Why Schools Use A-F Grading System With No E

  • 10 years ago
Most schools give their students grades that are on a scale of A, B, C, D, or F, skipping over the letter E. But some schools don’t use the F for failing and instead use the letter E.

Most schools give their students grades that are on a scale of A, B, C, D, or F, skipping over the letter E.

But some schools don’t use the F for failing and instead use the letter E.

The reason behind skipping a letter is that A through D are still passing grades in most schools, while F stands for failing.

In earlier times, many grading systems were used by different schools before the letter scale cemented its popularity.

In the United States, the first college to use the letter grading system was the all women’s Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts during the year 1887.

They started with letters A though E and later added F as the indication for a failing grade.

As more and more schools started to use the letter grading system, it was simplified, and the letter E was dropped.

After World War II, many schools in the Midwest stopped using F to signify a failing grade and went back to using the letter E for a failing grade.

Today school institutions around the country have their own variations, and even include plus and minus denotations to denote a slightly higher or lower mark.

What do you think of the letter grade system?