Grading Scale For Ghana Schools & Universities

 

  Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (beginning in 1993)   

Letter Grade	Points	Description	Suggested U.S. Equivalent
A	1	Excellent	A
B	2	Very Good	A
C	3	Good	B
D	4	Credit	C
E	5	Pass	D
F	-	Fail	F

 

The SSSCE grading system is more stringent than anything ever witnessed in the United States: 40% of students fail any given academic subject. The mass failures dishearten students and engender national finger-pointing, but both the Ministry of Education and WAEC defend uncompromising grading practices that establish the SSS on a firm, internationally-recognizable footing.

 

Although SSSCE performance is improving steadily, U.S. admission officers should note that grade inflation is uncommon in Ghana. A's and B's constitute only 10% of the grade distribution in any academic subject. The grading system is so tough that any student with A's and B's on the SSSCE ranks well within the top 1% nationwide. Fewer than one hundred, out of 90,000 graduates each year, score aggregate 6, or 6 A's.

 

The table below summarizes recent SSSCE grades which are typical of examinees over the years:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Subject Group	# of Candidates	% A's	% A-B's	% A-B's
English Language	218,154	0.7%	5.9%	57%
Integrated Science	217,604	2.6%	10.6%	61%
Mathematics	217,693	6.1%	14.8%	51%
Elective Sciences	182,972	2.0%	10.8%	58%
Elective Arts	270,007	1.9%	9.7%	58%

                                                       

  General Certificate of Education, Ordinary (O-level)   

Points	Description	Suggested U.S. Equivalent
1	Excellent	A
2	Very Good	A
3	Good	B
4	Credit	C
5	Credit	C
6	Credit	C
7	Pass (no credit)	D
8	Pass (no credit)	D
9	Fail	F

 

Students took O-levels in six to ten subjects. Certificates were classified as Division One with Distinction (grades of 1-6 in six academic subjects including English, Math, a science and an 'arts' subject, with the sum of grades not more than 12); Division One (sum of grades between 13-24); Division Two (sum of grades not more than 36); Division Three (all others). Subjects in which the student failed do not appear on the certificate. Admission to Sixth Form, the A-level program, required Division One (and in the more competitive schools, individual subject grades of 1-2), while admission to post-secondary training schools required Division Two.

 

    General Certificate of Education, Advanced (A-level)  

Letter Grade	Points	Description	Suggested U.S. Equivalent
A	1	Pass	A
B	2	Pass	A
	3	Pass	B
D	4	Pass	C
E	5	Pass	C
SUBS		Subsidiary Pass (equivalent to an O-level pass)	D with no transfer credit.
FAIL		Fail	F

 

Students took A-levels in three (occasionally four) subjects plus the required General Paper (general knowledge, current events, civics, Ghanaian history and culture). The minimum standard for university admission was a pass in the General Paper (always classified as a Subsidiary Pass regardless of the grade) plus passes in three academic subjects, one of which must be at least a D. Admissions competition, especially to the more popular fields of study, raised the minimum entrance grade. It was common to see students retaking their A-levels until they attained the requisite grades for university admission.

 

University

Transcripts from secondary schools, training colleges, polytechnics and universities in Ghana will always contain an interpretation of the grading system, which varies from one institution to another. Generally:

    University  

Letter Grade	Percentage	Suggested U.S. Equivalent
A	80 - 100%	A
B	70 - 80%	B
C	60 - 70%	C
D	50 - 60%	C
E	40 - 50%	D
F	0 - 39% [Fail]	F

 

However, at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST), the scale is:

    Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST)     

Letter Grade	Percentage	Description	Suggested U.S. Equivalent
A	70 - 100%	First Class	A
A-	60 - 69%	Second Class Upper Division	A
B	50 - 59%	Second Class Lower Division	B
C	45 - 49%	Pass	C
F	0 - 45%	Fail	F

 

Degrees and diplomas are awarded with "honors" somewhat analogous to the American "cum laud" classifications. The grade point averages designating such honors will appear on the transcript, as in the case of the University of Ghana:

    University of Ghana  

Honors Category	GPA	Suggested U.S. Equivalent
First Class	3.60 - 4.00	A
Second Class Upper Division	3.25 - 3.59	B
Second Class Lower Division	2.50 - 3.24	C
Third Class	2.00 - 2.49	C
Pass	1.50 - 1.99	D
Fail (no degree awarded)	0.00 - 1.49	F

 

Published by GWS Online GH : 2017-01-22

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