How marks, promotion and the ESO title work in Spain

Terms used

• Suficiente — Suficiente is the report-card label for a pass, a mark of 5.
• Recuperaciones — Recuperaciones are tests or tasks that let a pupil recover a failed term or a pending subject.
• Bachillerato — Bachillerato is the two-year upper secondary stage after ESO that leads to university.
• Grado Medio — Grado Medio is intermediate vocational training (FP) that follows ESO.

Key rules

• Pass mark: The pass mark is 5 out of 10, labelled Suficiente.
• ESO promotion: In ESO your child moves up with all subjects passed or one or two failed.
• Teaching team: The teaching team decides together, so three or more failed subjects can still lead to moving up in exceptional cases.
• ESO title: The title is awarded by the teaching team at the end of 4th ESO, with no final exam.

How marks work

Marks run from 0 to 10 and the pass mark is 5, which is labelled Suficiente. On the report card you will see these labels:

• Insuficiente: below 5 (ESO cards often show it as 1 to 4)
• Suficiente: 5
• Bien: 6
• Notable: 7 or 8
• Sobresaliente: 9 or 10

In Primaria the card usually shows the labels. In ESO it usually shows whole numbers.

Moving up in Primaria

The teaching team decides at the end of each cycle, which means the end of 2nd, 4th and 6th year. Your child moves up if they have met the competences, the skills the year is meant to build. Repeating is exceptional. It can happen once in the stage and comes with a reinforcement plan.

Moving up in ESO

In ESO the teaching team decides together, as a group. It does not just count failed subjects.

• With all subjects passed or one or two failed, your child moves up.
• With three or more failed, your child normally repeats.
• The team can still let your child move up if it judges they can recover. A support plan then applies.

A pupil can repeat once per year and twice in the whole stage. If your child has not yet repeated, a further year is possible in 4th ESO.

The decision box below shows what each outcome means for your child.

Pending subjects and recovery

If your child moves up with failed subjects, those subjects are pending. The department sets a recovery programme of tasks and exams during the year. Recuperaciones are the tests or tasks that let a pupil recover a failed term or a pending subject. They usually come after each term or at the end of the course, before the ordinary assessment in June.

Some regions no longer hold a September extraordinary exam, and a few still do. Ask the school whether it applies to your child and when.

The ESO title

The Graduado en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria title is awarded at the end of 4th ESO. There is no final exam. The teaching team decides whether your child has reached the stage's objectives and competences.

You need the title to enter Bachillerato and Grado Medio FP. Many jobs and public-sector posts also ask for it. A pupil who does not get it receives a certificate of schooling.

Routes after that include:

• repeating 4th ESO
• FP Básica, for pupils aged 15 to 17 who meet the conditions
• the entry test for Grado Medio
• adult education
• pruebas libres, open exams for people aged 18 or over

The quick answers below cover report card frequency and other common questions.

Choosing between options

What happens at the end of the year

What happens to your child at the end of the school year in ESO, based on the report card?

• Your child moves up to the next year: All subjects are passed (5 or more, labelled Suficiente), or one or two are failed. The teaching team can also decide to move a pupil up with more failed subjects in exceptional cases.

• Your child repeats the year: Several subjects are failed and the teaching team decides the pupil is not ready to move up. The decision is collegiate: the whole class teaching team takes it, not one teacher.

• Your child moves up with pending subjects: One or two subjects are failed. Your child follows a recovery programme with tasks and exams set by the department during the year to clear them.

• Your child earns the ESO title: At the end of 4th ESO, the teaching team decides your child has reached the stage's objectives and competences. There is no final exam. The title opens Bachillerato and Grado Medio FP.

• Your child leaves with a certificate of schooling: The title is not awarded. The routes then are repeating 4th ESO, FP Básica (ages 15 to 17 who meet the conditions), adult education or free exams from age 18, or the entry test to Grado Medio.

Count the failed subjects first: none, one or two means moving up. More than two goes to the teaching team's decision. In 4th ESO the same team decides on the title, so a simple count of failed subjects does not settle it.

Quick answers about Spanish marks and report cards

What is the pass mark in Spanish schools?

The pass mark is 5 on a scale from 0 to 10, and a 5 is labelled Suficiente. Primaria report cards usually show labels such as Insuficiente, Suficiente, Bien, Notable and Sobresaliente. ESO report cards show whole numbers.

How often are report cards issued in Spain?

Report cards (boletines de notas) are normally issued three times a year, at the end of each term. The third one doubles as the final report for the course. Many families get them through a regional online platform, and some schools add extra updates.

What happens if my child does not get the ESO title?

A pupil who does not get the Graduado en ESO title receives a certificate of schooling and still has routes open. These include repeating 4th ESO, FP Básica for pupils aged 15 to 17 who meet the conditions, or the entry test to Grado Medio. Adults aged 18 and over can also take free exams (pruebas libres) or adult education.