The Chinese education system has a tight grading scale which varies largely in different levels of education. This knowledge also helps provide some insight into the academic environment of China, as doing well is extremely important in many Chinese families.
1. Education at the primary and secondary levels
In the gradeschool and middle schools across China, they use an assessment system of a numerical score between 0 to 100, with 100 being perfect and 60 ability is identified as the minimum passing standard. Our interpretation of what those numbers mean in general:
90-100%: Superior to excellent
80 – 89: Good; Superior to Above Average
70-79: Competent but uninteresting.
(60-69): A D grade indicates passable but barely.
Lower than 60: Very bad, failure grade.
Besides scoring, some schools might employ a five-point scale (A, B, C, D, E) with ‘A’ representing 90 to 100 for Korean being roughly equivalent to Western grading systems which also use five descending letters.
2. University Level
Grading can be more varied at the university level. Many universities, although not all, still rely on the 100-point system, while others more strictly focus on the letter grade system or use a 5-point scale:
A (Excellent): 85-100 Points
B (Good): 75-84
C (Average) – 60 to 74
Pass (D): 50-59 points
F (Fail): Scores below 50.
(Note that, some universities also calculate the average for the student’s full performance as a weighted mean of all grades (graded A to F); this can be the result when an agency only requires an overall view for every grade).
3. High-Stakes Exams
For high-stakes examinations, such as the Gaokao- a national university entrance exam, grading can be even more demanding. Students have lengthy tables of conversion from a raw number of correct answers to points (say, on a 40 question section). Points on each conversion are created in relation to some hypothetical perfect student who would score the maximum number of available points, usually 750. These scores are key aspects and help to decide the level of the university one applies for.
4. Academic Performance and Its Vital Role
Chinese education system lays heavy stress on academic performance and grades. Grades have significant impacts upon students and determine what opportunities next arise for them to pursue within higher education or at their paid place of work. Therefore, the system has a very high stakes for students, parents and teachers.
Conclusion
It is important to gain an understanding of the Chinese grading system in order to understand just how competitive China is academically. It ranges from the a level to higher education level and it is intended as an indication of lack by students of the material. It not only measures success in academics but it is also a stepping stone for future careers and education.