Understanding Your Cambridge Grades

A grade is only half the information. What decides whether it is enough is what institutions do with it, and that is set by them rather than by the examining body.

The scale

The scale is A* to G at IGCSE, A* to E at A Level. Grade C and above at IGCSE is the usual equivalent of a credit for Nigerian admission purposes.

That sentence contains the distinction candidates most often miss. A pass is not a credit, and requirements are written in credits. A result full of passes is not a near miss at admission; it is short of the bar in the only unit the bar is measured in.

If you disagree with a grade

Cambridge runs a formal enquiry-about-results service with published fees and deadlines, which is more structured than any Nigerian equivalent.

Whatever the route, it has a deadline measured from the examination rather than from the result, which means part of the window has already gone by the time you see your grades. If you are going to dispute, decide in the week you get the result.

What the grade does after you get it

Here the grade is a grade read by admissions officers worldwide without translation. This is the certificate you sit when the destination is outside Nigeria, and the portability is what you are paying for.

Marking is marked against published assessment objectives, with grade thresholds set after each series, which decides how much of your grade is within your control on the day and how much was decided months earlier.

What the scale does not tell you

The scale is fixed and public. What is not fixed is what institutions do with it, and that is where candidates misread their own results. A result that clears the certificate’s own bar can still be short of what a competitive course demands.

Cambridge is the only examination here designed to be read by admissions officers who have never heard of Nigeria. That portability is what you are paying for.

Combining sittings

A candidate who is one subject short is not starting again. Most institutions accept a combination of sittings, which turns a failed subject into a single resit rather than a repeated year. Confirm the policy with the institution before assuming either way.

What people ask about this

Does the certificate say which sitting each grade came from?

Each sitting produces its own result. Institutions that accept combinations reconcile them at admission.

Does the grading change between years?

The scale is stable. What changes is what institutions require, which is set by them and not by the examining body.

What is the grade scale?

A* to G at IGCSE, A* to E at A Level.

What counts as a pass?

Grade C and above at IGCSE is the usual equivalent of a credit for Nigerian admission purposes.

Is a D7 useless?

Not useless, but it is not a credit, and most institutions set their requirements in credits. Treat it as a subject to resit rather than a result to build on.

Can I combine two sittings?

Most Nigerian institutions accept a combination of two sittings, though some competitive courses insist on one. Confirm with the institution rather than assuming.

Why the institution’s number matters more

The awarding body sets the scale. The institution sets what it will accept, and within each institution each course competes for a fixed number of places. A course with sixty places and three thousand applicants does not admit at the published minimum. It admits down a ranked list until the places run out.

So the useful question is never what the minimum is. It is what your intended course at your intended institution actually admitted at in the last cycle. Those two questions have completely different answers, and only the second is a target you can plan against.

Combining sittings

A candidate one subject short is not starting again. Most Nigerian institutions accept a combination of two sittings, which turns a failed subject into a single resit rather than a repeated year. Confirm the policy with the institution before you assume it either way, because the competitive courses are the ones most likely to refuse.

Next in this guide

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