The Interjuntas Coordination Commission, under the new qualifications policy, has made an upward change in the approval percentage for the intermediate and matrix levels of 33% to 40% throughout the country.
The Commission, an official forum that represents all the educational boards of Pakistan, issued a notification on Tuesday announcing the implementation of a new qualifications policy, which will enter into force. in phases from 2026 for registration and intermediate annual exams.
However, the updated policy excludes the average ratings (GPA) systems and average cumulative qualifications (CGPA), which were part of the proposed framework.
According to the notification, the decision was taken during a meeting of the heads of all education boards, held in Karachi last month. The Copi has already formally notified the implementation schedule.
talking with Express newsBICC executive director, Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah, said the change was made after several universities expressed reservations on the adoption of admissions based on the GPA at this stage.
“During the forum meeting in Karachi, it was observed that many universities are not yet prepared to offer admissions based on the GPA system. The universities advised that the new qualifications policy should be initially implemented without GPA, and the education boards agreed,” said Dr. Mallah. “Therefore, the new grades policy will be implemented from 2026 without GPA,” he added.
The IBMC notification also confirmed that the inclusion of the GPA in the national qualification system has been postponed until new notice.
New System Qualification
The new qualification model, inspired by the Cambridge evaluation structure, will introduce multiple letters for high performance students.
Previously, students with scores between 80 and 100 % received an A1 rating. According to the new system, this range will be divided into four new categories: 96–100%: A ++ (extraordinary), 91–95%: A+ (exceptional), 86–90%: A (outstanding), 81–85%: B ++ (excellent). Other grades will include B+ (very good), B (good), C+ (regularly good), C (higher than average), D (emerging) and U (without qualifying).
The Copib declared that the policy will be implemented in the ninth and eleventh grades in 2026, followed by the tenth and twelfth grades in 2027, ensuring a gradual transition in all educational boards in the country.
FBISE also introduces a new qualification formula
The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education has also introduced a new qualification formula aimed at improving academic standards and aligning the educational system of Pakistan with international practices.
According to a notification issued by the Director of Testing Development, Mirza Ali, the new qualifications system will be implemented for enrollment exams from 2026, while intermediate level students (FA and FSC) will follow the new structure from 2027.
The measure follows the guidelines and decisions of the Interjuntas Coordination Commission, which previously approved a similar national framework for all education boards.
Read more: The Department of Education proposes to increase the qualifications threshold to approve
According to the new system, students who obtain between 96% and 100% will receive an A ++ rating, those with 91% to 95% will obtain to+and between 86% and 90% will receive A. rating A. in a similar way, 81% to 85% will correspond to B ++, 76% to 80% to B+and 71% to 75% to B. Students who obtain between 61% and 70% will receive C+, 51% to 60% to 60% to 60% They will obtain C and those who obtain 40-50% will be received a D (emerging) rating.
Students who obtain qualifications below 40% will be designated as “without qualifying.” The notification also establishes that “unqualified” students will be allowed to reappear in exams provided they meet other academic requirements.
Education experts said that the new qualification system would reflect the performance of students more precisely and offer more just evaluation opportunities. “The new system is designed to present a more transparent evaluation of students’ abilities and align with global standards,” said an educator.
The FBISE declared that the reform is part of broader efforts to modernize the Pakistan examination and evaluation system, making it more credible and internationally comparable.
