Honours / Mention Calculator
Find the honours (mention) for an average out of 20: Pass, Fairly good, Good, Very good (French system).
Result
Honours
Fairly good (Assez bien)
How it works
In the French grading system, marks run from 0 to 20 and an award ("mention") is attached to bands of the overall average: 10 or more passes, 12 earns "assez bien", 14 "bien", and 16 "très bien". The scale is severe by design. Twenty out of twenty is treated as theoretical perfection and is almost never given, so a 16 that would look mediocre on a percentage scale is in fact a distinction. Converting French marks to a percentage by multiplying by five badly misrepresents them for exactly this reason. Because the mention is computed on a weighted overall average, individual subject marks matter in proportion to their coefficients. Below 12 there is no award — the diploma is simply obtained — and below 10 there is no pass, though catch-up sessions and compensation rules vary by institution.
Advertisement
Frequently asked questions
What average do I need for 'Très bien'?
16/20 or higher gives the highest honours, 'Très bien'.
Is there honours below 12?
Yes — from 10/20 it's 'Passable' (Pass); below 10 nothing is awarded.
Are these awards the same in every country?
No. The 0–20 scale with mentions is specific to France and several francophone systems. The UK uses honours classes, the US letter grades and cum laude titles, Germany a 1–6 scale where 1 is best — direct conversion between them is always approximate.
Advertisement