What is the pass mark for Saudi Arabian school students?

Saudi Ministry of Education schools use a descriptive scale: Mumtaz (Excellent, 90–100%), Jayyid Jiddan (Very Good, 80–89%), Jayyid (Good, 70–79%), Maqbul (Pass, 60–69%), and Rasib (Fail, below 60%). The pass threshold is 60% (Maqbul). Students who score below 60% in a subject must sit a remedial exam. Grade 12 national examinations (General Secondary Certificate / Tawjihi equivalent) are used for university admission decisions.

How does a British curriculum school in the Gulf handle grading differently?

British curriculum schools in the Gulf (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) follow the UK grading system: GCSE grades 9–1 and A-Level grades A*–E. They are licensed by the local Ministry of Education but follow the curriculum of the home country (England's DfE). Report cards use the British grade scale, but schools must also comply with local MoE requirements including Arabic language and Islamic Studies. Some UAE British curriculum schools produce an additional MoE-format report card alongside the British school report.

Can a student progress to the next grade in GCC schools with a failing subject?

GCC national curriculum schools generally require students to pass all core subjects, or at minimum achieve the overall promotion threshold (50–60% depending on the country), to progress to the next grade. Students who fail 1–2 subjects may be permitted to sit a remedial or supplementary examination before the new academic year. Students who fail more than 2 subjects, or who fail core subjects such as Arabic or Mathematics, typically must repeat the entire year. Rules vary by country and school type.

How does OpenEduCat support K-12 grading in Gulf schools?

OpenEduCat supports the UAE MoE A–E grade scale with bilingual Arabic-English grade labels, the Al-Natija report card format, and configurable promotion thresholds. Schools running multiple curriculum streams (national and British) can configure separate grading scales per programme. Arabic and Islamic Studies are managed as separate compulsory subject streams. Promotion and remedial flags are evaluated automatically at term-end, giving school counsellors early visibility into students at risk.

Gradebook

Gulf & GCC School Grading (K-12)

Q: What grading scale do UAE Ministry of Education schools use for K-12?

UAE MoE government and licensed private schools use an A–E letter grade scale: A (Excellent, 90–100%), B (Very Good, 80–89%), C (Good, 70–79%), D (Acceptable/Pass, 60–69%), and E (Fail, below 60%). Students must achieve a minimum of 50% overall across all subjects to progress to the next grade. The MoE mandates the Al-Natija standardised report card format for all Grades 1–12 schools. Grades appear in Arabic on the left panel and English on the right.

Gulf and GCC K-12 schools operate under Ministry of Education mandates with distinct national curriculum grading scales, UAE MoE uses an A–E letter system, Saudi MoE uses a five-band descriptive scale (Mumtaz to Rasib). Students must achieve a minimum of 50–60% to progress to the next grade. MoE-mandated bilingual report card formats apply to all licensed schools. British curriculum schools in the Gulf follow UK GCSE/A-Level grading alongside local MoE requirements. OpenEduCat supports multi-curriculum K-12 grading across GCC institutions.

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UAE Ministry of Education K-12 Grade Scale

Five-band A–E letter grade scale used in all UAE MoE government schools and licensed private national curriculum schools for Grades 1–12.

Grade	Label (English)	Arabic	Percentage	Progression
A	Excellent	ممتاز	90–100%	Automatic promotion
B	Very Good	جيد جداً	80–89%	Automatic promotion
C	Good	جيد	70–79%	Automatic promotion
D	Acceptable / Pass	مقبول	60–69%	Promotion with conditions at some schools
E	Fail	ضعيف	Below 60%	Remedial / repeat subject or year

Source: UAE Ministry of Education Assessment Framework. Note: Private British and American curriculum schools in the UAE use their home country grading systems, not this scale.

GCC Country School Grading Systems

Each GCC member state operates its own Ministry of Education grade scale, with family resemblances across the region.

United Arab Emirates

Ministry of Education (MoE)Promotion: 50% minimum overall

UAE MoE schools use an A–E letter grade scale (A=90–100%, B=80–89%, C=70–79%, D=60–69%, E=below 60%). Students must achieve a minimum of 50% overall across all subjects to progress to the next grade. The MoE mandates a standardised report card format (Al-Natija) that all government and licensed private schools must use for Grades 1–12. Arabic and Islamic Studies are compulsory subjects graded separately from the main subject stream.

Saudi Arabia

Ministry of Education (MoE KSA)Promotion: 60% minimum for Maqbul pass

Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education uses a descriptive 5-band scale: Mumtaz (Excellent, 90–100%), Jayyid Jiddan (Very Good, 80–89%), Jayyid (Good, 70–79%), Maqbul (Pass, 60–69%), and Rasib (Fail, below 60%). The scale mirrors the university grading system. National examination (Tawjihi equivalent) is sat at Grade 12 for university admission. All government school report cards are issued in Arabic only.

Qatar

Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE)Promotion: 50% minimum overall

Qatar's national curriculum schools (run by MOEHE and the Qatar Foundation) use a percentage and letter grade system aligned to the UAE model. Qatar Foundation (QF) schools (including schools in Education City) may follow international curriculum grading (IB, American, British) alongside local requirements. The national assessment system includes Grade 4 and Grade 8 national examinations that feed into school performance data.

Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman

Respective Ministries of EducationPromotion: 50% minimum overall (varies)

Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman each operate national curriculum schools with similar 100-point percentage grading systems and Ministry-mandated report card formats. Kuwait uses a 5-band scale matching the Saudi model. Bahrain uses percentage grades with cut-offs at 50% (pass) and 75%+ (distinction). Oman uses a letter grade system (A–E) similar to UAE. All GCC member states align school grading with the Ministry standard.

British Curriculum vs National Curriculum Schools

The Gulf hosts hundreds of British, American, and international curriculum schools alongside national Ministry schools, each with different grading conventions.

Aspect	British Curriculum Schools	National Curriculum Schools	Notes
Curriculum	UK National Curriculum (Key Stages 1–4), A-Level, IGCSE	MoE national curriculum (UAE/Saudi/Qatar framework)	British curriculum schools operate under the curriculum of their home country's educational authority but are licensed by the local MoE.
Grading scale	GCSE: 9–1 (9 = highest). A-Level: A*–E. Internal assessments: A–U or percentage.	UAE: A–E percentage bands. Saudi: Mumtaz/Jayyid Jiddan/Jayyid/Maqbul/Rasib descriptors.	British curriculum grades are not directly comparable to national curriculum grades. University admissions teams are accustomed to both.
Language of instruction	English. Arabic as a compulsory subject.	Arabic as primary medium. English as a subject. Some STEM subjects in English.	UAE MoE mandates Arabic and Islamic Studies in all licensed schools regardless of curriculum type.
Report card format	School-designed format. MoE inspection standards apply.	MoE-mandated Al-Natija format (UAE) or equivalent Ministry format.	Some private British curriculum schools in UAE produce an additional MoE-format report card alongside their school report.

How OpenEduCat Supports Gulf K-12 Schools

UAE MoE A–E grade scale and Al-Natija report card

OpenEduCat pre-configures the UAE MoE A–E grade scale (A=90–100%, B=80–89%, C=70–79%, D=60–69%, E=<60%) with Arabic grade labels. The report card template follows the Al-Natija format structure, with bilingual subject names, grade bands, and the MoE logo placeholder. Both formative assessment and summative term marks feed into the report card automatically.

Multi-curriculum grading support

Schools running both a national curriculum stream and a British or American curriculum stream can configure separate grading scales per programme in OpenEduCat. A GCSE-stream student receives the GCSE 9–1 scale on their report, while a national curriculum student receives the MoE A–E scale. Both share the same school administration, timetable, and student record system.

Progression rules and remedial flags

The 50% minimum overall score (or subject-specific pass threshold) is configured as a promotion condition. At year-end, OpenEduCat evaluates each student's subject grades against the promotion criteria. Students at risk are flagged before the final assessment window, enabling early intervention. The system generates a remedial support list for the school counsellor and academic coordinator.

Arabic and Islamic Studies as separate subject streams

Gulf schools are required to include Arabic language and Islamic Studies as compulsory subjects in all grades. OpenEduCat supports assigning these subjects to specific student groups (e.g., Muslim students only for Islamic Studies, all students for Arabic) with independent grading streams. Non-Muslim students may have alternative subjects configured without disrupting the main grade calculation.

K-12 Grading in Gulf Schools: A Regional Overview

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Each member state operates its own Ministry of Education with jurisdiction over national curriculum schools. All six GCC states participate in international assessments (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS), and their national grade scales are broadly comparable in structure, with pass thresholds set between 50% and 60% depending on the country.

In the UAE alone, there are over 1,200 licensed private schools alongside the government school network. Private schools operate under one of several curriculum frameworks: UAE national curriculum (MoE A–E scale), British curriculum (GCSE/A-Level), American curriculum (GPA-based), Indian curriculum (CBSE/ICSE), or IB. Each framework carries its own grading convention, and an SIS capable of managing multiple grading scales within a single institution is increasingly important for schools that serve mixed-curriculum cohorts.

Report Card Requirements and MoE Compliance

UAE Ministry of Education requires all licensed schools to use the Al-Natija electronic report card system for Grades 1–12, submitting term results directly to MoE's data portal. The report card must include subject-wise grades, attendance data, teacher comments, and the school's official stamp in the mandated bilingual format. Non-compliance can result in inspection findings during the annual ADEK (Abu Dhabi) or KHDA (Dubai) school inspection cycle. Schools that use an SIS with built-in Al-Natija compatibility reduce their administrative burden significantly at each report card cycle.

Student Progression and Remedial Education

Gulf national curriculum schools use a progression model: students who meet the minimum achievement threshold (typically 50%) across all or most subjects are promoted to the next grade. Students who fall below the threshold in key subjects are required to attend remedial sessions or sit supplementary examinations before the new academic year. Persistent low performance may result in the student repeating the year. School counsellors and academic coordinators benefit from early-warning systems that flag at-risk students before the final exam window, enabling timely intervention.

Related Gulf Gradebook Pages

Gulf Gradebook Hub Gulf Honours Gulf Transcripts Gulf Re-attempt

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about K-12 grading in Gulf and GCC schools.

UAE MoE government and licensed private schools use an A–E letter grade scale: A (Excellent, 90–100%), B (Very Good, 80–89%), C (Good, 70–79%), D (Acceptable/Pass, 60–69%), and E (Fail, below 60%). Students must achieve a minimum of 50% overall across all subjects to progress to the next grade. The MoE mandates the Al-Natija standardised report card format for all Grades 1–12 schools. Grades appear in Arabic on the left panel and English on the right.

K-12 SIS built for Gulf and GCC schools

UAE MoE A–E grade scale, bilingual Arabic-English report cards, multi-curriculum grading, and promotion rule automation, purpose-built for Gulf K-12 institutions.

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