This paper examines grading systems as social narratives that reflect cultural values, educational traditions, and perceptions of academic achievement. The study compares Slavic and Romance educational contexts, focusing on the relationship between numerical scales, linguistic labels, and institutional forms of assessment. The analysis uses ECTS as a European comparative reference point for examining the challenges of grade comparability across national educational contexts. Comparative tables are used to summarise national grading scales, passing thresholds, school-leaving examinations, university assessment systems, and their correspondence with ECTS classifications. The main focus is on school education, while university grading practices are considered as an additional comparative layer. For instance, the comparison includes the Russian five-point scale and the Italian ten-point school and thirty-point university scales, showing how different educational levels may rely on distinct assessment models within the same national tradition. The analysis demonstrates how different educational systems structure achievement and failure through both numerical scales and verbal descriptors. The linguistic dimension is explored through lexical expressions of assessment, such as Russian “otlichno”, Czech “výborně”, Polish “celujący”, French “très bien”, Italian “ottimo”, and Spanish “sobresaliente”. The analysis further illustrates how grading practices extend beyond education and become embedded in everyday language, cultural narratives, and social perceptions, shaping how merit and competence are interpreted in broader social life. The study argues that assessment functions not only as a pedagogical mechanism but also as a cultural and linguistic system through which societies communicate values, expectations, and notions of educational success.
Keywords: grading systems, assessment, Slavic countries, Romance countries, language and society
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