Undergraduate Grading System in the UK: How does it work?

I went on Erasmus to Cardiff last year. It was my first time studying abroad and I wasn’t sure about how things would work or how UK universities ran.

Countless questions were bugging me and among them, one was always at the back of my mind: would grades be that different from my home university?

Before looking into the matter, I have to say that I’d always taken for granted that grades at university would be somewhat similar to the ones in high school, that is (a*, a, b, c & so on). I couldn’t be more wrong.

Imagine the look on my face when I got a 72 on my first assignment and I thought I got a b. Since the grading system is from 0 to 100, I was sure that I got a b (in Spain that would be a notable). I checked the answers and almost all of them were correct, so why a 72 then?

Because *drumroll* in the UK a 70 or above is considered a first, which means that you did pretty well.

So let’s get everything straight :

Even though 70% and 80% are both considered a first*, there's a slight difference:

• +80% → outstanding (a+)

• 70-79% → excellent (a)

• +70%: it’s basically an a (sobresaliente in Spain). It’s important for me to point out as well that if you get an 80 when studying a BA, that means that your work/essay/report/dissertation or whatever is deemed publishable. Getting an 80, or even above 70 is hard, ain’t gonna lie, but that’s one of the things i love about UK universities. If you work, if you do your research, if you back up your arguments logically, it will all pay off.

• 60-69%: it’s also called a 2:1 (upper second), which is a pretty decent mark → (b)

• 50-59%: or 2:2 (lower second). It’s not bad, perhaps nothing to write home about. (competent) → (c)

• 40-49%: third. You are close to failing so you need to step up your game or you will have to take a re-sit exam. This is the lowest qualification you can get in your undergraduate degree course and it's something you should not necessarily aim for at university. (sufficient) → (d)

• below 40%: you didn’t pass the subject. (unsatisfactory)

  30-39 →(e)

  0-29 → (f)

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Basically, just get a 40 and you’ll pass a subject, how cool is that? Make sure to check the conversion though, because your home university might not be that generous. Each university has its own grading policies.

If you’re going to study in the UK, don’t be bummed out if you don't score 100%, especially when it comes to a BA (Bachelor of Arts).

To recap what I’ve said before, it’s incredibly hard to get a first, let alone manage to get one in Arts and Humanities degrees. This is because these degrees are marked like academic papers and an 80 or above means that your work is publishable.

On the other hand, if you are doing science, it’s “easier” to score 100% in an exam. One of my friends was studying medicine and he managed to get marks above 80% (in Humanities that would be almost impossible). That does not mean that his subjects were easy-peasy, just that the examination was different.

For example, to clear this up, imagine that you take a chemistry exam at uni and you get all your answers right. You will not have a 70/80 %, but 100% because :

• First off, it’s a BS (Bachelor of Science), and not a BA.

• The exam is different and the grading changes accordingly.

• In a BA, top-notch essays will get a 70/80 (or above) because they are marked like academic papers and that means that if u get an 80 or above, it is publishable. As far as I’m concerned, that does not happen in a BS.

Just for the record, I am explaining how the grading works with my experience at Cardiff uni as the basis and with information about this that I read up on. The grading should be the same in all UK universities, but check just to be sure.

First* → also referred to as first-class degree. It's the highest academic achievement in UK universities. In order to be awarded a first, your academic score or average grade must be at least 70%.

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"A stitch in time saves nine"

Check the conversion tables too, because knowing the equivalent grades at your home university is extremely important. I’m saying home university and not a country because: Yeah, your home uni should give you the same grades that are in the conversion tables (grade-country). But to be honest, I think that you had hit the jackpot if they do that. I must be sounding like a broken record at this point but when it comes to grade conversion, each university has its own grading policies. Your converted grades might be different from the ones at your host university abroad.

This is a bit of a downer, but sometimes they mark you down and you’ll lose some points when the conversion is done. I don’t know why they don’t stick to the conversion tables. It’s over my head. However, in other countries, it's the other way around: one of my friends got a 70 and her university gave her a 29 (a/excellent), which is actually higher than a "notable" in Spain.

Word to the wise, email your home university / Erasmus coordinator and know beforehand (we don’t want any last-minute surprises) how they will mark you.

In Spain, it seems that grades do change from one university to another. I met different Spanish students and some of them told me that a 70 (according to their universities) was a notable/b (shook).

Ask your home university about the conversion because the conclusion I drew from this is that they’ll do whatever they want in the end. So check how they will grade you. I can’t stress this enough.

As I see it, whatever your grades end up being at your home university, the ones you got at your host university are the ones that truly matter. You studied there, you did the exams there, and if you got awesome marks let me tell you that all the effort and time that you put into it won’t go down the drain. Speaking from experience, I’m beyond grateful for this chance to study abroad and for everything that I’ve learned this year. Enjoy your Erasmus and don’t go beating yourself up if you don’t get the grades you wanted. Doing your best is more than enough.

If you happen to read this, I hope that you've found it useful. Drop me a message if you still have questions.

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