Writing a LOR for a Student With Low Grades

Writing a LOR for a Student With Low Grades

A recommendation letter cannot argue a low CGPA away, and it should not try. The reader already has the transcript. The strongest letter names the weak record in one clause, explains it only with what you know firsthand, and spends the rest of the page on evidence the transcript cannot show: the trajectory, the project, the way the student works.

This page is for the professor, guide or manager who has agreed to write and is unsure what to do with a 6.9/10, three cleared backlogs or a year out. Programs ask you to be candid: LSE asks referees to address the candidate's "intellectual strengths, and any limitations", and Stanford's prompt opens "Please write candidly". If the weakness is obvious, silence leaves the reader to guess why. If you have a draft, your recommendation letter can get a free Quick Review before you upload it.

Every university page quoted below was checked on October 31, 2026. None of them states a cycle year for these rules.

What the readers already know

Two more details change what you write:

• LSE, when there is no transcript yet. If your institution "does not supply transcripts or mark sheets until graduation", LSE asks you to "comment in detail on the applicant's progress at university, including all of their marks to date." There, you must state the marks, low ones included.
• Berkeley verifies. "The Graduate Division may verify the authenticity of academic letters of recommendation with the school or recommender." A letter that inflates a rank can be checked.

Our view: acknowledge the weak record once, in your own words, and never more than one sentence. The countercase: if the student's grades are low across the board and you have no evidence of stronger work, the honest letter is a weak one. Decline instead, as below.

Concede, contextualize, counter

Use three moves, in this order:

1. Concede. Name the weakness plainly, in one clause. "Her CGPA of 6.9/10 understates her ability" is better than not mentioning it.
2. Contextualize, only with what you know. The trend you saw, the course you taught, the circumstance the student has told you you may mention. Do not guess at causes.
3. Counter. Give one specific piece of evidence the transcript cannot show, from work you observed.

How to write the grade itself, on a 10-point, percentage or 5-point scale, is covered in our sibling page on explaining grades and class rank in a recommendation letter. The three passages below show the moves. All three are constructed examples, written by us, not real letters or real students. The names, marks and institutions are invented.

Constructed example: a low CGPA with an upward trend

Context (invented): a professor writing for an electronics student applying for an MS.

Weak: Although Arjun's CGPA is not very high, he is a sincere and hardworking student who will surely do well in graduate studies.

Revised: Arjun's overall CGPA of 6.9/10 understates him. His first two years were weak, and he has told me so himself. His last four semesters averaged 8.6, and in my Digital Signal Processing course (72 students) he placed fourth. In his final-year project he designed and tested a filter on real sensor data, and rewrote the test bench when his first results did not match the simulation.

The weak version uses "although" and then a generic promise. The revised version concedes with the number, gives the trend with numbers, and ends on work the professor saw.

Constructed example: a cleared backlog

Context (invented): a professor writing for a civil engineering student with one backlog, cleared in the next attempt.

Weak: Meera had a backlog in Mathematics III due to unavoidable circumstances, but this does not reflect her true potential.

Revised: Meera failed Mathematics III in her second year and passed it the next term. I taught her Structural Analysis a year later, which relies on that material, and she scored in the top ten of 85 students. She now helps first-year students with the same mathematics in our department's peer tutoring scheme.

"Unavoidable circumstances" invites the reader to imagine the worst. The revision states the fact, then shows the later course that used the same skill. Our page on backlogs in an SOP for a master's abroad covers what the student should say in their own statement; the two documents should not contradict each other.

Constructed example: a gap year for exam preparation

Context (invented): a former manager writing for an applicant who spent a year preparing for a competitive exam before applying abroad.

Weak: Rohan took a break after graduation for personal reasons and has now decided to pursue a master's degree.

Revised: Rohan spent 2024 preparing for a national public-service exam, and did not clear it. He joined my analytics team in January 2025. Within four months he had automated our monthly inventory report, which had taken two people three days, and he documented it so others could maintain it.

The gap is named with its purpose and outcome. The rest is evidence from after the gap.

What not to write

• Excuses you cannot verify. "Due to family problems" invites questions you cannot answer.
• Medical or family details without the student's consent. Ask what you may mention. If the student wants a circumstance explained, it may belong in their own statement.
• A rank you did not compute. If your department does not rank students, do not invent one. Berkeley says it may verify letters.
• A grade converted to another scale. State it in your institution's scale.
• A second paragraph of apology. One clause of concession is enough. More makes the weakness the subject of the letter.
• A hedge in the endorsement. "I think he may do well" reads as a warning. If you have reservations, state them plainly and choose the matching box on the form.

Our general guide on how to write a letter of recommendation for a student covers structure and endorsement wording for all letters.

When to decline

If you cannot write a letter that supports the student, say so early. LSE builds this into its system: "If you are unable or unwilling to provide a reference for this applicant, please click the link within your email to decline this request. The applicant will be informed and asked to nominate a new referee." Stanford lets applicants change recommenders on the recommendations page, "This includes sending reminder emails and changing recommenders."

Our recommendation: decline when the only honest letter would be lukewarm and you have no specific evidence to counter the record. Tell the student in time for them to find another writer. Our sibling page on how to decline writing a recommendation letter has wording. If you barely know the student, the problem is different; see a recommendation letter for a student you barely know.

Before you upload the letter

1. State the weak record once, with the number, in your institution's scale.
2. Give the trend or context only from what you saw or were told you may share.
3. Add at least one incident from work you observed.
4. Make the form's ranking box agree with the letter.
5. Remove any excuse, medical detail or computed rank you cannot support.
6. End with an endorsement you would repeat on a phone call.

Questions about LORs for students with low grades

Should I mention a student's low CGPA in the recommendation letter?

Yes, once, if it is visible on the transcript. LSE asks for "any limitations". One plain clause shows you know the record and still support the student.

Can a recommendation letter make up for low grades?

It cannot change the grades. It can show the reader what the grades do not: later improvement, strong work in a related course or a project, and how the student works.

What should I write for an average student?

Write what you saw. If you saw nothing specific, consider declining, or look at the "No basis for judgment" option on forms such as Stanford's; our page on the no basis for judgment rating explains it.

Get a free review of the letter

Get a free Quick Review of your recommendation letter against GradPilot's graduate recommendation letter rubric for master's and PhD applicants. It reads for how you know the candidate, incidents rather than adjectives, comparisons that name their group, the case for graduate potential, and an endorsement free of unexplained hedges. If the letter goes to a university abroad that may not know your grading system, also try the international academic recommendation rubric.

GradPilot's letter reviews aren't for a letter you drafted for a recommender to submit as their own.

Hub: graduate school essays.

Sources

Retrieved October 31, 2026, except where noted.

• University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Division, Admission requirements (no cycle stated): what recommenders are asked; authenticity verification.
• London School of Economics, Information for referees (no cycle stated): candid reference including limitations; marks to date; declining a request.
• Stanford University Graduate Admissions, Letters of recommendation (no cycle stated): form rating scales, letter prompt, changing recommenders.