In high school, if a student, at the end of the year, reports an insufficient grade average in a certain subject (5 or below), he or she has to take a reparatory exam before the next school year begins; if the result of the reparatory exam is again not sufficient, the student cannot pass to the next year and will have to repeat it.
For ordinary exams, universities in Italy use a 30-point scale that can be divided into failing (0 to 17) and passing (18 to 30 cum laude) grades.
The 110-point scale incorporates scores both on course exams and for the final thesis.
For outstanding results, lode, "praise" or "cum laude," is added to the maximum grade.
30L means 30 cum laude in Latin, 30 con lode in Italian, and 30 with honors in English.