Ukraine Grades on a 12-Point Scale — Except Grades 1–2, Which Get No Numbers at All

Ukrainian children’s report cards show numbers from 1 to 12. Twelve is the top score — it’s neither a 10-point scale nor a 5-level one. In the early grades of primary school, however, report cards have no numbers at all — only written, word-based assessments.

This system is set by the Law “On Complete General Secondary Education” (January 16, 2020, No. 463-IX) and orders from the Ministry of Education and Science. Article 17(8) of the law provides that the national education authority sets the grading method (the evaluation system and general criteria). The following is based on the text of the law and the orders as posted in the Verkhovna Rada’s legislative database (zakon.rada.gov.ua) as of September 24, 2026. The stages of school (4 years, 5 years, 3 years) and university entrance are covered in our article on Ukraine’s 12-year school system.

The 12 Points Divide into Four Bands of Three

The 12-point scale is used together with four bands. Order No. 722, “The System and General Criteria for Evaluating Students’ Learning Outcomes,” set by the Ministry of Education and Science on May 4, 2026, shows the correspondence between word-based, band-based and point-based evaluation as follows.

The names of the four bands are the same as in the earlier 2011 standard (Order No. 329 of the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sport, April 13, 2011). The 2011 standard describes each band as follows. Initial: “answers are fragmentary, remaining at a basic understanding of the subject studied.” Medium: “reproduces basic material and completes tasks by following a model.” Sufficient: “knows the essential features and relationships of concepts, and can apply that knowledge independently in set situations.” High: “knowledge is deep, sound, systematic, and can be applied to creative tasks.” It also states that each higher band includes the requirements of the band below it, plus new requirements.

2000: From a 4-Point Scale (2–5) to 12 Points

The 12-point scale began in 2000. A joint order (No. 428/48) issued on September 4, 2000 by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine (Академія педагогічних наук України) provided for introducing the 12-point scale into general secondary education during the first term of the 2000/2001 school year.

Before that, a 4-point scale from 2 to 5 had been used. The order allowed teachers, only during the transition period, to choose whether to use the old or new scale. First-term grades, however, were to be given on the 12-point scale, so the order included the following conversion guide for teachers who graded on the old scale.

The order explains the aim of the new scale as improving the quality and objectivity of evaluation, and shifting from teaching aimed at accumulating knowledge to learning aimed at personal development.

The Early Grades: Words, Not Numbers

Under the 2011 standard, first-grade marks were written in words, and grading on the 12-point scale began from second grade (second grade could also be graded in words if the school’s teaching council decided so).

Under the “New Ukrainian School” (НУШ) reform, grading without numbers spread in primary schools. Guidance issued on July 13, 2021 by the Ministry of Education and Science on evaluating grades 1–4 (Order No. 813) recommends assessing each individual learning outcome in words, instead of a single summary score per subject. Grades 1–2 are assessed only in words; for grades 3–4, the school’s teaching council chooses between words or bands (the letters П, С, Д, В). The guidance states that it is a “recommendation,” and that schools may also build their own evaluation systems.

The New Evaluation System Set in 2026

In 2026, the Ministry of Education and Science set the evaluation system anew, in the Order No. 722 mentioned above. This order is phased in grade by grade.

The new system defines four evaluation scales: a pass/fail binary scale, a word-based scale, a 4-band scale, and the 12-point scale. Which one is used is determined by grade level.

• Grades 1–2: formative assessment of day-to-day learning (формувальне), unit assessment, and end-of-term/end-of-year assessment are all in words only
• Grades 3–4: formative assessment is in words. Unit assessment is in words or the 4-band scale. End-of-term/end-of-year assessment is on the 4-band scale
• Grades 5–12: formative assessment may be in words, the 4-band scale, or 12 points — but is not counted toward the end-of-term/end-of-year grade. Unit assessment and end-of-term/end-of-year assessment are on the 12-point scale

The order provides that the pass/fail scale may be used for certain subjects the school’s teaching council decides on, as well as for the learning outcomes of students abroad, and students living (or who lived) in areas where fighting is (or was) taking place, or in territory temporarily occupied by Russia.

For grades 5–9, the Ministry of Education and Science issued evaluation guidance (Order No. 1427) on August 14, 2026, to be used from September 1, 2026. This superseded the 2024 guidance (Order No. 1093), which is no longer in effect.

Schools May Also Use Their Own Scale

Article 17(4) of the Law “On Complete General Secondary Education” allows schools to use their own evaluation scale. In that case, the school must establish a rule for converting it to the scale set by law. End-of-year assessments and the State Final Attestation (ДПА, given when completing a stage of school) are graded on the scale set by law. Results are recorded in a “certificate of achievement” (свідоцтво досягнень), issued each year as a student advances to the next grade.

Paragraph 2 of the same article lists the types of evaluation: formative assessment of day-to-day learning, interim assessment, summative assessment (unit, term, year), the State Final Attestation, and external independent evaluation. Under the law, the school year begins on September 1, “Knowledge Day,” runs for at least 175 school days, and ends by July 1 of the following year (Article 10(3) of the same law).

Comparing with Japanese School Grades

None of the sources for this article include an official table for converting Ukrainian grades into Japanese school grades. When looking only at the numbers, keep the following in mind.

• 12 is the highest and 1 the lowest — the numbers mean something different from a 10-point or 5-level scale
• 7–9 points is the “sufficient” band; 10–12 points is the “high” band
• Report cards for grades 1–4 may have no numbers at all; only words or the letters П, С, Д, В appear
• A school may use its own scale; check that school’s conversion rule

For students enrolled at a Japanese school while also remaining enrolled at a Ukrainian one, how the Ukrainian school converts Japanese school grades is introduced, based on a 2025 Cabinet resolution, in our article on the system for studying just six Ukrainian subjects. How to organize a student’s academic record when enrolling at a Japanese school is covered in our article on preparing before enrolling in a Japanese school.