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Free Reference for Admissions and Credential Review
What a 1.3 means, and why it is not what it looks like.
How grading scales work across twelve countries — what each grade means in its own system, where the pass mark sits, and which scales are most frequently misread by reviewers seeing them for the first time.
Reading it
Lower is better, which reverses the intuition of anyone used to a percentage or GPA scale. A 1.3 is an excellent result; a 3.7 is a bare pass.
Frequently misread
The most common misreading of any European transcript. A reviewer seeing 1.3 and assuming a low mark has the situation exactly backwards.
Last reviewed August 2026
Why there are no conversions here
This reference deliberately stops short of a GPA
You will find no table converting a German 1.7 into a US GPA on this page, and that is a considered decision rather than an omission.
Conversion is an evaluative act. Two credential evaluators can look at the same transcript, apply defensible methodologies, and reach different conclusions — because they are weighing institutional standing, programme rigour and grade distribution, not performing arithmetic. A table that flattens this into a single number implies a precision that does not exist.
The same reasoning governs how we translate transcripts. Grades are reproduced exactly as awarded, with any grading scale printed on the document translated alongside them. A transcript that arrives already converted invites the reviewer to ask what else was interpreted along the way.
What this page offers instead is orientation: what the scale is, how it reads in its own country, and where the threshold for passing sits. That is what someone holding an unfamiliar transcript actually needs.
The recurring errors
Where reviewers most often go wrong
- Reading Germany as though higher were better. The single most consequential misreading. A 1.3 is outstanding and a 3.8 is a bare pass.
- Treating French marks as percentages. A 14 out of 20 is a genuinely good result. Read as 70%, it understates the candidate substantially.
- Assuming a UK First means near-perfect work. The threshold is 70%, and marks above 80 are rare in most disciplines.
- Not asking which Indian CGPA scale applies. Four, seven and ten-point scales are all current, and the difference is not marginal.
- Confusing the two Italian scales. A transcript may carry both the 18–30 exam scale and the 66–110 degree scale. They measure different things.
- Missing a distinction grade. Matrícula de Honor, 30 e lode and the Japanese S grade all sit above what a reviewer expecting a standard range would anticipate.
Using this reference
What it is, and what it is not
This is orientation for reading an unfamiliar document, not an authority to cite in an admissions decision. Institutions within a country vary, practice changes over time, and secondary and university scales often differ.
Where a transcript does not state its own scale, ask the applicant or the issuing institution rather than inferring from this page. If you find something here that is outdated or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Related
Where to go next
Questions
Grading systems, answered
Why does this reference not convert grades to a US GPA?
Because conversion is an evaluative judgement rather than a factual one, and it belongs to a credential evaluator or an admissions office rather than a reference table. Two institutions can reasonably reach different conclusions about the same transcript. What we can state factually is what each scale means in its own country and where its pass mark sits.
Which grading scale is most often misread?
The German 1.0 to 5.0 scale, without much competition. Lower numbers are better, which reverses the intuition of anyone accustomed to percentages or a GPA. A reviewer seeing 1.3 and reading it as a poor mark has an excellent student exactly backwards, and the error is easy to make quickly.
Should a translated transcript show converted grades?
No. A translation should reproduce grades exactly as awarded, along with any grading scale printed on the document. A transcript arriving with grades already converted raises an obvious question about what else was interpreted, and most credential evaluators will reject it or ask for the original.
What if a transcript does not state which scale is in use?
Ask the applicant or the issuing institution. This is common with Indian CGPA transcripts, where 4, 7 and 10 point scales are all in circulation, and with Italian records that carry both the exam scale and the degree scale. Guessing produces a wrong assessment rather than an approximate one.
Do these scales apply to secondary as well as university education?
Not always. Several countries use different scales at school and university level, and Italy is the clearest example. Where you are reviewing a secondary certificate, confirm the scale rather than assuming it matches the university one.
How current is this reference?
It is reviewed periodically and dated accordingly. Grading practice changes slowly but it does change, and institutions within a country vary. Treat this as orientation for reading an unfamiliar document rather than an authority to cite in a decision.
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