KARACHI – The Sindh government has officially abolished the traditional “marks system” in all educational boards across the province, replacing it with “grading system”.
Sindh Minister for Universities Ismail Rahu announced the approval of a new grading system for matriculation and intermediate exams, which aims to align with international standards.
Under the new system, students who score less than 40% will be considered as having failed, he said.
The decision to replace the outdated marks system with a new grading structure was made in light of federal-level policy decisions by the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC).
Gradual Implementation of Grading System
The new grading system will be implemented in phases. The first phase will begin in 2026 with the first annual exams for 9th and 11th grade students (SSC-I / HSSC-I). By 2027, the system will extend to the 10th and 12th grade exams (SSC-II / HSSC-II).
Grading Formula
Under the new grading structure, students’ performance will be assessed using the following grades instead of numerical marks:
A++ (96-100%)
A+ (91-95%)
A (86-90%)
B++ (81-85%)
B+ (76-80%)
B (71-75%)
C+ (61-70%)
C (51-60%)
D (40-50%) – Emerging
U (Below 40%) – Ungraded (Fail)
Minimum Passing Marks
The minister said the minimum passing percentage will be set at 40%. Students who score below this will be categorized as ‘Ungraded’ (U) and will have the opportunity to reappear for the exam to improve their performance.
The new grading policy aims to bring uniformity across educational boards in the country. After its full implementation, the GPA (Grade Point Average) system will also be introduced to further standardize academic evaluations.
