How does weighted GPA differ from unweighted GPA?
Some secondary schools choose to grade students on a 5.0 scale rather than the typical 4.0 scale for certain classes. A student typically receives 5.0 grade points for a class if he or she earns an A grade in an Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) class, while each subsequent grade is worth an additional point over its worth in a non-weighted system. An A grade in a non-AP/IB class still earns 4.0 grade points. While the system described above is the most common weighting system for GPA, there is no single standard for weighting secondary school grades. Different schools have different weighting practices, while others do not weight grades at all. We ask that you use the system described in the response to the previous question if your school does not weight grades for you or provide any instructions on how to calculate a weighted GPA.
