Study Abroad Mark Conversion

Conversion Narratives

   

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Table of Contents

Introductory Comments__________________________________________3

America_______________________________________________________4

Bolivia & Brazil

Canada & USA

Chile

Colombia

Mexico

Asia__________________________________________________________9

China, Hong Kong & Singapore

Japan

Australasia____________________________________________________11

Australia & New Zealand

Europe_______________________________________________________12

Austria and Germany (also see Germany Law)

Belgium & Portugal

Czech Republic, Denmark & Finland

France

Germany Law

Hungary & Norway

Iceland & Spain

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Sweden

Switzerland

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Introductory comments

These narratives detail how calculations were arrived at and should be read in conjunction with the mark conversion document. They are primarily intended for staff and help to explain why a particular mark is given.

Mark conversion was prepared based on analysis of transcripts from Erasmus and Year Abroad programmes and was compared to Partner Universities’ marking schemes and mark descriptions. Mark Conversion Tables from other UK Universities and partner Universities to UK were also consulted where available.

Graduate schools’ and employers’ requirements were also researched to ensure grades are aligned to 2.1 and 1st Class Degree requirements in UK.

The final table was prepared in consultation with Study Abroad Departmental Coordinators and it is believed to be the best achievable compromise that should ensure students’ marks from year abroad are converted fairly and uniformly across the University.

It was decided top marks should be capped at the best marks realistically achievable by students staying in Bristol – i.e. maximum marks from year abroad would not be 100% but rather 85±3%.

Pass and 2.1/1st border are aligned with grade descriptions provided by partner Universities, but to take into account the ‘culture shock’ experienced by students, the marks are usually on the more generous side.

A linear scale was used for simplicity when foreign marks are linear, but marks below certain threshold should not be converted and 0% UoB equivalent given instead.

Exceptions for certain departments (Engineering, Law) were justified and informed by discrepancies in the marking scheme of the Partner Universities.

The marks translation will be subject to annual review, via the University Undergraduate Studies Committee.

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Bolivia and Brazil

Bolivian universities use a linear scale (percentage) with 50% being a Pass, and 100% being achievable (transcripts). The linear formula is UoB = 0.85 x (BOL).

Brazil uses a similar scale, but marks are out of 10 rather than 100 although the distribution of marks is the same. The formula is UoB = 0.85 x (10 x BRA).

 

Bolivia Brazil

UoB

100 10 85

First 95 9.5 80.75

90 9 76.5

85 8.5 72.25

80 8 68 Upper

Second 75 7.5 63.75

70 7 59.5

65 6.5 55.25 Lower Second 60 6 51

55 5.5 46.75 Third

50 5 42.5

45 4.5 38.25

Fail 40 4 34

35 3.5 29.75

30-0 3-0 0

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Canada and USA

There are certain variations within each country, with some universities awarding grades like A+ and D+, whereas others do not. Therefore using GPA in the mark conversion is advisable, as all transcripts will contain this.

A GPA of 2 is required for a Pass, and GPA of about 3.65-3.6 is commonly used as a requirement equivalent to ‘First Class Degree’ in postgraduate applications and job adverts. Therefore a linear conversion of GPA to UoB grade should be UoB=20x (GPA).

In Canada, the same GPA is more difficult to achieve and therefore the mark conversion needs to reflect this. The conversion for the Canadian GPA is UoB = 20.5x (GPA)

The UoB equivalents are summarised in the table below.

 

 

   

GPA USA Canada

4.3 86 88.2

4 80 82

3.7 74 75.9

3.5 70 71.8

3.3 66 67.7

3 60 61.5

2.7 54 55.4

2.5 50 51.3

2.3 46 47.2

2 40 41

1.7 34 34.9

1.3 26 26.7

1 20 20.5

0.7 14 14.4

0 0 0

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Chile

Chilean universities use a linear scale from 1-7 with one decimal point (4.3, 6.7 etc). 4 is a Pass while the average of 6.5+ is ‘outstanding’ (Good First). The majority of grades are in the range of 5.5-6 (therefore equivalent to a 2.1 range). The formula used is UoB = 15 x (Chile) – 20

 

 

 

 

   

Chile UoB

7 85

First 6.5 77.5

6 70

5.5 62.5 Upper

Second

5 55 Lower

Second 4.5 47.5

Third 4 40

3.5 32.5 Fail

3-0 0

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Colombia

Colombian universities utilise a 0-5 scale where 3 is a Pass. The grade distribution is effectively the same as in Switzerland and therefore the formula for conversion is UoB = 20 x (COL) - 15

 

   Colombia UoB

5 85 First

4.5 75

4 65

Upper Second

3.5 55

Lower Second

3 45 Third

2.5 35 Fail

2 - 0 0

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Mexico

Mexico uses a linear scale with the Pass mark set at 55. 100 is achievable.

The scale is linear and corresponds to UoB 40-85% range. Therefore the formula is UoB= (MEX)-15.

 

   Mexico UoB

100 85

First 95 80 90 75 85 70 80 65 Upper

Second75 60 70 55 Lower

Second65 50 60 45

Third 55 40 50 35

Fail 45 30 40 - 0 0

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China, Hong Kong and Singapore

Different universities within these countries vary in the grades they award. Some give A+ and D+ while others do not (see US, Canada). Therefore the equivalent for every grade from D- to A+ is provided, and the conversion should not be adjusted if some grades are not used as there is no justification for the same letter grades having different UoB equivalents.

The transcripts as well as research online suggest that Singapore marking is slightly harsher, and to reflect this, an extra 3% is added to the equivalent Chinese/HK conversion

 

HK/China UoB Singapore UoB

A+ 84 A+ 87

A 78 A 81

A- 70 A- 73

B+ 66 B+ 69

B 63 B 66

B- 60 B- 63

C+ 56 C+ 59

C 53 C 56

C- 50 C- 53

D+ 46 D+ 49

D 40 D 43

D- 30 D- 33

F 0 F 0

 

 

   

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Japan

Our partner universities in Japan use different letter scales (see below), but also provide the percentage mark. The linear scale is similar to Mexico (55 pass, 100 ‘Good First’). Therefore the same formula is used for converting Japanese percentage mark to UoB: UoB = (Japan) – 15. If the percentage grade is not given, the letter grades have the same distribution as grades in Hungary and Norway.

Japan UoB UoB Class Niigata Nagoya Kyushu UoB

100 85

First

AA

A*

A

83 95 80

90 75

85 70 A A B 68

80 65 Upper Second

75 60 B B C 58

70 55 Lower Second

65 50

C C D 45 60 45 Third

55 40

50 35

Fail

Fail Fail Fail 30 45 30

40-0 0

 

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Australia and New Zealand 

There are three different descriptive grading systems used at our Australian partners. They share the same 4 levels of achievement which roughly correspond to the UK system. However, based on the information found online it is very hard to obtain the highest grades (2-5% students get a HD) and it is not unknown for 50% of students to achieve only a Pass. To reflect this, and to avoid disadvantaging UoB students, rather than using the descriptions provided the formula used for conversion is UoB = (AUS%) - 7 (and -5 for engineering).

New Zealand marking is the same as Australia.

 

MQ, Adelaide, Sydney, UNSW

UWA Melbourne

100

HD HD H1

95-99

90-94

85-89 80-84

D 75-79

D H2A

70-74 C

H2B

65-69 C

H3

60-64 P Pass (P) 55-59

P 50-54 < 50 F F F

AUS/NZ Eng (-5) Hum (-7)

100 95 93

90 85 83

85 80 78

80 75 73

75 70 68

70 65 63

65 60 58

60 55 53

55 50 48

50 45 43

45 40 38

40 35 33

30 - 0 0 0

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Austria and Germany

Both of these countries use the same scales; from 1 (high) to 5 (Fail). The marks are further differentiated by either +/- or +/-0.3 (see table).

The scale is largely linear with the linear formula being 85-(10x German/Austrian mark).

1 and 1+, or 0.7 marks are extremely rare, and the conversion reflects that by adding an extra 5% to the converted mark of between 1.4 and 1.1 converted using the formula, and an extra 10% to the 1 to 0.7 mark. A mark of 5, which is the lowest mark, indicates a clear fail therefore 0%.

Note separate conversion for Germany in Law.

 

 

   AUS/ GER UoB

1+ / 0.7 88 (85 – 7 + 10) First

1 85 (85-10 + 10)

1- / 1.3 77 (85-13 + 5)

2+ / 1.7 68 (85-17) Upper Second

2 65

2- / 2.3 62

3+ / 2.7 58 (85-27)

Lower Second 3 55

3- / 3.3 52

4+ / 3.7 48 Third

4 45

4- / 4.3 42

5+ / 4.7 30 Fail

5 0

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Germany – Law

Law schools in Germany use a different marking scale to other departments. The scale is 0-18 with 4 being a pass and a 1st/2.1 border around 13/14 points. The scale is not linear.

 

 

Germany Law UoB

18 85

First

17 82

16 78

15 75

14 72

13 68 Upper Second

12 65

11 62

10 58

Lower Second 9 55

8 52

7 48 Third

6 45

5 42

4 40

3 30 Fail

2-0 0

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Belgium & Portugal

Both countries use linear scales 0-20, with 10 a pass and 17 a 1st/2.1 border. The formula used is UoB= 4.5 x (P/BE) – 5. Marks 8 and below are ‘clear fail’ and are not converted according to that linear formula.

 

 

   Portugal Belgium UoB

20 20 85

First

19 19 80.5

18 18 76

17 17 71.5

16 16 67 Upper Second

15 15 62.5

14 14 58 Lower Second

13 13 53.5

12 12 49

Third 11 11 44.5

10 10 40

9 9 30

Fail

8 8 20

7 7 15

6 6 10

5-0 5-0 0

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Czech Republic, Denmark & Finland

These European countries aim to align their marking scales with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), but the marks given are not distributed on the curve. The ‘ECTS equivalents’ (as provided by the host Universities) are sometimes included on the transcripts. The ECTS equivalents for each country are summarised in the table below.

A is relatively rare, as is ‘Good First’ in Bristol, whereas B and C are best comparable to high and low 2.1. E is a Pass and F is a Fail (sometimes a distinction between Fx (Fail) and F (Bad Fail) can also be seen on the transcripts.

In the Czech Republic, 1-5 scale is used, where 3 is a Pass.

In Denmark, a 7-point scale is used where a 2 is a Pass.

In Finland, a 5-0 scale is used, with 1 being a Pass. Despite different scales, the equivalent UoB grade distribution should be the same for each country.

 

ECTS equivalent Czech Republic Denmark Finland Bristol

A 1 12 5 83 First

B 1.5 10 4 68 Upper

Second C 2 7 3 62

D 2.5 4 2 55 Lower

Second

E 3 2 1 45 Third

Fx 3.5 0 0 30 Fail

F

4

-3

0 Bad Fail 4.5

5

 

 

 

   

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France

French universities use a 0-20 scale, and similar to Italy, the cut-offs for top marks, as well as Pass marks vary between departments.

For Engineering, the Pass mark is 8 while a ‘Good First’ is 17. Marks above 17 are difficult to achieve. Therefore the linear conversion of UoB=5x (France) is used for Engineering. Some Universities may use 0-100 marking scale (such is the case in eg. Maths at Université Pierre et Marie CURIE in Paris). In those cases, the marks are translated as 1 to 1 equivalent to UoB marks.

In other departments, the Pass mark is 10 and the linear formula is 4.5x (France)-3.

Law at Poitiers University uses different scales for oral and written exams, with the same numerical values mapping equivalent to different ECTS marks (from transcripts). Therefore a separate scale is used for this exception (written exam at Poitiers) (Law*).

 

ENG UoB

Other departments

UoB Law* UoB

20 100 20 87 20 87

19 95 19 82.5 19 83

18 90 18 78 18 80

17 85 17 73.5 17 77

16 80 16 69 16 74

15 75 15 64.5 15 72

14 70 14 60 14 70

13 65 13 55.5 13 65

12 60 12 51 12 58

11 55 11 46.5 11 52

10 50 10 42 10 45

9 45 9 37.5 9 37.5

8 40 8 33 8 33

7 35 7 28.5 7 28.5

6 30 6 24 6 24

5 25 5-0 0 5-0 0

4 20

3 -0 0

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Hungary and Norway

Those countries use a 5-point A to E scale, with A being a ‘Good First’ and D a Pass. E is a fail (unlike the ECTS system where E is a ‘Pass’). B and C marks therefore correspond to 2.1 and 2.2 respectively.

 

 

Hungary Norway Bristol

A A 83 First

B B 68 Upper

Second

C C 58 Lower

Second

D D 45 Third

E E 30 Fail

 

   

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Iceland and Spain

Both countries use linear scales 0-10, with 5 a Pass and 8 a 1st/2.1 border. The formula used is UoB= 8 x (ICE/S) + 5.

In addition, at Spanish Universities a special distinction MDH (Matricula de Honor) can be very rarely achieved. MDH equals an extra 5% on top of conversion, so 90%. Marks 3 and below are ‘clear fail’ and therefore convert to 0%.

 

   Iceland Spain UoB

MDH 90

First

10 10 85

9.5 9.5 81

9 9 77

8.5 8.5 73

8 8 69 Upper Second

7.5 7.5 65

7 7 61

6.5 6.5 57 Lower Second

6 6 53

5.5 5.5 49 Third

5 5 45

4 4 30 Fail

3-0 3-0 0

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Ireland

Ireland uses the same marking scales as the UK and therefore a 1-1 conversion applies.

20  

Italy

Italian Universities use a 0-30* scale where 18 represents a Pass. The scale is not linear and grades aggregate at the bottom of the scale – meaning that the grade ranges for First and 2.1 are only single marks. There are separate grade descriptions and point cut-off values for specific grades across different departments within one institution (i.e. Law & Engineering versus Humanities, Science & Economics). The table below reflects these differences.

 

   Italy Hums,

Science & Econ

Law & Eng

30* 83 83

30 68 78

29 58 72

28 55 68

27 52 65

26 48 62

25 47 58

24 46 55

23 45 52

22 44 48

21 43 45

20 42 42

19 41 41

18 40 40

17 35 35

16 30 30

15 25 25

14 20 20

13-0 0 0

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Netherlands

Dutch Universities use a 0-10 linear scale. 10 is relatively rare (‘Good First’) and a Pass is 5.5. The scale is linear with the formula UoB=10x (NL)-15. Failing marks (5 and below) are not linear and reflect near-fail and clear fail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Netherlands UoB

10 85

First

9.5 80

9 75

8.5 70

8 65 Upper Second

7.5 60

7 55 Lower Second

6.5 50

6 45 Third

5.5 40

5 30

Fail 4 15

3-0 0

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Sweden

Sweden uses a 4-point system: 5, 4, 3, F, but a number of universities are currently in the process of transitioning to an ECTS based scale, with an A to F grading (see CZ, FIN, and DK), pursuant to the Bologna process.

If ECTS equivalents are provided, the scale from CZ, FIN, DK should be used. The table below shows a mark conversion if only the 4-point scale is present on the transcript.

 

Sweden Bristol

5 83 First

4 68 Upper

Second

3 55 Lower

Second

F 30 Fail

 

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Switzerland

Switzerland uses a 6-point linear scale, with 6 being the highest grade, 4 a Pass and 0-3.5 a Fail. The average of 5.5-6 is very rare, reflecting a ‘Good First’.

The approximate comparison to ECTS is as follows, but the Swiss grades are not distributed on the curve. The linear conversion is UoB=20 x (Swiss) - 35 and maps to the Bristol scale as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switzerland UoB

6 85 First

5.5 75

5 65 Upper Second

4.5 55 Lower Second

4 45 Third

3.5 35

Fail 3 25

2-0 0