GRADING SYSTEM

Usual grading system in secondary school

Full Description: Most secondary schools use a grading system consisting of the Roman Alphabet letters A, B, C, D, sometimes E and F, with the letter I meaning "incomplete". These letters are linked to numerical grade scores. There is no national regulation on grading systems.

Highest on scale: A (Excellent)

Pass/fail level: D (Marginal)

Lowest on scale: F (Failure)

Main grading system used by higher education institutions

Full Description: Many institutions use either a letter grading system similar to that described for secondary school linked to a numerical system based upon points earned. The latter system is typically based on a five-, four-, or three-point scale. Some institutions do not use grades or provide them only upon request. Grading systems are determined by each institution.

Highest on scale: A, 4.0 (Excellent)

Pass/fail level: C, 2.0 (Marginal)

Lowest on scale: D or F, 1.0 or below (Failure)

Other main grading systems

Advanced research studies (Masters thesis, Doctoral dissertations), practica and projects or presentations in the fine or performing arts are often not assigned letter or numerical grades but rather evaluated on an "honours", "pass", or "fail" basis by the supervising faculty. NOTE: US grading systems at both the secondary and higher education levels are generally based on the principle of starting with an assumption of a perfect grade and then subtracting points for errors, omissions, poor expression, unsound reasoning, etc. Numerical scores are often converted into letter grades, or vice-versa. Since there are five common letter grades (A,B,C,D,F) and ten-point score ranges are frequently issued to denote letter grade separations, it is common for any score/grade of less than 60 (D) to be considered unsatisfactory. This is an important difference from systems where scoring begins at zero and points are added to achieve a final grade.