Evaluating the grades in ChinaIt is important to ask a student how students in China are graded, as it will be very different from what someone in western countries is used to. Whether you are a new international student or a seasoned researcher who needs an entry level understanding of the Chinese grading scale.
Introduction to Chinese Grading Scale
The Chinese educational system is largely percentage-based; the scores on exams are typically reported as numbers ranging from 0 to 100 in a specific course. For background, here is a recap of how these scores generally measure to performance categories:
90 to 100: Excellent
80 to 89: Good
70 to 79: Average
60 to 69: Pass
Below 60: Fail
In higher education, such a grading system is converted into a certain number of weight points and often afterwards it is corresponded to the common letter grading scale for international GPA assessment by foreign educational authorities.
University Grading
A variation to the grading system introduces a letter grade system that corresponds to certain numerical scores at the university level. So here is a pretty common conversion used by many Chinese universities:
A (Excellent): 85 to 100
B (Good): 70 to 84
C (Average): 60 to 69
D (Pass): 50 to 59
F (Fail): Below 50
GPA Calculation
When it comes to assessments and progress evaluation, the letter grades are converted into a Grade Point Average (GPA) by Chinese universities, which is extremely important. GPA is normally on a scale of 4.00, higher if you get an A no more than 4.00 to be exact, and every letter grade links with a specific point value;
A = 4.0
B = 3.0
C = 2.0
D = 1.0
F = 0.0
The weight of the GPA depends on the credit hours of courses that student takes and it is crucial for academic reviews and various graduation criteria.
Institution-to-Institution Differences
Note: This is obviously subject to different universities and programs. At some institutions, the numerical ranges for each letter grade may be shifted or an alternative scale (such as 5-point or pass/fail) is used for some courses.
Important for International Applicants
It is quite a scene when an international student learns that his/her grading system in their home country had nothing to do with Chinas'. In order to reconcile these differences, most Chinese universities have a grading scale conversion guide for students who go on exchange programs or want to convert their marks equivalent to home country systems.
It is a four-year degree program in China, which is common practice both nationally and internationally. To give international engineering students the chance to understand how college classes in the United States are evaluated, and allow them to plan accordingly both in setting realistic academic goals and accurately measuring their progress while they continue their education.
If students are familiar with the Chinese grading scale, their academic success and transition into China will be much smoother, with fewer misunderstandings or miscommunications regarding grades that would otherwise detract from equal focus in these areas.