Converting English exam results into American equivalent?

Question

I'm planning on studying abroad at an American university next year. My university in the UK has partnered me with the University of California. I now have to apply to three colleges (I'm studying English Lang and Lit) and in my research, I've been getting confused as to what my GCSE and A level grades are equivalent to in the American system, in order to see if I have the right sort of average for certain colleges (eg. Berkeley, UCLA).

My grades are 7 A*s, 4As at GCSE and 4As (1 of those was an AS), and 2Bs at A level, which was a UCAS score of 620. I am currently averaging a 68 (high 2:1) after my first year of uni.

I would be grateful if anyone could help me with the American system (i.e the GPA). Thank you!

Answer 1

Generally grades are:

A = 90-100%

B = 80- 89%

C = 70- 79%

D = 60- 69%

F = 0- 59%

D and above is considered passing, C's are supposed to be considered average.  However, now with grade inflation most people aim for A's and B's.  C's are considered so-so and D's and F's are thought of as bad grades.

Answer 2

Heres a chart:

http://www.washington.edu/students/genca...

Answer 3

Alright the % in my school (chicago) are

A- 92-100

B-84-92

C-78-84

D-84-78

F- below that

We do not do GCSE exams, just work through the whole year. There are 4 semesters. At the end of every one, all test scores are added up and averaged. SO you get 4 grades per each subject a year. Then they take an average of that and you get a final result.

Then, If you have straight As, your report GPA is 4.0.

2 Bs, rest A's, 3.8

Basically anything above a 3.1 is grand!

A 4.0-3.9

A- 3.8-3.5

B+3.4-3.2

B3.1-2.9

B-2.8-2.5

C+2.4-2.2

C2.1-1.9

C-1.8-1.5

D+1.4-1.2

D1.1-0.9

D-0.8-0.7

And don't worry. American studies are EASY!

( i know, I'm studying for my first year in Ireland)

Answer 4

I'm American but I've been living in Bristol, England for 4 years so have done my GCSEs and A Levels here.  I applied to American universities for next year, so I had to basically estimate my GPA.  On an unweighted scale,

A = 4 points

B = 3 points

C = 2 points

D = 1 point

anything below is a fail.

So I just used that on my GCSES...I got quite similar results to yours, 7 A*s, 3 As and 1 B at GCSE, then 3As and 1 B at A level.  

    So your GPA at GCSE level was 4.0 because you got nothing lower than an A.  Then at AS level you would have a 3.66, using this formula: multiply the number of courses by the number of points, so with 4As and 2Bs it's (4 x 4) + (2 x 3), and then divide that by the number of courses (6).  

   At A level you got 3As and 2Bs which is (3 x 4) + (2 x 3) divided by 5 which gives you a 3.6.  

   Colleges want your average GPA for all of high school, though, which for you is 3.82.  Another helpful thing to know is that getting a 554 on AP exams is about the equivalent of getting AAB at A level.  So if colleges list any averages or requirements for that, you'll know where you stand.

Hope that helps!