Grade & GPA · Guide
Grades Out of 20: What Is 14/20, 15/20, 16/20 or 17/20?
Multiply by 5 and you have a percentage. The letter grade depends on which country’s scale you use.
Want the answer for your own numbers? Use the free Grade Scale Converter — it does every step below for you.
The quick conversion
A mark out of 20 becomes a percentage when you multiply by 5 (because 20 × 5 = 100).
Percentage = mark ÷ 20 × 100 = mark × 5
So 15/20 = 75%, 16/20 = 80%, and 17/20 = 85%.
Full chart: out of 20 to percentage and letter grade
| Mark | Percentage | US letter grade | French-style meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20/20 | 100% | A+ | Exceptional |
| 19/20 | 95% | A | Exceptional |
| 18/20 | 90% | A− | Excellent |
| 17/20 | 85% | B | Very good (très bien) |
| 16/20 | 80% | B− | Very good (très bien) |
| 15/20 | 75% | C | Good (bien) |
| 14/20 | 70% | C− | Good (bien) |
| 13/20 | 65% | D | Fairly good (assez bien) |
| 12/20 | 60% | D− | Fairly good (assez bien) |
| 11/20 | 55% | F | Pass |
| 10/20 | 50% | F | Pass (the usual pass mark) |
| 9/20 and below | 45% or less | F | Fail |
Why 16/20 is not "just a B−"
Marking out of 20 is common in France, Belgium, parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and elsewhere. In those systems, teachers rarely give 18, 19 or 20. A 16/20 is an excellent mark — often top of the class — and 10/20 is a pass.
Translate 16/20 straight to a US scale and it becomes 80%, a B−. That undersells it. When you apply abroad, give the original mark and the scale, and let the admissions office convert it. Many use official conversion tables, such as those from credential evaluation services.
What grade is a 15/20?
15 out of 20 is 75%. On a common US scale that is a C. In a French-style system it is a solid "bien" — a good result.
What grade is a 14/20?
14 out of 20 is 70% — a C− on the US scale, and a respectable mark in most out-of-20 systems.
What grade is a 17/20?
17 out of 20 is 85% — a B on the US scale, and a very strong result where marks are out of 20.
Reporting an out-of-20 mark on a US application
- Give the original mark and scale — “15.5/20”, not a percentage you worked out yourself.
- Include your school’s grading key or transcript legend if you have one.
- Add class rank or a teacher’s note if your school provides them — they show how strong the mark is locally.
- Expect the university to convert it, or to ask for a credential evaluation from a service such as WES or ECE.
This avoids the most common problem: a strong 16/20 being read as an ordinary 80%.
Averages with coefficients (moyenne)
In French-style systems, subjects often carry coefficients — weights. Your average out of 20 is a weighted average:
Average = Σ(mark × coefficient) ÷ Σ(coefficients)
Maths 14 (coefficient 3), French 12 (coefficient 2), Art 16 (coefficient 1)
(14 × 3) + (12 × 2) + (16 × 1) = 42 + 24 + 16 = 82.
Total coefficients: 3 + 2 + 1 = 6.
Average = 82 ÷ 6 = 13.67 / 20
The plain average of the three marks is 14. The weighted result is lower because the best mark, Art, carries the smallest coefficient, while French at 12 counts twice. The weighted grades guide uses the same idea.
Half marks and decimals
Marks like 15.5/20 convert the same way: 15.5 × 5 = 77.5%. On a US scale that is a C+. Keep the decimal when you report the mark — rounding 15.5 to 16 changes the percentage by 2.5 points.
Converting other totals
The same idea works for any maximum: divide your mark by the total, then multiply by 100.
- 42 out of 50 = 42 ÷ 50 × 100 = 84%
- 27 out of 30 = 90%
- 8 out of 10 = 80%
- 68 out of 80 = 85%
The grade scale converter handles any total, and can apply a curve too. For the full US letter scale, see our percentage to letter grade chart.
Frequently asked questions
16 out of 20 is 80%. On a common US scale that is a B−. In systems that mark out of 20, such as France, a 16 is a very good result, often among the top marks in a class.
15/20 is 75%, which is a C on a typical US scale. Where marks are out of 20 and 10 is a pass, 15 is a good mark.
Multiply the mark by 5. 14/20 is 70%, 17/20 is 85% and 18/20 is 90%.
12 × 5 = 60%. On a US scale that is a D−, but in French-style systems 12/20 is a clear pass, often labelled “assez bien” (fairly good).
Multiply each mark by its coefficient, add the results, and divide by the total of the coefficients. Marks of 14 (coefficient 3), 12 (2) and 16 (1) average 82 ÷ 6 = 13.67 out of 20.