The system will be used for school-leaving examinations
A new system for grading school-leaving examinations developed by the AKU Examination Board (AKU-EB) will be used nationwide in Pakistan after the federal Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) voted to adopt it. Researchers at AKU-EB reviewed the grading systems of 30 countries before developing the new system. Its adoption reflects years of engagement with the IBCC by AKU-EB and its CEO, Dr Shehzad Jeeva, who has served as chairman of the IBCC in the past.
Pakistan has nearly three dozen examination boards. Each develops year-end examinations for high school students that are used to determine whether they proceed to the next grade level, as well as for university admissions decisions. Approximately 4 million students take the tests annually.
The previous grading system had seven levels (A-1, A, B, C, D, E and F). A score from 80-100 percent received an A-1, while a score from 70-80 percent received an A, a score from 60-70 percent received a B, etc. A major problem with the system was the large band for an A-1, which failed to distinguish among high performers. Narrower bands are typical in many countries.
The new grading system features 10 levels. Scores ranging from 96-100 percent receive an A++, 91-95 percent an A+, 86-90 percent an A, 81-85 percent a B++ etc. – down to 70 percent. From 40 percent to 70 percent, the bands increase from 5 percentage points to 10 percentage points. The minimum passing grade under the new system is 40 percent, compared to 33 percent under the old system. Rather than an ‘F’ for ‘Fail’, the lowest grade is ‘U’ for ‘Unsatisfactory’. Under the new system, examination results will only show grades, not numerical scores.