South African grading system
In South Africa, school subjects are marked in percentages and reported on seven achievement levels, from level 7 (80–100%, outstanding) to level 1 (0–29%, not achieved), and level 2 (30%) is the lowest pass in a subject; at universities such as UCT, 50% is the pass mark and 75% a first.
Example · Average of 3 subjects
Meritorious achievement
A pass: 70–79% of the marks. 30% is the lowest pass.
Each subject counts the same. Add weights to count some subjects more.
NSC achievement levels: Levels 1 to 7 (0 to 100%)
School subjects in Grades 10 to 12 and the National Senior Certificate (matric) examinations.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | outstanding achievement | 80–100% | Pass |
| 6 | meritorious achievement | 70–79% | Pass |
| 5 | substantial achievement | 60–69% | Pass |
| 4 | adequate achievement | 50–59% | Pass |
| 3 | moderate achievement | 40–49% | Pass |
| 2 | elementary achievement | 30–39% | Pass |
| 1 | not achieved | 0–29% | Fail |
University grades: 0 to 100%
Course results and degree classes at the University of Cape Town; most South African universities follow a similar percentage model.
| Grade | Meaning | Marks | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | first class | 75–100% | Pass |
| Second (div. 1) | second class, division one | 70–74% | Pass |
| Second (div. 2) | second class, division two | 60–69% | Pass |
| Third | third class | 50–59% | Pass |
| F | fail | 0–49% | Fail |
South African grades and a US GPA
This page gives no US equivalents for South African grades: we found no table for them on Wikipedia or from an official source, and we do not make one up. A US university reads a foreign transcript itself or through the credential evaluation service it names, and its conversion is the one that counts.
Send your grades as they are, with the scale above. When a form asks for your average, give it on your own scale and say which scale it is: the converter’s average does exactly that, weighted by credits when you enter them.
What to know about grades in South Africa
- In Grade 12 the external NSC examination counts for 75% of a subject's final mark.
- The lowest NSC pass, the higher certificate pass, needs at least 40% in the home language and in two other subjects and at least 30% in three more.
- Entry to a bachelor's degree needs level 4 (50%) or better in four 20-credit subjects and at least 30% in the university's language of teaching.
- Learners whose home language is an African language, and who took neither English nor Afrikaans as home language, used to receive a 5% language compensation on their marks in non-language subjects; Umalusi cut it to 4% in 2014 and announced a further point less each year until it was phased out.
- The University of the Witwatersrand also counts 75% and above as an A, the same line as a first at UCT.
Sources: Department of Basic Education, National Protocol for Assessment Grades R–12; Wikipedia, Academic grading in South Africa; Wikipedia, Matriculation in South Africa; South African Government, Umalusi on approval for release of the 2014 National Senior Certificate results; University of Cape Town, General Rules and Policies (Handbook 3).