Grading systems differ significantly between countries. What's a 5 in Poland may be equivalent to an 'A' or '10' in another country. If you're planning a school exchange, studying abroad, or are just curious - discover grading systems in different countries.
Poland - Reminder
Scale: 1 - 6 (schools) or 2.0 - 5.0 / A-F (universities)
- 6 (excellent) - highest grade
- 5 (very good)
- 4 (good)
- 3 (satisfactory)
- 2 (passing)
- 1 (failing) - negative grade
Passing grade (minimum for promotion): 2
Germany
The German system works 'in reverse' - the lower the number, the better the grade!
Scale: 1 - 6 (lower is better)
- 1 (Sehr gut) = Very good ≈ Polish 6
- 2 (Gut) = Good ≈ Polish 5
- 3 (Befriedigend) = Satisfactory ≈ Polish 4
- 4 (Ausreichend) = Sufficient ≈ Polish 3
- 5 (Mangelhaft) = Insufficient ≈ Polish 2 (failing!)
- 6 (Ungenügend) = Very insufficient ≈ Polish 1
Passing grade: 4 (Ausreichend)
Note! In Germany '1' is the best grade, and '5' is already failing!
United States (USA)
The American system uses letters A-F and GPA (Grade Point Average).
Letter system:
- A (90-100%) = Excellent ≈ Polish 6
- B (80-89%) = Good ≈ Polish 5
- C (70-79%) = Average ≈ Polish 4
- D (60-69%) = Passing ≈ Polish 3
- F (0-59%) = Failing ≈ Polish 2 or 1
GPA System (Grade Point Average):
- A = 4.0
- B = 3.0
- C = 2.0
- D = 1.0
- F = 0.0
Passing grade: D (60%)
In the USA, GPA matters - perfect is 4.0 (all A's)
United Kingdom (UK)
The British system differs depending on education level:
GCSE (exams at age 16):
- 9 = Highest grade ≈ Polish 6
- 8-7 = Very good ≈ Polish 5-6
- 6-5 = Good ≈ Polish 4-5
- 4 = Standard Pass (passed) ≈ Polish 3
- 3-2-1 = Not passed
A-Levels (exams at age 18):
- A* = Outstanding ≈ Polish 6
- A = Very good ≈ Polish 5-6
- B = Good ≈ Polish 5
- C = Satisfactory ≈ Polish 4
- D = Weak ≈ Polish 3
- E = Very weak (minimum pass) ≈ Polish 2-3
- U = Unclassified (not passed)
France
The French system uses a 0-20 point scale:
Scale: 0 - 20
- 18-20 = Très bien (Very good) ≈ Polish 6
- 16-18 = Bien (Good) ≈ Polish 5-6
- 14-16 = Assez bien (Fairly good) ≈ Polish 5
- 12-14 = Passable (Passable) ≈ Polish 4
- 10-12 = Satisfaisant (Satisfactory) ≈ Polish 3-4
- 0-10 = Insuffisant (Insufficient) - not passed
Passing grade: 10/20
In France, an average of 16/20 is already a very good result!
Czech Republic
The Czech system is very similar to Polish, but with reversed logic (like Germany):
Scale: 1 - 5 (lower is better)
- 1 (Výborný) = Excellent ≈ Polish 6
- 2 (Chvalitebný) = Praiseworthy ≈ Polish 5
- 3 (Dobrý) = Good ≈ Polish 4
- 4 (Dostatečný) = Satisfactory ≈ Polish 3
- 5 (Nedostatečný) = Insufficient ≈ Polish 2 or 1
Passing grade: 4
In Czech Republic '1' is the best grade, and '5' is failing
Spain
The Spanish system uses a 0-10 scale:
Scale: 0 - 10
- 9-10 = Sobresaliente (Outstanding) ≈ Polish 6
- 7-9 = Notable (Notable) ≈ Polish 5
- 5-6 = Bien/Suficiente (Good/Sufficient) ≈ Polish 4
- 0-5 = Insuficiente (Insufficient) - not passed
Passing grade: 5/10
Matrícula de Honor (MH):
Highest possible grade (above 10), awarded to the best students
Japan
The Japanese system uses letters and percentages:
Letter scale:
- S (90-100%) = Excellent ≈ Polish 6
- A (80-89%) = Very good ≈ Polish 5
- B (70-79%) = Good ≈ Polish 4
- C (60-69%) = Satisfactory ≈ Polish 3
- D (50-59%) = Weak ≈ Polish 2-3
- F (0-49%) = Not passed
Passing grade: C (60%)
In Japan, S (Superior) is the highest grade, above A
Comparison Table - Conversion Between Countries
Approximate conversion (simplified):
| Polska | Niemcy | USA | UK | Francja | GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (cel) | 1 | A | A* | 18-20 | 4,0 |
| 5 (bdb) | 1-2 | A-/B+ | A | 16-18 | 3,7 |
| 4 (db) | 2-3 | B/C+ | B/C | 14-16 | 3,0 |
| 3 (dst) | 3-4 | C | D | 12-14 | 2,0 |
| 2 (dop) | 4-5 | D | E | 10-12 | 1,0 |
| 1 (ndst) | 5-6 | F | U | 0-10 | 0,0 |
These are approximate values - exact conversion depends on the university!
ECTS System - Universal European System
ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) is used at universities in Europe:
- A = Excellent (top 10% of students)
- B = Very Good (next 25%)
- C = Good (next 30%)
- D = Satisfactory (next 25%)
- E = Sufficient (bottom 10% who passed)
- F / FX = Fail (not passed)
ECTS facilitates grade transfer between European universities (e.g., ERASMUS)
Tips for Grade Conversion
- There's no single universal table - each university has its own conversion rules
- When applying abroad, use official converters from the destination university
- WES (World Education Services) offers professional grade conversion
- Some countries (USA, UK) may require additional certificate translation
- GPA is often required when applying to USA/Canada
- Check specific university requirements - they may vary!
Summary
- Grading systems differ significantly between countries
- In Germany and Czech Republic: lower number = better grade (opposite of Poland!)
- USA/UK: letter system A-F
- France: scale 0-20, Spain: 0-10
- ECTS is the European university standard
- Grade conversion requires considering context and university rules