Grades are reported on a carefully calibrated and uniform A-to-F scale combined with keywords and short qualitative definitions.
The ECTS grade is indicated alongside the mark awarded by the host institution on the student's transcript of records.
As a first step, the implementation of the ECTS scale required the collection of statistical data in the institutions who were willing to participate in the scheme to make their grades more transparent.
In educational systems where ranking of students in each course unit/module was a standard procedure, statistical data could be provided for the very cohort in which the grade had been obtained.
These data, collected in a large number of institutions in Europe, have shown how national grading scales are actually being used.
The grade distribution table developed for a specific reference group allows for a single grade currently obtained to be positioned in its own context, thus making it easier to understand the level of the student's performance and compare it with that of students with a similar position in other contexts.
This system can be represented in a table, as follows: The use of words like "excellent" or "good" is not recommended as they do not fit with percentage based ranking of the ECTS Grade Transfer Scale.
These cases fall into two categories depending on whether the primary assessment data allows establishment of a ranking list or not.
When included in the Transcripts of Records and Diploma Supplements of the students, the table will facilitate the interpretation of each grade awarded to them and will not require any further calculation.
The academic responsible for credit transfer may get involved in step 5 when general guidelines for the conversion of grades are being established.