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May 4, 2024
The Grading System in Australia is different from those used in the majority of other nations; thus, overseas students planning to study there should be aware of this. In some countries, your final grade is based entirely on how well you perform on tests covering the material you’ve read.
The system in Australia, on the other hand, is quite different. Therefore, we have come up with detailed information regarding the grading system in Australia.
Yet, even within Australia, there are regional variations in the grading system. There are different ways to grade different degrees, courses, and programs, like honors degrees and vocational courses.
In Australian universities, the grading system is a comprehensive way to judge how well students are doing in school. This system is used in almost all universities in Australia. It is a key part of figuring out how well students are doing in school.
Australia’s grading system is based on a number scale that goes from 0 to 100. The grades are then turned into letter grades that match a certain range of numbers. The most commonly used letter grades in Australia are HD (High Distinction), D (Distinction), C (Credit), P (Pass), and F (Fail).
High Distinction (HD) is the highest grade a student can receive and is usually awarded for outstanding academic performance. A grade of HD is typically awarded for scores ranging from 85 to 100. Distinction (D) is awarded for a score between 75 and 84. This grade shows that a student did well in school and has a good understanding of the material.
Credit (C) is awarded for a score between 65 and 74. This grade shows that a student has met the minimum requirements for a course and has a basic understanding of the material.
Pass (P) is awarded for a score between 50 and 64. This grade shows that a student passed the course, but that they didn’t do anything particularly impressive.
Finally, a score of less than 50 results in a fail (F). This grade means that a student did not do well enough in a course to meet the minimum requirements. They will need to take the course again or take more classes to improve their performance.
Some universities may also use letter grades like “Credit with Distinction” or “High Credit” to show that a student did especially well in a certain grade range.
The grading system is listed in the table below:
| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Australian Grades
|
Description of Grade | GPA |
| 85-100 | H | High Distinction | A+ |
| 75-84 | D | Distinction | A |
| 65-74 | C | Credit | B |
| 50-64 | P | Pass | C |
| Less than 49 | F | Fail | D |
The grading system for Honours degrees in Australia can vary slightly between universities, but the general structure of the system remains consistent. The following table provides an overview of the typical grading system for Honours degrees in Australia:
| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Australian Grades
|
Description of Grade |
| 80-100 | H1 | First Class Honours
|
| 75-79 | H2A | Second Class Honours
|
| 70-74 | H2B | Second Class Honours
|
| 65-69 | H3 | Third Class Honours
|
| 50-64 | P | Pass |
| Less than 49 | N | Fail |
The grading system is completely different in this category, as mentioned above, because it uses a binary system—either you pass or fail.
| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Aus. Grade | Description of Grade |
| 100% | S/C | Satisfactory / Competent |
| 0 | NS / NYC | Not Yet Satisfactory / Not Yet Competent |
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New South Wales is popular among international students seeking to study in Australia. There are numerous leading academic universities located here, including the Sydney University, University of New South Wales, Macquarie University and Newcastle University. The grading system used in NSW schools is outlined in the table below.
| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Aus. Grade | Description of Grade |
| 85–100 | HD | High Distinction |
| 70–84 | D | Distinction |
| 50– 69 | C Or CR | Credit |
| 25 –49 | P | Pass |
| 24 – 0 | F | Fail |
In Queensland, Queensland University and Griffith University consistently rank among the best in the world. Compared to other territories, grades are differentiated into more categories.
Queensland’s educational institutions use the grading scale presented in the following table.
| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Aus. Grade | Description of Grade |
| 7 | HD | High Distinction |
| 6 – 6.99 | D | Distinction |
| 5 – 5.99 | C | Credit |
| 4 – 4.99 | P | Pass |
| 3 – 3.99 | MF | Marginal Fail |
| 2 – 2.99 | F | Fail |
| 1 – 0.99 | LF | Fail |
Some of the best universities in this territory are Carnegie Mellon University Australia, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, and the University of South Australia.
The grading system is as follows:
| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Aus. Grade | Description of Grade |
| 100- 85 | HD | High Distinction |
| 84- 75 | D | Distinction |
| 74- 65 | C | Credit |
| 64- 55 | P1 | Pass Level 1 |
| 54- 50 | P2 | Pass Level 2 |
| 49- 40 | F1 | Fail Level 1 (it’s the lowest passing grade) |
| 39- 30 | F2 | Fail Level 2 |
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| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Aus. Grade | Description of Grade |
| 100 – 85 | A | Extremely High Standard of Achievement |
| 84 – 70 | B | High Standard of Achievement |
| 69 – 50 | C | Acceptable Standard of Achievement |
| 49 – 25 | D | Limited Standard of Achievement |
| 24 – 0 | E | Very Limited Performance |
| Numerical Grade Scale (%) | Aus. Grade | Description of Grade |
| 85-100 | A | Excellent |
| 84-70 | B | Good |
| 69-51 | C | Satisfactory |
| 50-31 | D | Limited |
| 30-26 | E | Very Low |
| Below 25 | F | Fail |
The grade point is calculated based on the numerical score that a student receives for their coursework and assessments. The following is a steps on ways calculate the Australian grade point:
Convert the numerical score to a percentage: The first step in calculating the Australian grade point is to convert the numerical score to a percentage. This can be done by dividing the numerical score by the maximum possible score and multiplying by 100.
Determine the grade point value: The next step is to determine the grade point value for the percentage score. The grade point value is determined based on the letter grade that corresponds to the percentage score. Each letter grade has a corresponding grade point value, as follows:
High Distinction (HD): 8.0
Distinction (D): 7.0
Credit (C): 6.0
Pass (P): 5.0
Fail (F): 0.0
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Calculate the grade point average (GPA): The final step is to calculate the grade point average (GPA) for a student’s academic record. The GPA is calculated by dividing the total grade points earned by the total number of courses or subjects taken.
For example, if a student earns an “A” in one course and a “B” in another, the grade point values for each course would be calculated as follows:
Course 1: A (8.0 grade point value)
Course 2: B (7.0 grade point value)
The GPA would then be calculated by dividing the total grade points (15.0) by the total number of courses (2), resulting in a GPA of 7.5.
