French Grade Calculator (/20 & Mentions)
Convert notes /20 to percentage, mentions (Très bien → Passable) & honest US GPA equivalents — both directions.
Note
14.5/20
Percentage
73%
≈ US grade
A−
Mention : Bien (High honours)
≈ US GPA 3.5 – 3.7
| Note /20 | Mention | English | ≈ US letter | ≈ GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 – 20 | Très bien | Highest honours | A / A+ | 4.0 |
| → 14 – 16 | Bien | High honours | A− / B+ | 3.5 – 3.7 |
| 12 – 14 | Assez bien | Honours | B | 3.0 |
| 10 – 12 | Passable | Pass | C | 2.0 – 2.5 |
| 0 – 10 | Insuffisant | Fail | F | 0 |
⚠️ French grading is famously strict — 16/20 is exceptional, and 12–14 is genuinely good. Never convert as a simple percentage into another system: 70% (14/20) is high honours in France, not a “C”. The equivalents above follow the bands admissions offices commonly use.
🇫🇷The French /20 system, decoded
France grades everything — from a dictée to the baccalauréat — out of 20, and attaches mentions (honours) to the bands. This converter turns any note into a percentage, its mention, and an honest US letter/GPA equivalent — and converts percentages back into /20 for anyone heading the other way.
💡Why 14/20 is better than it sounds
French grading is deliberately severe: 20/20 is near-mythical, 16+ is exceptional, and teachers famously say “20 is for God, 19 for the professor.” Converting 14/20 as “70% = C” would badly undervalue it — admissions offices treat 14–16 as high honours territory.
🏅The mentions at a glance
- 16–20: Très bien (highest honours) — with 18+ sometimes earning 'félicitations du jury'.
- 14–15.9: Bien (high honours) — a strong result in any French institution.
- 12–13.9: Assez bien (honours) — solidly above average.
- 10–11.9: Passable — a pass; 10/20 is the universal pass line.
- Below 10: fail — though bac candidates at 8–9.9 may sit the 'rattrapage' (resit oral).
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good grade in the French system?+
Anything above 12/20 is genuinely good (mention Assez bien), 14+ is high honours (Bien), and 16+ (Très bien) is exceptional. Because grading is strict, French averages run far lower than UK or US percentages — comparing them 1:1 is misleading.
How do I convert French grades to GPA?+
Use the mention bands, not a straight percentage: 16–20 ≈ 4.0 (A/A+), 14–16 ≈ 3.5–3.7 (A−/B+), 12–14 ≈ 3.0 (B), 10–12 ≈ 2.0–2.5 (C). This is how evaluators and most university guides treat French transcripts.
Is 10/20 a pass in France?+
Yes — 10/20 ('la moyenne') is the pass threshold everywhere from school tests to the baccalauréat and university modules. Bac candidates scoring 8–9.9 get a second chance at the rattrapage oral exams.
What is mention Très bien worth internationally?+
It's treated as first-class/summa-level performance: roughly a UK First, a German 1.0–1.5, or a US A/A+ (GPA ~4.0). With félicitations (18+), it's among the strongest results a French student can present.