In American English, grade is the usual word for a school result, such as A, B, 92 percent, or pass/fail. Mark is understandable but less common in everyday US speech. Grade can also mean a school year level.
“My daughter is in fifth grade, and she got a good grade in math.”
The first grade means year level. The second means a result.
Grade as an evaluation
A teacher may give a grade for a test, paper, project, or course, and schools use several formats:
- letter grades such as A, B, C, D, and F;
- percentages or points;
- pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory categories;
- standards-based descriptions rather than traditional letters.
There is no universal grading scale for all US schools. States, districts, schools, and teachers can use different rules. An A may start at different percentages in two courses, so check the syllabus or school policy.
A final grade is often the course result at term's end, while an overall grade may be the current combined result. A grade point average, or GPA, summarizes grades under one system. See GPA, valedictorian, and straight-A student for those terms.
Grade as a school level
In K–12 schools, grade can also name a year level:
“What grade is he in?”
“She teaches third grade.”
The common sequence runs from kindergarten through grade 12, although school groupings and student paths can vary. Americans often say sixth grade, with the number first, but they also understand “grade six.”
At college, Americans rarely ask what grade someone is in. They may say first-year student, sophomore, junior, or senior; see freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior for more detail.
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Start a session →Where does “mark” fit?
In many forms of English, mark is a normal word for an academic result. This use is common in places such as Britain and Canada. Americans understand it, especially in international settings, but are more likely to ask:
“What grade did you get?”
“The teacher graded the papers.”
An American may use points for a raw total: “I got 18 points out of 20.” Score is also common for a test result. Americans may know the phrase full marks, but mark is not the usual US school term.
Do not replace mark in an official record on your own. A transcript or certified translation should reflect its own school system.
What might you hear at work?
“The schools post grades on Friday.”
A parent expects new school results. The sentence does not refer to year levels.
“My child is moving up a grade.”
The child is moving to the next year level.
“Please provide your grades from your most recent degree.”
For hiring or credential checks, the requester likely wants academic results. Ask whether they need a transcript, GPA, or another official record.
“We do not grade employees on a curve.”
This borrows language from school. Grading on a curve can compare results with a group or involve an adjusted score scale. Academic methods differ. At work, it often refers to ranking workers against peers.
What can you say naturally?
For a school schedule:
“My son's report card comes out today, so I have a teacher conference at four.”
For your own education:
“My university used marks on a scale from zero to ten rather than U.S. letter grades.”
To clarify the meaning:
“When you say grade, do you mean the course result or the student's year level?”
For a hiring request:
“Would you like my official transcript, or is a self-reported grade average sufficient?”
Recognition before conversion
Use the nearby words to interpret grade. In fifth grade means a level, while a grade of B means a result. To grade an assignment means to evaluate the work.
Do not turn a foreign mark into a US letter or GPA yourself. Use a method given by the school, application, or record evaluator. Grading systems do not always match. An invented conversion may misstate the record.
School results can involve class, disability, language, and access, so one grade is not a complete measure of intelligence. In workplace conversation, let people choose what to share about their results or their children's results.
For result records, see report card versus transcript. For school at different levels, see does “school” mean college in American English?.
The practical takeaway
In the United States, grade often means a school result or K–12 level. Mark is understood but is less common. Use context and ask which meaning applies. Do not convert foreign results without an approved method.