Academic grading in Denmark

The Education in Denmark series

Pre-School Primary education (Folkeskole) Secondary education Higher Education Adult Education

Types of secondary education: Gymnasium Higher Preparatory Examination Higher Commercial Examination Programme Higher Technical Examination Programme Vocational education Basic Social and Health Education

Post-secondary education: Folk high school List of universities in Denmark

Education Ministers Grading

Academic grading
Africa
Egypt Kenya Morocco South Africa Tunisia
North America
Canada Mexico United States
Central America
Costa Rica Nicaragua
South America
Chile Venezuela
Asia
Bangladesh China Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran Israel Japan Korea Kyrgyzstan Nepal Pakistan Philippines Singapore Syria United Arab Emirates Vietnam
Europe
ECTS European Baccalaureate GPA in Central and Eastern Europe Albania Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Moldova Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom
Oceania
Australia New Zealand

In Denmark, the educational system has historically used a number of different systems of grading student performances, several of which are described below. The current grading system is the 7-trins-skala (7-step-scale) which replaced the 13-skala in 2006.

Current scale

Starting with the academic year 2005-06, a new scale was introduced, 7-trins-skalaen ("7-step-scale"; colloquially dubbed the 12-scale), designed to be compatible with the ECTS-scale:

Grade	Description		Equivalents
			13-scale	ECTS	U.S.
12	excellent	high level of command of all aspects – no or only a few minor weaknesses	11/13	A	A+
10	very good	high level of command of most aspects – only minor weaknesses	10	B	A-, A
07	good	good command – some weaknesses	8/9	C	B, B+
04	fair	some command – some major weaknesses	7	D	C, C+, B-
02	adequate	the minimum requirements for acceptance	6	E	D-, D, D+, C-
00	inadequate	does not meet the minimum requirements for acceptance	03/5	Fx	F
−3	unacceptable	unacceptable in all respects	00	F	F

The leading 0 in 00 and 02 is used to prevent fraud with grades.

Furthermore, Undervisningsministeriet (the Ministry of Education) will adapt to a more international way of grading, by handing out a set amount of grades per class, this is because in foreign countries, the grade A (12) is handed out two times more than it is handed out in Denmark (because of the strict, absolute grading).

Previous scales

1788: Latin scale

The Latin scale had five steps:

• Laudabilis præ ceteris
• Laudabilis
• Haud illaudabilis
• Non contemnendus
• 0

0 was an outright failing grade - there was a limitation of the number of non contemendus there could be in a passing student's examination. The highest grade, laudabilis præ ceteris was explicitly named a grade for exceptional purposes only.

1805: Ørsted scale

The first version of the Ørsted scale had six steps:

• Ug - udmærket godt - excellently good (numeral value: 8)
• Mg - meget godt - very good (7)
• G - godt - good (5)
• Tg - temmelig godt - pretty good (1)
• Mdl - mådeligt - all right (−7)
• Slet - bad (−23)

A student could not pass an exam if he/she had got mdl in Danish essay or Latin or slet in Latin essay.

In 1845 the numeral values were added in order to enable the calculation of an average grade - also the g was named the minimum passing grade.

1871: Extended Ørsted scale

In 1871 the Ørsted scale was extended with plus and minus-steps, and numeral values were added accordingly.

• Ug (8)
• Ug− (7⅔)
• Mg+ (7⅓)
• Mg (7)
• Mg− (6⅓)
• G+ (5⅔)
• G (5)
• G− (3⅔)
• Tg+ (3⅓)
• Tg (1)
• Tg− (−1⅔)
• Mdl+ (−4⅓)
• Mdl (−7)
• Mdl− (−12⅓)
• Slet+ (−17⅔)
• Slet (−23)

The g was still the minimum passing grade.

1903: Numeral scale

In 1903 the Ørsted-scale was scrapped for a numeral one, with five steps:

• 8
• 6
• 4
• 2
• 0

8 and 0 were – like laudabilis præ ceteris – exceptional grades. You would fail if you had two or more zeroes in your exam.

1911: New numeral scale

In 1911 another numeral scale was introduced:

• 6
• 5
• 4
• 3
• 2
• 0

4 was the minimum passing grade.

1919: Extended Ørsted scale

In 1919 the extended Ørsted scale returned, with numerals.

1943: Modified extended Ørsted scale

This version, introduced in 1943, changed the numerals (essentially by adding 7 to the former numbers) and removed the mdl−- and slet+-grades:

• Ug (15)
• Ug− (14⅔)
• Mg+ (14⅓)
• Mg (14)
• Mg− (13⅓)
• G+ (12⅔)
• G (12)
• G− (10⅔)
• Tg+ (9⅓)
• Tg (8)
• Tg− (5⅓)
• Mdl+ (2⅔)
• Mdl (0)
• Slet (−16)

1963: 13-scale

The 13-scale was introduced in 1963 and used until 2006 (2007 in universities). The scale started out as a relative scale but has since its introduction in 1963 changed to an absolute scale at all levels of education.

• 13 - given for the exceptionally independent and excellent performance.
• 11 - given for the independent and excellent performance
• 10 - given for the excellent but not particularly independent performance
• 9 - given for the good performance, a little above average
• 8 - given for the average performance
• 7 - given for the mediocre performance, slightly below average
• 6 - given for the just acceptable performance
• 5 - given for the hesitant and not satisfactory performance
• 03 - given for the very hesitant, very insufficient and unsatisfactory performance
• 00 - given for the completely unacceptable performance

The gaps between 00 & 03, 03 & 5 and 11 & 13 are there to signify a larger difference between those grades. The leading 0 in 00 and 03 is used to prevent fraud with grades. The lowest passing grade is 6 and 00, 03 and 5 are failing grades.

The highest grade 13 and the lowest grade 00 are the grades most rarely given.

00 is nearly impossible to achieve, presuming one knows even a single fact taught in that particular class. It is given for a truly incompetent performance. At exams, 00 is given to students attending, but who cannot answer a single question. Absentees get a "-" and aren't allowed to attend a second exam.

13 is a fairly rare grade outside of exams and requires a performance way beyond the expected. One of the reasons why the 13 scale was replaced with the 7 scale was because of the grade 13. 13s are only given to the students that have gone above and beyond the stated curriculum. To gain it you needed to know more than what was taught in class. It required truly independent study. As no other EU countries used grades above perfect understanding of the curriculum, 13 were untranslatable to other grading systems.

In the table below, the Danish grading scale is compared with the ECTS and the U.S. academic grading scales (4.0/4.3/4.5) by World Education Services.

Definition	EXCELLENT		VERY GOOD	GOOD		SATISFACTORY	PASSED	FAILED
13 scale	13	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	03	00
7 scale	12	12	10	7	7	4	02	00	00	-3
ECTS scale	A	A	B	C	C	D	E	Fx	Fx	F
American scale(4.0)	A+	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	F	F	F
American scale(4.3)	A+	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C	F	F	F
American scale(4.5)	A+	A+	A	B+	B+	B	C+	F	F	F

The average of grades given in Danish secondary schools in 2003 was 8.22.

This scale was replaced by the 7-step-scale in 2005; see above.

External links

• Oversigt over karakterskalaernes historie i Danmark from the Danish Ministry of Education.