New Grading Formula of Pakistani Boards

A significant announcement has just been made for students, particularly those appearing in the 9th and 11th board examinations in 2024. The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) is set to implement a new grading formula and marking system for all education boards of Pakistan, it’s the first phase of the IBCC’s major decision. Under this new system, students will not only receive their total obtained marks but will also see their grades and CGPA displayed on their DMCs.

Moreover, the passing marks required for these exams have also been raised from the start of the next academic year. This change marks a significant shift in how students' performances will be assessed from now on by all the education boards of Pakistan.

New Grading System 2024 (Phase-1)

This new grading system will take effect starting from the annual 2024 board exams of 9th and 11th class students. According to this new grading scheme, all educational boards of Pakistan will assign grades and CGPA along with the obtained marks of 9th and 11th class students on their result cards (if a candidate clears all exams). For example, if a student achieves 95% to 100% marks, then its grade will be A++, and its CGPA will be 5.0. The new marking system 2024 for 9th and 11th class students has been explained in the table below:

Marks Obtained (in %)	Description	Letter Grade	5.0 Scale (CGPA)
95% to 100%	Exceptional	A++	5.0
90% to 94%	Outstanding	A+	4.7
85% to 89%	Excellent	A	4.3
80% to 84%	Very Good	B++	4.0
75% to 79%	Good	B+	3.7
70% to 74%	Fairly Good	B	3.3
60% to 69%	Above Average	C	3.0
50% to 59%	Average	D	2.0
40% to 49%	Below Average	E	1.0
Less Than 40%	Unsatisfactory/ Fail	U	0

Meeting of IBCC

This announcement of the new grading system has been made for all educational boards in Pakistan. This pivotal decision was made by the Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) during their meeting in October 2023. During the meeting, officials of educational boards from all provinces participated and decided on the new marking system. They also changed the minimum requirement of passing marks for all matric and inter students and made a plan to introduce these changes step by step during different phases. We believe that this big change is going to make education in Pakistan better by giving students a fair and consistent way to measure their academic performance.

New Passing Percentage for 2024 Board Exams

During the recent meeting, while discussing the introduction of the new grading method, the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen made another crucial decision. The committee has not only revealed a new marking system but has also decided to change the minimum passing marks for all matric and inter exams 2024. In this noteworthy change, the new passing percentage for all matric and inter students will now be 40%. Which means candidates have to score at least 40% marks in each subject. The previous passing percentage was 33%. This decision represents a significant shift in the assessment criteria, aligning with the goal of ensuring a higher standard for student achievement in these examinations.

Further Phases of IBCC’s Decision

According to the IBCC's new grading system decision, during Phase 1 (year 2024), the grading system and passing marks for 10th and 12th class students will remain the same as the previous method for the year 2024.
In Phase 2 (year 2025), the IBCC has decided to completely abolish the numbering system and will only assign grades and CGPA to students from the year 2025. However, for 10th and 12th class students, the marks will be provided along with the grade and CGPA, and the minimum passing percentage will be changed to 40%.
In Phase 3 (2026 and onwards), the IBCC will completely eliminate the numbering system for both matric and inter part 1 and part 2 students. Only grades and CGPA will be mentioned in the result DMCs of the students. The minimum passing percentage for all will be 40%. Old marks-based failure, additional, and improvement candidates will be treated according to the previous pattern of results.