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Every academic institution uses a grading system that have evolved significantly over time. From basic pass-fail evaluations to detailed letter grades and percentages, these methods have adapted to meet changing educational needs.
Understanding their history and impact is essential for educators, policymakers, and students, as grading systems shape learning experiences, influence outcomes, and reflect societal values. Here is the detail of Australian grading system.
What is the Australian Grading Scale for International Students?
It is obvious that the grading system varies from one country to another, so is grading system in Australia. This can be challenging for international students to understand how the grading system works.
Therefore, it is important to understand the grading system used in Australia even though for each state, university, or institute may have different percentage and grade names.
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses
This table below is the grading scale for undergraduate and postgraduate in Australia.
| Grades | Grade Description | Grade Scale (%) | GPA | UK Equivalent | US Equivalent |
| HD | High Distinction | 85-100 | 7.00 | First Class | A+ |
| D | Distinction | 75-84 | 6.00 – 6.99 | Second Class- Upper Division | A |
| C | Credit | 65-74 | 5.00 – 5.99 | Second Class-Lower Division | B |
| P | Pass | 50-64 | 4.00 – 4.99 | Third Class | C |
| F | Fail | 0-49 | 0.00 – 3.99 | Fail | F |
Honours Degree
Below is a table showing Australian grading percentages used for Honours Degree.
| Grade | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| H1 | First Class Honours | 100 – 80 |
| H2A | Second Class Honours | 79 – 75 |
| H2B | Second Class Honours | 74 – 70 |
| H3 | Third Class Honours | 69 – 65 |
| P | Pass | 64 – 50 |
| N | Fail | 49 and below |
Double Degree
When studying a double degree, students will be able to study two areas at once and graduate a lot quicker than they would be able to if they were to study two separate bachelor (or master) degrees. Double degrees usually take just one year longer than a single degree.
The Australian grading system percentage used are just like the undergraduate and postgraduate grading system since students are completing 2 different degrees at once.
Vocational and Trade Courses
Unlike Australian grading system university, Australian vocational education uses different grading system. The grading based on a concept that a student be able to complete the task or not.
That means, undertaking the qualification like certificates (I to V), Diploma, and Advanced Diploma may get different grades in the certificates rather than at the university level.
| Grades | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| C/S | Complete / Satisfactory | 100 |
| NYC/NS | Not Yet Competent / Not Satisfactory | 0 |
Grading System Across the Australian States
Each state in Australia uses different kind of Australian grading system. It presents diversity not just on a national level but also within its states and territories.
Australian Capital Territory
This table below is Australian Capital Territory grading system
| Grade | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| A | Extremely High Standard of Achievement | 100 – 85 |
| B | High Standard of Achievement | 84 – 70 |
| C | Acceptable Standard of Achievement | 69 – 50 |
| D | Limited Standard of Achievement | 49 – 25 |
| E | Very Limited Performance | 0 – 24 |
New South Wales
Table below shows the grading system used by the academic institutional in New South Wales.
| Grade | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| A | High Distinction | 100 – 85 |
| B | Distinction | 84 – 70 |
| C | Credit | 69 – 50 |
| D | Pass | 49 – 25 |
| E | Fail | 0 – 24 |
Northern Territory
Northern Territory uses the following grading system.
| Grade | Scale 1 | Scale 2 |
| A | 5 | 17 – 20 |
| B | 4-4.99 | 14 – 16.99 |
| C | 3-3.99 | 11 – 13.99 |
| D | 2-2.99 | 8 – 10.99 |
| E | 1-1.99 | 0 – 7.99 |
Queensland
Queensland adopted this table below for their grading system.
| Grade | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| HD | High Distinction | 7 |
| D | Distinction | 6 – 6.99 |
| C | Credit | 5 – 5.99 |
| P | Pass | 4 – 4.99 |
| F | Fail | 1 – 3.99 |
South Australia
South Australia uses the system below.
| Grade | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| HD | High Distinction | 85 – 100 |
| D | Distinction | 75 – 84 |
| C | Credit | 65 – 74 |
| P1 | Pass Level 1 | 55 – 64 |
| P2 | Pass Level 2 | 50 – 64 |
| F1 | Fail Level 1 | 40 – 49 |
| F2 | Fail Level 2 | 30 – 39 |
Tasmania
Since 2003, Tasmania uses grading system as shown below.
| Grade | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| EA | Excellent Achievement | 4.00 |
| HA | High Achievement | 3.50 – 3.99 |
| CA | Commendable Achievement | 3.00 – 3.49 |
| SA | Satisfactory Achievement | 2.50 – 2.99 |
| PA | Preliminary Performance | 2.00 – 2.49 |
Victoria
Victoria uses grading system as shown in the table below.
| Code | Grade | Mark |
| HD | High Distinction | 80 – 100 |
| D | Distinction | 70 – 79 |
| C | Credit | 60 – 69 |
| P | Pass | 50 – 59 |
| N | Fail | 0 – 49 |
Western Australia
Table below is a grading system used by Western Australia.
| Grade | Grade Description | Grade Scale % |
| HD | High Definition | 80 – 100 |
| A | Excellent Achievement | 80 – 100 |
| B | High Achievement | 70 – 79 |
| C | Sound Achievement | 60 – 69 |
| D | Limited Achievement | 50 – 59 |
| E | Fail | 0 – 49 |
How is a Good GPA Determined in Australia?
Since Australian grading system is different for each area and constitution, it is quite tricky to determine which grade is considered good or bad.
However, with the tables shown above, we can see that High Distinction and Distinction are among the top honours that you can receive as a student in Australia. These can range from obtaining 80 or 85 out of 100 in all courses for a High Distinction to 75-84 or 70-79 for a Distinction. In the Australian grading system, these honours reflect outstanding performance and are key indicators of academic excellence.
The system generally follows a scale from High Distinction (HD) to Fail, with each grade representing a specific range of percentages. On average, Australian universities use a Grade Point Average (GPA) scale where a High Distinction equates to a GPA of 6.0 to 7.0, while a Distinction corresponds to a GPA of 5.0 to 5.9.
Grading in academic scenes is different for each institution and some are authorized by the local government. So, it is important to understand how grades are given based on what system they implemented, with different grades symbol and description.