Back when I used to fill out college recommendation forms and write college recommendation letters for students, I remember often pondering the question of how much ‘above average’ the student I was recommending was.
Thanks for reading and for your comment. Variations in grading scales even between districts in the US can be frustrating and, obviously, the differences between countries often do not translate at all. I feel your pain and hope that your program directors will understand your position better with all of the explanations you are giving them. It would be great if my post could help you. They might not yet realize, but I absolutely know what « mention très bien » and « félicitations du jury » mean and I commend you.
Hi, I fell upon your blog post as I am a former French students who's now applying, at 47, for a masters in Canada. I had to get my grades assessed and the assessments company seems to have just done a thing like 0-8 = D, 8-11 = C, 12-15 = B and 15-20 = A. No account taken for the wide difference in grading between the two countries!
And thus, as a former student who got the "Mention très bien avec Félicitations du Jury" for her baccalauréat, her bachelors with a "mention assez bien" and her masters with a "mention bien", I barely have the GPA needed for this master, when really, I know I was one of those students teachers talked about - because I met a few a few years back and they seeked me out.
It's infuriating to pay $600 for a "translation" that does not take any account for context and culture!
That said, I will use your article for my letter of appeal to the admissions committee. I find those two sentences pretty revealing and quite similar to my experience of what my kids are getting as grades here in Canada, and what I used to get.
"Anything above ten is reserved for those students who really know what they are doing and can more fully explain or more completely answer the questions." "As a student, my understanding was that if the assignment was completed as asked, it merited an ‘A’. So for my work to be graded as “the best”, I just had to do exactly what was asked." - although in Canada, it feels like this would be a B ;) A is specifically marked for "above provincial expectations".
Anyway, just sharing my frustration and thanking you for writing on this topic, it will help me.
Thanks for reading and for your comment. Variations in grading scales even between districts in the US can be frustrating and, obviously, the differences between countries often do not translate at all. I feel your pain and hope that your program directors will understand your position better with all of the explanations you are giving them. It would be great if my post could help you. They might not yet realize, but I absolutely know what « mention très bien » and « félicitations du jury » mean and I commend you.
Hi Elise,
Thanks for reading and for your comment. Variations in grading scales even between districts in the US can be frustrating and, obviously, the differences between countries often do not translate at all. I feel your pain and hope that your program directors will understand your position better with all of the explanations you are giving them. It would be great if my post could help you. They might not yet realize, but I absolutely know what « mention très bien » and « félicitations du jury » mean and I commend you.
Bonne chance!!
Hi, I fell upon your blog post as I am a former French students who's now applying, at 47, for a masters in Canada. I had to get my grades assessed and the assessments company seems to have just done a thing like 0-8 = D, 8-11 = C, 12-15 = B and 15-20 = A. No account taken for the wide difference in grading between the two countries!
And thus, as a former student who got the "Mention très bien avec Félicitations du Jury" for her baccalauréat, her bachelors with a "mention assez bien" and her masters with a "mention bien", I barely have the GPA needed for this master, when really, I know I was one of those students teachers talked about - because I met a few a few years back and they seeked me out.
It's infuriating to pay $600 for a "translation" that does not take any account for context and culture!
That said, I will use your article for my letter of appeal to the admissions committee. I find those two sentences pretty revealing and quite similar to my experience of what my kids are getting as grades here in Canada, and what I used to get.
"Anything above ten is reserved for those students who really know what they are doing and can more fully explain or more completely answer the questions." "As a student, my understanding was that if the assignment was completed as asked, it merited an ‘A’. So for my work to be graded as “the best”, I just had to do exactly what was asked." - although in Canada, it feels like this would be a B ;) A is specifically marked for "above provincial expectations".
Anyway, just sharing my frustration and thanking you for writing on this topic, it will help me.
Hi Elise,
Thanks for reading and for your comment. Variations in grading scales even between districts in the US can be frustrating and, obviously, the differences between countries often do not translate at all. I feel your pain and hope that your program directors will understand your position better with all of the explanations you are giving them. It would be great if my post could help you. They might not yet realize, but I absolutely know what « mention très bien » and « félicitations du jury » mean and I commend you.
Bonne chance!!