China grading system for school students
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Percentage ranges are commonly used, but are not a national rule.
This page explains what Chinese grades mean, how school grading is administered, and how to interpret or convert grades for other systems. It also covers teaching Chinese students online or abroad, related grading systems, and sources for verification.
What each Chinese grade means
The main school letter-grade scale runs from A to F, with A as the best grade and F as the worst. D is the lowest passing grade and is described as Pass; F is Fail.
| Grade | Meaning | Passing | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | Yes | 90 to 100% |
| B | Good | Yes | 75 to 89% |
| C | Satisfactory/Fair | Yes | 64 to 74% |
| D | Pass | Yes | 60 to 63% |
| F | Fail | No | 0 to 59% |
Percent bands follow a widely used convention, not a national rule. The percentage ranges are published as the commonly used national grading scale by WES.
D is the lowest passing grade; F is Fail.
The percentages associated with the scale are a widely used convention, not a national rule. Final exam results may be recorded as pass or fail, or as a letter grade from A to E. Higher education institutions use a 100-point system.
How Chinese school grading is run
The Ministry of Education sets grading rules nationally and, with provincial and municipal governments, is responsible for secondary education (WENR).
In Beijing, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission formulated local implementation measures based on a Ministry of Education document and 2018 implementation opinions (Jw).
After completing a senior middle school programme, pupils receive a senior middle school diploma, official results of the provincial examination, and a grade list covering three years of senior middle school (Nuffic).
Converting Chinese grades to US, UK or ECTS grades
Students can request a verification report in Chinese or English from the Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD) China Credential Verification.
The report can verify a senior middle school graduation certificate, provincial exams, or both (Nuffic).
If you teach Chinese students online or abroad
Set the scale up once in a gradebook so every report card and transcript you produce uses the same key.
Related grading systems
More pages in this section are on the way.
Sources and verification
- [1]gb.shandong.gov.cn. 山东省人民政府 公报汇总 山东省教育厅关于开展中小学教育质量综合评价工作的指导意见. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Official source
- [2]jw.beijing.gov.cn. （失效）北京市初中学业水平考试实施办法政策解读. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Official source
- [3]nuffic.nl. Grades and study results | Nuffic. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Credential evaluator
- [4]wenr.wes.org. China: Secondary Education - WENR. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Credential evaluator
The facts on this page were last verified on Sep 26, 2026. Suggest a correction
Frequently asked questions
What is a passing grade in China?
D is the lowest passing grade in the commonly used school letter-grade scale. It corresponds to 60–63%; F, at 0–59%, is failing. These percentage ranges are a widely used convention, not a national rule.
Do schools in China use percentages for grades?
Yes. A commonly used school scale assigns percentage ranges to letter grades: A is 90–100%, B 75–89%, C 64–74%, D 60–63%, and F 0–59%. These ranges are a widely used convention, not a national rule.
Is a C a good grade in China?
C is described as satisfactory or fair in the commonly used school letter-grade scale, and corresponds to 64–74%. In Beijing, C and above is passing; that local rule does not establish whether C is passing throughout China.
