KARACHI: The Ministry of Education has announced a significant shift in the assessment of secondary and higher secondary school students in Sindh, transitioning from traditional numerical scores to a grade-based evaluation system.
Some have likened the new system to the Cambridge grading model due to its structure and emphasis on overall performance.
Starting from the 2024 academic year, students in 9th and 11th grades (matric and inter) will be evaluated based on grades rather than marks, with full implementation across all grades expected by 2025. The new policy will replace the current method of awarding marks with Grade Point Averages (GPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPA).
According to a statement from the ministry, the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen has approved the introduction of a 10-point grading system, replacing the existing 7-point scale.
Under the new system, grades will range from A++ to U, with the minimum passing score raised from 33 per cent to 40 per cent. An A++ will signify exceptional academic performance, while A and B grades will indicate strong achievement.
One of the most notable changes is the elimination of the race for top positions. “The focus will now be on overall student performance rather than competing for ranks,” said Abbas Baloch, Secretary of Boards and Universities, in an official notification.
This reform has already been approved in Sindh, while other provinces, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, have yet to adopt the system.
Though similar to the Cambridge grading system in its use of letter grades and focus on performance over ranks, Sindh’s system differs in some aspects.
For example, Cambridge uses a grading scale from A* to U, while Sindh will implement a 10-point scale from A++ to U. The introduction of GPA and CGPA further aligns Sindh’s system with international standards, though the thresholds for grades will vary.
The shift towards prioritising overall achievement over individual ranks mirrors the approach of many international education systems, including Cambridge, which emphasises comprehensive academic performance rather than high scores alone.
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