Primary/Elementary, Middle & High School UK Year to US Grade (2024)

FAQs

How do US and UK grade compare? ›

Grades in UK are often given according to bell curve; if majority get 90 on a test, then 90 = C, only the top 10% will get an A. In US if you get 90% correct on a test you'll receive an A; if everyone received 90% or higher everyone in class can get an A.

Year 9 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the tenth or eleventh year of compulsory education. Children in this year are generally between 13 and 14, with it being mostly equivalent to Eighth grade in the United States.

Curriculum: In the UK, students typically study fewer subjects in greater depth, with a greater emphasis on exams at the end of each academic year. In the US, students are often required to take a broader range of subjects, with more opportunities for elective courses and continuous assessment throughout the year.

Primary school education begins in the UK at age 5 and continues until age 11, comprising key stages one and two under the UK educational system. Some primary schools are split up into Infant and Junior levels. These are usually separate schools on the same site. The infant age range (Key Stage 1) is from age 5 to 7.

In English primary schools, Year 6 is the final year of primary (junior) school. For areas of the country which have the middle school system, Year 6 is one of the middle years. Middle schools cover either Years 5 to 8 or Years 4 to 7. Like England, in Wales Year 6 is also the final year of primary education.

In the US, if you are studying in grade 12 according to the British curriculum, you would typically be considered a high school senior. The equivalent grade level in the US education system is 12th grade.

Based on national average statistics, most children educated in a British style are a year or more ahead of their US counterparts in math and language.

What is a 4.0 GPA in England? ›

England and Wales

In England, it is one option for the second-to-last year of compulsory education and usually forms part of a sixth form or sixth form college. It is also known as the "Lower sixth", with "Upper sixth" being Year 13 in a sixth form; in independent or vocational colleges these titles are not used.

It is free of charge. Primary and secondary education is not affected by the immigration status of the child or parent. Your child can go to school, even if you have an immigration status with the 'no recourse to public funds (NRPF)' condition, or you are undocumented.

To understand the UK grading system vs the US better, remember this: the UK uses letter grades, but not in the same way that the US does. In the UK, an A is anything above 70%, rather than each letter representing 10%. And each letter after that represents a 10% reduction. A failing grade is also unique.

The closest equivalent is a 'secondary school', and indeed some English secondary schools have 'high school' in their name. But the school system in England does not quite line up with the system that most Americans would be familiar with.

First-class degree

In more simple terms it means that your overall academic score is equal or above to 70% of the total score you could have achieved in your undergraduate degree course. It is like saying your average grade at the undergraduate level was an A.

A rough conversion of British grades to GPAs looks like this: +70% = 4.0. 60-69% = 3.3-3.9. 50-59% = 2.7-3.2.

As a rough example, in a higher-tier maths exam, you can expect to gain a grade 6 with a 50-70 per cent overall mark, and an 8 if you achieve 86 per cent or more. Grade 9 is reserved for the upper half of the old-style A* (over 90 per cent in the paper overall).

Year 12 is the first year of Key Stage 5, when the students are age 16 by August 31st. Students in Year 12 in England and Wales can study A Level qualifications in sixth form college, or alternatively the more vocational BTEC.