What are the middle school grades used in Korea? What are the grades of A, B, C, D and F in Korean?

The translation of Korean report cards is by no means an easy task. I recall early on in my translation career receiving a request for the translation of a Korean report. I had never translated a Korean report card before, but figured it was easier than the legal and financial text I was used to translating on a daily basis. I assumed it would be quite an easy task, and that it wouldn’t take me very long. As a result, I quoted a fairly low rate, and a quick turnaround.

However, I quickly found that the translation task would neither be easy nor would it be a quick process. I wanted to share a bit of what I learned, in the hope that it may help you in reviewing or performing translations of Korean reports cards.

The following are the possible grades one can receive in a Korean school:

• 수 (Soo) - A

• 우 (Woo) - B

• 미 (Mi) - C

• 양 (Yang) - D

• 가 (Ga) - E

“E” could be interpreted in English as being a failing grade or an “F.” However, middle school students are not typically held back in Korean schools, and so even if a student received straight Es, they would still go on to the next grade.

Since receiving our very first request, we have translated hundreds of Korean report cards, and one interesting finding is that the “E” grade is not given very often.

The Korean feedback from teacher’s can sometimes be fairly wordy and descriptive, and tends to take a good amount of time to put into smooth English. The content on Korean report cards is important to thoroughly understand, but based on my past experience, it shouldn’t be viewed as an “easy” or a “quick” task.