The word "grade" is an important word to know when talking about education in the United States.
Report cards show students’ progress with a grading system.
grade
percentage
value
A
90 – 100%
excellent
B
80 – 89%
good
C
70 – 79%
average
D
60 – 69%
poor
F
below 59%
fail
I
0
incomplete
Bernie’s teacher gave him a C on his report card for the subject of math. He’s not very happy with that grade.
Vanessa earned an A+ on her test. She got every answer correct. She’s happy with that grade.
Students who receive failing grades have to repeat the class.
Some teachers are hard graders. They make their students work hard for good grades.
Vanessa got an A+ on her test.
The word "grade" is also used as a noun when talking about the level at which a student is attending school. Grades generally correspond to age:
Tina is in first grade. She’s six years old. She’s a first grader.
Bill is in second grade. He’s seven years old. He’s a second grader.
The students in Miss Jackson’s class are third graders. Most of them are eight years old. Miss Jackson has been teaching third grade for the last two years.
I used to teach eleventh grade English. Most of my students were 16 or 17 years old.
The word "grade" can also be used to indicate the steepness of a hill or a mountain.
Truck drivers must pay strict attention to highway grades, especially when the roads are covered with snow or ice.
Drivers approaching this hill must be very careful because of the steep grade.
Vanessa got an A+ on her test.
The grade of the upcoming hill is very steep.