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GPA in Australia

This article is about the Grades that are currently used in the country of Australia.

Australian primary and secondary schools are currently migrating to a common reporting and assessment format. Education is the responsibility of the states in Australia. In 2005 the Federal Government introduced a universal common assessment and reporting standards legislation that all states had to adhere to. The grading system is now structured as follows, though the percentages are only an approximate guide:

• A (Excellent) 80% and above
• B (Good) 70-79%
• C (Satisfactory) 50-69%
• D (Needs Improvement) 40-50%
• E (Unsatisfactory) 39.12% and below

Most Australian tertiary institutions use close variations of the following grading structure:

• HD (High Distinction) 85% and above
• D (Distinction) 75-84%
• Cr (Credit Pass) 65-74%
• P (Pass) 50-64%
• F1 (Fail level 1) 45-49%
• F2 (Fail level 2) below 45%

Many courses also have Non-Graded Pass (NGP) and Non-Graded Fail (F), where it is considered more appropriate to have qualitative than quantitative assessment.

Grade point averages are not generally used in Australia below a tertiary level. They are calculated according to more complicated formula than some other nations:

Grade Point Average (GPA) = Sum of (grade points x course unit values)/total number of credit points attempted

Where grade points are as follows:

• High Distinction = 7
• Distinction = 6
• Credit = 5
• Pass = 4
• Fail level 1 = 1-3
• Fail level 2 = 0

Where a course result is a Non-Graded Pass, the result will only be included if the GPA is less than 4, and will be assigned the grade point of 4, otherwise NGP results will be disregarded.

The term course unit values is used to distinguish between courses which have different weightings e.g. between a full year course and a single semester course.