Academic grading in Italy

There are two grading systems used in Italy:

Primary and secondary school

In Italian primary and secondary school a 10-point scale is used, 6 being the minimum grade for passing.

From worst to best, grades range from 2 to 10. When a professor wants to apply a more precise scale, rather than using decimals, they often use symbols such as "+" and "-" as rough equivalents. For example, the range between 5 and 6, as with all other marks, can be covered, in sequence, by 5+, 5½, 6−−, 6−. A 5+ would be anything above 5 that doesn't reach 5½ (5.5), a 6-- (rarely used, usually given out of courtesy as a potential second chance) can be anything between 5½ and 6-, and a 6- is usually between 5.75 and 6.

As these symbols (except ½) have no clear mathematical value, and as such, the decision of how much weight gets put unto them tends can involve a bit of bias based on the student's overall performance, effort, and general behavior. This is especially true for meeting final, passing criteria, where, when calculating the mean, a 6-- may be taken into consideration as a full 6 if the student is of generally good behavior and has had trouble studying due to lack of comprehension rather than laziness; To clear confusion, there has been a push in recent years to uniform the system to the 0–10 scale.[1]

Prior to 2008, elementary and middle schools used a 5-point scale, with Non Sufficiente meaning "5 or less", and the other grades - Sufficiente, Buono, Distinto, Ottimo - standing respectively for 6, 7, 8 and 9/10.

University

For ordinary exams, universities in Italy use a 30-point scale simply divided in two: non passing (0 to 17), and passing grades (18 to 30 cum laude). For the final score a 110-point scale is used, which is divided in two as well, with 66 being the minimum grade for passing. The 110-point takes into consideration of both exam scores and the final thesis. For outstanding results, the Lode "praise" is added to the maximum grade.

ECTS grading Scale
ECTS Grade Definition  % of successful students Corresponding Italian grades
A Excellent 10% 29-30 cum Laude
B Very Good 25% 26-28
C Good 30% 23-25
D Satisfactory 25% 19-22
E Sufficient 10% 18
FX Fail 14-17
F Fail 0-13

To someone familiar with both the Italian and the U.S. college systems, Italian grades are best translated into American grades (and vice versa) according to the following table:

U.S. Grade Definition Corresponding Italian grades
A-, A, A+ Excellent 27-30 cum Laude
B-, B, B+ Good 24-26
C-, C, C+ Satisfactory 21-23
D-, D, D+ Barely passing 18-20
E or F Fail 0-17

References