CGPA grading system: A Comprehensive Guide In 2024
You may have heard the term CGPA if you are a high school student. You may have come across it if you are a college freshman. Or you may have heard about the terms GPA and CGPA in your university. You may have been confused about what these terms mean. If you don’t know what they are exactly. You need not to worry further. In this article, I will be giving you a complete overview of GPA and CGPA. We will explain its importance and advantages as well. Then what are you waiting for. Let’s begin the discussion about CGPA Grading System.
What is GPA:
GPA is a method of students’ assessment. GPA is used at many level. It is used in high school, college and universities. GPA full form is “grade point average”. GPA is calculated for a specific semester. It is a record of the semester wise or yearly performance of a student. You can calculate GPA by dividing the points earned by the total credit hours.
What is CGPA:
The term CGPA is an abbreviation of the “cumulative grade point average”. CGPA is the overall academic record of your all semester. So it shows your academic achievements in your specific degree program. CGPA actually portrays your academic performance in numerical form. Different types of CGPA scales are in use in different countries and institutions. The most common one among them are the 4 points scale and the 10 points CGPA scale.
How to Calculate Your CGPA:
You can calculate your CGPA by summing your GPAs of all semesters. Then dividing this sum of GPAs by the total number of semesters. And you will find out your CGPA in your academic degree.
Example:
Let us suppose there are 8 semesters in your academic degree. And you have the following GPAs in each of them. Then you can calculate your CGPA by following the steps below;
| Semester | CGPA |
| Semester 1 | 9 |
| Semester 2 | 8 |
| Semester 3 | 7 |
| Semester 4 | 9 |
| Semester 5 | 8 |
| Semester 6 | 7 |
| Semester 7 | 9 |
| Semester 8 | 8 |
Now your CGPA will be;
CGPA = Total GPA of all semesters / the numbers of all semesters
CGPA = 9+8+7+9+8+7+9+8 / 8
CGPA = 65 / 8
CGPA = 8.125.
So your CGPA will be 8.125 on a scale of 10 in your academic degree. The 10 points scale is in use in most of the institutions of India.
Difference between GPA and CGPA Grading System:
Both GPA and CGPA shows the performance of a student in a degree. But there are some differences between them. These differences are listed below;
Full Forms:
The full form of GPA is “grade points average”. While the full form of CGPA is “cumulative grade points average”.
Meaning:
In simpler terms, GPA is the academic grading of a single semester or one year. While CGPA is the academic grading of all of the semester. GPA is calculated in every semester. While CGPA is calculated at the end of your degree program.
Duration:
The main difference between GPA and CGPA is their duration. GPA is measured for a specific semester or a year. So its duration is short. CGPA is measured for the whole academic degree. And a whole academic degree can be of 4,6 or 8 semesters. So its duration is longer as compared to GPA.
Inter-relatedness:
GPA and CGPA are inter related to each other. If you have a good GPA. It means that you will have a good CGPA. It is because CGPA is calculated from GPA. You can calculate your CGPA by summing up your GPAs of all semesters. Then dividing this sum of GPAs by the total number of semesters.
| Criteria | GPA | CGPA |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Measured for a specific semester. | Measured for the overall degree program. |
| Meaning | Grading of a single semester. | Grading of all semesters cumulatively. |
| Calculation | Calculated every semester. | Calculated at the end of the study program. |
| Full Forms | Grade Point Average. | Cumulative Grade Point Average. |
| Inter-relatedness | Part of CGPA calculation. | Depends on the GPA of all semesters combined. |
Understanding CGPA:
CGPA is an important factor. It shows your overall academic journey. If you have a good CGPA. It means that you have exceptional academic achievement in your degree. Some of the reasons showing the importance of CGPA are the following;
Academic Standing:
CGPA shows your academic standing. It shows whether you are good academically or not. If you have a good CGPA. It means that you are very good academically. And when you are excellent academically. Then you can easily get admission in prestigious universities. You can avail exceptional scholarships due to your exceptional academic standings as well.
Higher Education And Placement:
If you have a good CGPA, you can easily get admission in advanced universities. You will be eligible for many jobs. And the employer will prefer you among other candidates. A good CGPA will help you pass the short listing process with ease. It means that CGPA is an important factor in the admissions and recruitment process.
Internal Motivation:
CGPA can act as an internal motivator for you. When you have a good CGPA. It gives you a sense of pride and motivation. And when you are motivated. Then you can achieve outstanding success in your academic journey. Internal motivation is very necessary for achieving your goals. And your CGPA provides you that internal motivation in the first go.
Scholarships:
Every scholarship has its own requirements. But a good CGPA increases your chances of securing a scholarship. Professors give preference to those students who have higher CGPA. So a good CGPA can secure you a higher and prestigious scholarship.
Purpose Of CGPA Grading:
CGPA is a grading system used internationally. Different countries used different scales. But they are interchangeable. CGPA grading system serves the following purposes;
Reduce Exam Pressure:
The main purpose of CGPA grading system is to reduce exam pressure on students. CGPA grading does not only evaluate the academic performance of a student. But it also gives weightage to assignments, projects and presentations. Hence students’ marks are not only dependent on the exam. So it reduces the pressure of exams.
Recognition of strengths and weaknesses:
In CGPA grading, different scales are used. These scales show the strengths and weaknesses of the students. This thing allows teachers to identify good, average and below average students. And teach them as per their capabilities. This thing also enable students to identify their weaknesses and improve them.
Uniformity Among Institutions:
CGPA grading system is used in nearly every institution. So it bring uniformity in institutions. This system is used internationally. Though the scales are different, yet they are interchangeable. They can be easily converted from one scale to another.
Types of Indian Grading Scales:
In India, most of the schools, colleges, and universities use 10-point grading scales to calculate CGPA and GPA. The grading system used in high school, colleges and universities are listed below;
High Schools Grading System:
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in India introduced a new grading system in 2010. They are using this grading system for the students of class 9th and 10th. CBSE uses a 9-point grading scale for their students’ assessment. It evaluates students on both formative and summative assessment methods. And then, it gives grades with specific ranges of marks. These grades are of the following types;
| Grade | Grade Point | Marks Range |
| A1 | 10.0 | 91-100 |
| A2 | 9.0 | 81-90 |
| B1 | 8.0 | 71-80 |
| B2 | 7.0 | 61-70 |
| C1 | 6.0 | 51-60 |
| C2 | 5.0 | 41-50 |
| D | 4.0 | 33-40 |
| E1 & E2 | 0.0 | 21-32 |
Colleges Grading System:
The CBSE introduced a new grading system for Class 12 as well. It uses alphabetical grades ranging from A to E. This grading system offers a comprehensive evaluation method for board exams. Below is the 9-point grading system used to assess college exams;
| Marks Range | Grade | Grade Point |
| 91-100 | A1 | 10.0 |
| 81-90 | A2 | 9.0 |
| 71-80 | B1 | 8.0 |
| 61-70 | B2 | 7.0 |
| 51-60 | C1 | 6.0 |
| 41-50 | C2 | 5.0 |
| 33-40 | D | 4.0 |
| 21-32 | E1 | C |
| 00-20 | E2 | C |
Grading System in Universities:
Most of the Indian universities use a 10-point CGPA grading scale. Your GPA is calculated by dividing the total sum of grades achieved by the number of credits taken. Then each letter grade is assigned a numerical value. Using a 10-point Indian grading scale, values are given in this manner;
| Grade | Value |
| O (Outstanding) | 10 |
| A+ (Excellent) | 9 |
| A (Very Good) | 8 |
| B+ (Good) | 7 |
| B (Above Average) | 6 |
| C (Average) | 5 |
| D (Pass) | 4 |
| F (Fail) | 0 |
How to Find CGPA from GPA?
Your GPAs in all the semesters can be used to find CGPA. Just divide the sum of the numerical values of all the GPAs across all semesters by the total number of credit hours.
The formula for the calculation of CGPA from GPA is given below;
CGPA = Sum of all GPAs’ numerical values across all semesters ÷ Total number of credit hours across all semesters
Conclusion:
CGPA is a grading system used worldwide. Different CGPA scales are in use in different countries and institutions. The most common among them are the 10 points CGPA scale and the 4 points CGPA scale. India uses a scale of 10-points while the USA uses a scale of 4 points. CGPA shows your overall performance in your academic degree. The CGPA grading has added uniformity in the grading system. Though the scales are different. Yet you can convert them into each other with ease. A good CGPA can help you secure admission in a premium university. I also can help you in securing a scholarship and a job. CGPA system is in evaluation form. And it has some complications. But by removing its difficulties and complications. The CGPA grading can add more into the educational world.
