How do UK grades translate to GPA?

How do UK Grades Translate to GPA?

Students and parents of students attending schools following the UK’s education system, whether in the UK or overseas, may be interested in comparison to the American system, where students are assessed using Grade Point Average (GPA). This might be because they want to attend college in the US, or because they are from the States and want a comparison, or because they are planning to transfer to the US.

UK students are assessed using letter grades (A* to U) at A-Level (16 to 18) and IGCSE (14 to 16), and numerical grades at GCSE (14 to 16) and International Baccalaureate (16 to 18). Below these age ranges, things get more complicated: schools might use their own grading system, or the SATs.

There are no official conversions between the two systems. Very loosely, an A* might be considered equivalent to a 4.0 GPA. Read on for further information.

How Does GPA Work?

The Grade Point Average (GPA) system is used in US schools to give students an overall numerical grade on their performance. According to D. R. Sadler, “The GPA is a weighted mean of course grades calculated over a defined period of study, such as one semester.” (“Grade integrity and the representation of academic achievement”, Sadler, D. R. (2009)).

Individual subjects will grade students on a letter grading system. The GPA system synthesises these grades by awarding a numerical value for each grade, then taking an average of these numbers. The usual system is as follows (please note these are for US grades and not UK grades, more on this later):

• An “A” is worth 4.0
• A “B” is worth 3.0
• A “C” is worth 2.0
• A “D” is worth 1.0

In between the above, students can also receive “minus” or “plus” grades, which remove and add 0.3 GPA points accordingly. For example, an A- would be worth 3.7 points, whilst a B+ would be worth 3.3.

By averaging these values across all subjects a student is taking to one value, students have an easy to understand guide to their performance at school.

What is a 4.0 GPA in UK Grades?

Achieving a 4.0 GPA is the highest possible level of academic achievement in US schools, and means a student is achieving straight A grades in all subjects. Technically, this corresponds to achieving straight A* grades at A-Level or IGCSE, or straight grade 9s at GCSE. The IB picture is more complicated, as a perfect score of 45 points is comparatively rare.

UK to US Grade Conversion

Please take the following with a pinch of salt; there is no official equivalency between the UK and US grading system.

As an equivalent, at A-Level or IGCSE:

• An A* in the UK is worth an A / 4.0 in the US
• An A in the UK is also worth an A / 4.0 in the US system
• A B in the UK is worth a B / 3.0 in the US system
• A C in the UK is also worth a B / 3.0 in the US system
• A D in the UK is worth a C / 2.0 in the US system
• An E in the UK is also worth a C / 2.0 in the US system
• An F, G or U in the UK is worth a D / 1.0 in the US system

As an equivalent, at GCSE:

• A 9 in the UK is worth an A+ / 4.0 in the US
• A 7 or an 8 in the UK is worth an A / 4.0 in the US system
• A 6 in the UK is also worth a B+ / 3.3 in the US system
• A 4 or a 5 in the UK is a B / 3.0 in the US system
• A 3 in the UK is also worth a C+ / 2.3 in the US system
• A 1 in the UK is also worth a D / 1.0 in the US system
• A U in the UK is also worth an F / 0.0 in the US system

GPA Conversion to UK Grades

To convert a US GPA to UK grades, simply reverse the process as above.

As an equivalent, US GPAs equate to UK grades as follows.

At A-Level or IGCSE

• A 4.0 GPA in the US is worth an A or A* in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE
• A 3.0 GPA in the US is worth a C or a B in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE
• A 2.0 GPA in the US is worth an E or a D in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE
• A 1.0 GPA in the US is worth an F, G or a U in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE

As a rough equivalent, at GCSE:

• A 4.0 GPA in the US is worth an 7, 8 or 9 in the UK at GCSE
• A 3.3 GPA in the US is worth a 6 in the UK at GCSE
• A 3.0 GPA in the US is worth a 4 or 5 in the UK at GCSE
• A 2.3 GPA in the US is worth a 3 in the UK at GCSE
• A 1 GPA in the US is worth a 1 in the UK at GCSE

American Grades to UK Grades

To convert US letter grades to UK grades, use the process as below.

At A-Level or IGCSE

• An A or A+ US is worth an A or A* in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE
• A B in the US is worth a C or a B in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE
• A C in the US is worth a D in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE
• A D in the US is worth an E or a D in the UK at A-Level or IGCSE

As a rough equivalent, at GCSE:

• An A+ in the US is worth a 9 in the UK at GCSE
• An A in the US is worth a 7 or an 8 in the UK at GCSE
• A B+ in the US is worth a 6 in the UK at GCSE
• A B in the US is worth a 4 or a 5 in the UK at GCSE
• A C+ in the US is worth a 3 in the UK at GCSE
• A D in the US is worth a 1 in the UK at GCSE

What Grades Do UK Students Need to Apply to American Colleges?

For detailed information, UK students who hope to attend a US college should contact those colleges for specific details. As a rough guide, students hoping to attend a top / Ivy League US college will need a history of high grades at GCSE and A-Level. They will likely need to also sit a standardised test like the ACT or SAT. Also, US college admissions typically put more importance on personal statements and extracurricular activity than UK Universities.

Resources for Further Reading:

Website

1. Understanding UK to US grading

Paper

1. Grade integrity and the representation of academic achievement by Sadler, D. R. (2009)

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