | 5.0 to 6.5 (Suficiente/Média Inferior) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Canada | 11-step letter-grade scale, A+ is best | A+ to F | D (Marginal) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Costa Rica | 2-step percentage scale, 100 is best | 100 to 1 | No pass mark | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Dominica | 3-step grading scale, HIGH is best | HIGH to LOW | No pass mark | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Honduras | 5-step points scale, 91 a 100 is best | 91 a 100 to 0 a 35 | 70 a 80 (Satisfactorio) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Mexico | 6-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 5 | 6 | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary | |
| United States | 5-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to F | D (Poor) | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary |
Asia
| Country | Scale | Best to worst | Passing grade | Direction | Levels covered | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 5-step points scale, 90-100 is best | 90-100 to 0-39 | 40-54 (D) | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary | |
| Bangladesh | 7-step letter-grade scale, A+ is best | A+ to F | D (Sufficient) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| China | 5-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to F | D (Pass) | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary | |
| Hong Kong | 6-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to F | No pass mark | Higher is better | Upper secondary | |
| Japan | 5-step numeric scale, 5 is best | 5 to 1 | 2 (Poor) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Malaysia | 6-step numeric scale, 6 is best | 6 to 1 | 3 | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Nepal | 2-step grading scale, D+ is best | D+ to - | D+ | Higher is better | Lower secondary, Upper secondary | |
| Pakistan | 7-step grading scale, A1 is best | A1 to F | E (Fair) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Philippines | 4-step percentage scale, 100% is best | 100% to 0% | 75% | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Singapore | 5-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to E | E | Higher is better | Upper secondary | |
| Taiwan | 3-step grading scale, 甲 is best | 甲 to 丙 | 丙 (丙等) | Higher is better | All school years, Lower secondary | |
| Thailand | 8-step numeric scale, 4 is best | 4 to 0 | 1 (ผ่านเกณฑ์การประเมินขั้นต่ำ) | Higher is better | All school years, Primary | |
| Vietnam | 7-step points scale, 9-10 is best | 9-10 to <4 | 5-6 (Trung bình) | Higher is better | All school years |
Europe
| Country | Scale | Best to worst | Passing grade | Direction | Levels covered | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 3-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 4 | 5 | Higher is better | All school years, Primary | |
| Austria | 5-step numeric scale, 7 is best | 7 to 0 | No pass mark | Higher is better | Upper secondary | |
| Azerbaijan | 4-step numeric scale, 5 is best | 5 to 2 | 3 (kafi) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Belarus | 9-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 2 | 3 (Acceptable) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Belgium | 3-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to C | No pass mark | Higher is better | Upper secondary | |
| Bulgaria | 5-step numeric scale, 6 is best | 6 to 2 | 3 (Среден) | Higher is better | All school years, Primary | |
| Denmark | 7-step numeric scale, 12 is best | 12 to -3 | 02 (Den tilstrækkelige præstation) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Finland | 7-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 4 | 5 (välttävä) | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary | |
| France | 5-step points scale, 16.00 - 20.00 is best | 16.00 - 20.00 to < 10.00 | 10.00 - 11.99 (Passable) | Higher is better | Upper secondary, All school years | |
| Georgia | 10-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 1 | 5 (Low) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Germany | 6-step numeric scale, 1 is best | 1 to 6 | 4 (Ausreichend) | Lower is better | All school years, Upper secondary | |
| Ireland | 8-step numeric scale, 1 is best | 1 to 8 | 7 | Lower is better | Upper secondary | |
| Italy | 11-step numeric scale, 10/10 is best | 10/10 to 0/10 | 6/10 (Sufficient attainment; pass) | Higher is better | All school years, Primary | |
| Netherlands | 10-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 1 | 6 (Voldoende) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Norway | 6-step numeric scale, 6 is best | 6 to 1 | 2 (to) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Poland | 6-step numeric scale, 6 is best | 6 to 1 | 2 (acceptable) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Romania | 5-step numeric scale, 10 is best | 10 to 1 | 5 | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Russia | 5-step numeric scale, 5 is best | 5 to 1 | 3 (minimum passing mark) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Serbia | 5-step numeric scale, 5 is best | 5 to 1 | 2 (довољан) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Sweden | 6-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to F | E (Pass) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Switzerland | 5-step numeric scale, 6 is best | 6 to 1 | 4 (satisfactory; sufficient) | Higher is better | All school years | |
| Turkey | 5-step numeric scale, 5 is best | 5 to 0 to 1 | 2 (Noksan) | Higher is better | All school years, Lower secondary, Upper secondary, Vocational | |
| Ukraine | 4-step letter-grade scale, H is best | H to I | No pass mark | Higher is better | Primary, All school years | |
| United Kingdom | 4-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to D | D | Higher is better | Upper secondary, Vocational |
Oceania
| Country | Scale | Best to worst | Passing grade | Direction | Levels covered | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 4-step letter-grade scale, A is best | A to E | No pass mark | Higher is better | Upper secondary, All school years | |
| New Zealand | 5-step grading scale, Exceeding is best | Exceeding to Emerging | Proficient | Higher is better | All school years, Upper secondary |
Browse by Country
Pick a country to see how its grades work: the scale, the passing mark, and how its marks compare with yours. Every page is checked against official sources.
Europe
Albania
AndorraPage coming soon
ArmeniaPage coming soon
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and HerzegovinaPage coming soon
Bulgaria
CroatiaPage coming soon
CyprusPage coming soon
CzechiaPage coming soon
Denmark
EstoniaPage coming soon
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
GreecePage coming soon
HungaryPage coming soon
IcelandPage coming soon
Ireland
Italy
KosovoPage coming soon
LatviaPage coming soon
LiechtensteinPage coming soon
LithuaniaPage coming soon
LuxembourgPage coming soon
MaltaPage coming soon
MoldovaPage coming soon
MonacoPage coming soon
MontenegroPage coming soon
Netherlands
North MacedoniaPage coming soon
Norway
Poland
PortugalPage coming soon
Romania
Russia
San MarinoPage coming soon
Serbia
SlovakiaPage coming soon
SloveniaPage coming soon
SpainPage coming soon
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Americas
Antigua and BarbudaPage coming soon
Argentina
Bahamas
BarbadosPage coming soon
Belize
BoliviaPage coming soon
Brazil
Canada
ChilePage coming soon
ColombiaPage coming soon
Costa Rica
CubaPage coming soon
Dominica
Dominican RepublicPage coming soon
EcuadorPage coming soon
El SalvadorPage coming soon
GrenadaPage coming soon
GuatemalaPage coming soon
GuyanaPage coming soon
HaitiPage coming soon
Honduras
JamaicaPage coming soon
Mexico
NicaraguaPage coming soon
PanamaPage coming soon
ParaguayPage coming soon
PeruPage coming soon
Saint Kitts and NevisPage coming soon
Saint LuciaPage coming soon
St Vincent & GrenadinesPage coming soon
SurinamePage coming soon
Trinidad and TobagoPage coming soon
United States
UruguayPage coming soon
VenezuelaPage coming soon
Asia
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
BhutanPage coming soon
BruneiPage coming soon
CambodiaPage coming soon
China
Hong Kong
IndiaPage coming soon
IndonesiaPage coming soon
Japan
KazakhstanPage coming soon
KyrgyzstanPage coming soon
LaosPage coming soon
Malaysia
MaldivesPage coming soon
MongoliaPage coming soon
MyanmarPage coming soon
Nepal
North KoreaPage coming soon
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
South KoreaPage coming soon
Sri LankaPage coming soon
Taiwan
TajikistanPage coming soon
Thailand
Timor-LestePage coming soon
TurkmenistanPage coming soon
UzbekistanPage coming soon
Vietnam
Middle East
BahrainPage coming soon
IranPage coming soon
IraqPage coming soon
IsraelPage coming soon
JordanPage coming soon
KuwaitPage coming soon
LebanonPage coming soon
OmanPage coming soon
PalestinePage coming soon
QatarPage coming soon
Saudi ArabiaPage coming soon
SyriaPage coming soon
United Arab EmiratesPage coming soon
YemenPage coming soon
Africa
Algeria
AngolaPage coming soon
BeninPage coming soon
Botswana
Burkina FasoPage coming soon
BurundiPage coming soon
Cameroon
Cape VerdePage coming soon
Central African RepublicPage coming soon
ChadPage coming soon
ComorosPage coming soon
DR CongoPage coming soon
DjiboutiPage coming soon
EgyptPage coming soon
Equatorial GuineaPage coming soon
EritreaPage coming soon
EswatiniPage coming soon
EthiopiaPage coming soon
GabonPage coming soon
GambiaPage coming soon
GhanaPage coming soon
GuineaPage coming soon
Guinea-BissauPage coming soon
Ivory CoastPage coming soon
Kenya
LesothoPage coming soon
LiberiaPage coming soon
LibyaPage coming soon
MadagascarPage coming soon
MalawiPage coming soon
MaliPage coming soon
MauritaniaPage coming soon
MauritiusPage coming soon
MoroccoPage coming soon
MozambiquePage coming soon
NamibiaPage coming soon
NigerPage coming soon
Nigeria
Republic of the CongoPage coming soon
RwandaPage coming soon
São Tomé and PríncipePage coming soon
SenegalPage coming soon
SeychellesPage coming soon
Sierra LeonePage coming soon
SomaliaPage coming soon
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
TogoPage coming soon
TunisiaPage coming soon
Uganda
ZambiaPage coming soon
ZimbabwePage coming soon
Oceania
Australia
FijiPage coming soon
KiribatiPage coming soon
Marshall IslandsPage coming soon
MicronesiaPage coming soon
NauruPage coming soon
New Zealand
PalauPage coming soon
Papua New GuineaPage coming soon
SamoaPage coming soon
Solomon IslandsPage coming soon
TongaPage coming soon
TuvaluPage coming soon
VanuatuPage coming soon
Grade on any scale.
EMStudio's online gradebook supports custom grading scales, weighted categories, and qualitative marks, so a 1 to 6 class and an A to F class can live side by side.
Explore the GradebookFAQ
Can I convert a grade from one country to another with these pages?
Only roughly. The pages show where each grade sits on its own scale and, where an evaluator has published one, an indicative equivalence. Official recognition of a transcript is done by credential evaluators such as WES, Nuffic or UK ENIC, who look at the school and the subject as well as the number.
Why do some pages show percent bands and others do not?
A percent band appears only when the authority publishes one, or when a widely used convention exists and the page can cite it. Where a country has no percent key at all, the page says so and the converter is left out rather than guessed.
How current are these pages?
Each page shows a "last verified" date, the day a human re-checked its facts against the sources. Pages are re-verified on a schedule and whenever a reader reports a change.
Who writes these pages?
The EMStudio editorial team, teachers and former curriculum coordinators, using official sources and AI assistance for the drafting. A human editor checks every fact before publication. The methodology page explains the process in full.
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