Sindh abolishes marks system, introduces grading from 2026

The Sindh government has abolished the traditional marks system in all educational boards across the province and approved a new grading system for matriculation and intermediate examinations, according to a press release.

Sindh Minister for Universities and Educational Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahu said the new system, based on international standards, has been approved in line with policy directives issued by the Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC) at the federal level.

Under the new policy, students securing less than 40 percent marks will be declared unsuccessful. From now on, results will be issued in grades rather than numerical marks.

The grading system categorises student performance as follows:

A++ (96–100%), A+ (91–95%), A (86–90%), B++ (81–85%), B+ (76–80%), B (71–75%), C+ (61–70%), C (51–60%), D (40–50%), while students scoring below 40 percent will receive a “U” grade, meaning undergraded or fail.

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Rahu said the minimum passing threshold has been fixed at 40 percent, adding that any student scoring below this level in any paper will be declared undergraded. Such students will be allowed to reappear in the same paper to improve their results.

The minister said the new grading system will be implemented in phases. From 2026, it will apply to the first annual examinations of Class 9 and Class 11 (SSC-I and HSSC-I). In 2027, it will be extended to Class 10 and Class 12 (SSC-II and HSSC-II).

He said the objective of the reform is to ensure uniformity across all educational boards in the country. Once the grading system is fully implemented, a Grade Point Average (GPA) system will also be introduced in the future.

According to Rahu, the Sindh government has formally approved the new examination policy.