Academic grading in Spain
Encyclopedia
Elementary, high schools, and vocational schools
SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
uses a 10-point grading scale for elementary and high schools:
- 9.0-10 is the best possible grade and is called "sobresaliente" ("outstanding"). A 10 grade may also include a distinction called "Matrícula de Honor" or "Mención de Honor," but usually only a limited number of students per group may benefit from it. Distinctions may imply tuition waivers for the following course.
- 7-8.9 is called "notable" ("very good"). Sometimes a distinction is made between "notable bajo" (low outstanding) and "notable alto" (almost outstanding).
- 6-6.9 is called "bien" ("good").
- 5-5.9 is the lowest passing grade and is called "suficiente" ("sufficient").
- 3-4.9 is called "insuficiente" ("insufficient").
- 0-2.9 is the lowest possible grade and is called "muy deficiente" (literally translated as "very deficient").
- The term "suspenso" ("fail") includes both "insuficiente" and "muy deficiente".
Universities
Spanish universities use two different grading scales. The students' performance is assessed using a 10-point grading scale. The grades can be expressed in words as follows:- 10 with distinction: "Matrícula de Honor". (The number of students eligible for this grade is usually limited by statute to less than 5% for a given assessment, or, in small groups, to 1 student in 20.)
- 9-10: "Sobresaliente" ("outstanding").
- 7-8.9: "Notable" ("very good").
- 5-6.9: "Aprobado" ("pass").
- 0-4.9: "Suspenso" ("fail").
Furthermore, when a student has passed a subject according to this 10-point scale, her or his grade is converted to the following 4-point scale and recorded in her/his transcript of records
Transcript (education)
In education, a transcript is an inventory of the courses taken and grades earned of a student throughout a course.- United States :In United States education, a transcript is a copy of a student's permanent academic record which usually means all courses taken, all grades received, all...
:
- "Matrícula de Honor": 4.
- "Sobresaliente": 3.
- "Notable": 2.
- "Aprobado": 1.
Since these grades are given on the teacher's discretion, there is no easy correspondence to the ECTS grading scale
ECTS grading scale
The ECTS grading scale is a grading system defined in the ECTS framework by the European Commission. Since many different grading systems co-exist in Europe, and considering that interpretation of grades varies considerably from one country to another, if not from one institution to another, the...
, which is based on the class percentile of passed students in a given assessment. For this reason, the following table is only an approximation:
Grade in Spanish Academic Records | Definition | Estimated ECTS Grade | Definition |
---|---|---|---|
4 | Matrícula de Honor | A+ | Top Qualification in Class or Subject |
3 | Sobresaliente | A | Highest 10% |
2 | Notable | B | Next 20% |
1 | Aprobado | C-D | Next 85% |
Suspenso | FX-F | Not Pass |
External links
- The "Matrícula de Honor" in the Universidad de Alicante, Spain