The Sindh government has officially abolished the traditional marks based system in all educational boards of the province and it has introduced a new grading system in matriculation and intermediate examinations.
The decision, made by Sindh Minister for Universities Ismail Rahoo, is in line with policy guidelines as issued by the Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC).
Under the new policy, students who have scores less than 40 percent will be considered failed. The minister explained that the decades old marks system has been replaced with an internationally recognised grading system to ensure uniformity in examination results across the country.
The implementation of the policy is to be made in phases in the province of Sindh.
The new grading system will be implemented in 2026 for first-year examinations of Classes 9 (SSC-I) and 11 (HSSC-I) and in 2027, will be extended to Classes 10 (SSC-II) and 12 (HSSC-II) annual examinations.
The approved structure will categorise performance as follows, 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% as ‘Emerging’ and U less than 40% as ungraded or fail.
Minister Rahoo explained that the minimum passing marks will be 40 percent in each subject. Students getting ‘U’ grade will be given the chance to appear in necessary paper to enhance their performance.
The objective of the new grading policy, according to Rahoo, is to standardise the assessment on every education board of Pakistan.
Once the grading system is implemented completely, a Grade Point Average (GPA) system will also be introduced in the future, thus further bringing the standards of education system in Sindh at par with the international standards.
This move is a major departure from the evaluation process, we have known for decades; from marks-based evaluation to a system that focuses on consistency, transparency and comparability in student performance throughout the province.
Also read: Sindh approves uniform examination syllabus for all educational boards
