Predicted Grades on the Common App: A-Levels and IB
Predicted A-level and IB grades come from your school, not your Common App entries. Where finished results go, when to leave GPA blank, 5 colleges' rules.
Predicted Grades on the Common App: A-Levels and IB
Your school sends your predicted grades. You do not type them into the Common App. You self-report only results you already have, such as IGCSE or AS grades, in the Testing section. If your school has no US-style GPA, you leave the Cumulative GPA field blank. Common App's own guidance says that field "is not required for submission."
A common question is how to convert A*AA or 38 points into a 4.0 scale. That is the wrong question. Three of the five colleges quoted below tell you not to convert, and four of them say your school, or the exam board, sends the predictions and results. Your job is accuracy in two fields and, if needed, one short Additional Information note.
Every Common App and college page quoted below was checked on October 30, 2026. We read the Common App's field names from its 2026 print-preview PDF and its February 2026 counselor deck, not from a live student account, so labels on your screen may differ slightly.
What the Common App form actually asks
Three parts of the application touch your grades. Here is what each one says, quoted from the Common App first-year application print preview (© 2026) and Common App's counselor deck for international student supporters (February 2026).
| Where | What Common App says | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Grades: class rank and GPA | For rank, "select 'none' from the drop down menu" if your school does not rank. For GPA: "leave the Cumulative GPA field blank. This field is not required for submission of your application." | Pick "none" for rank if your school doesn't rank. Leave GPA blank unless your school prints a GPA on a scale the menu offers |
| Current year courses | "Please list all courses you are taking this year and include their subject and level (AP, IB, advanced, honors, etc.)." | List each subject with its level: "IB Chemistry HL", "A Level Physics" |
| Testing | You can "self-report scores or future test dates" for tests including "AP, IB … and Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations." The score grid reads "Highest scores" and "Per subject, so far." | Enter results you have been awarded. Enter future exam dates for papers you haven't sat |
| Leaving exam question | "Is promotion within your educational system based upon standard leaving examinations given at the end of lower and/or senior secondary school by a state or national leaving examinations board?" | Answer yes if it is. A "Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations" subsection opens |
Common App's deck adds two facts about that subsection: "Students can list up to 10 Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations they have taken," and "Students can choose from 30 different examination boards (or select 'Other' and write in an examining board's name)." The deck doesn't print the list of 30 boards. If you can't find WAEC, KNEC or your board in the menu, choose "Other" and type the board's official name.
Notice what is missing: there is no field for predicted grades. The score grid asks for scores "so far." A prediction is not a score you have been awarded.
What five colleges say about predicted grades
| College | Who sends predictions or results | Conversion to a US GPA? |
|---|---|---|
| Princeton | "If leaving exams are a part of the graduation requirements, please ask your school official to submit predicted or achieved results as they become available." | "We also do not expect you or your school to provide a conversion or grade-point average (GPA) if this is not a standard practice" |
| Penn | "please have your school provide us with predicted scores"; exams "should be submitted by either your school or the appropriate testing agency" | "applicants grades, GPAs, and test scores should not be recalculated" |
| Caltech | Transcripts must "note your class titles, grades, and predicted grades/scores (if applicable); the transcript must be sent to us directly from your school" | "there is no need to translate or convert grades to the American system" |
| Columbia | Exam scores "required for the completion of, and graduation from, your secondary school must be submitted. This may include … A Level, International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, and other final national exam results." | Not addressed on the testing page |
| NYU Abu Dhabi | The School Report "features your academic records, predicted test scores, school profile, and mid-year updates" | Not addressed on the apply page |
Two differences matter. Columbia's page is about final results that your diploma depends on, so plan to send A-level or IB results when they exist even if you are admitted. Caltech wants predictions on the transcript itself. If your school's transcript template has no column for them, ask the school to add a line rather than sending a separate note yourself.
Princeton also names the stage when predictions get updated. Its Midyear Report "includes new internal or predicted grades after the first semester or trimester of your final year."
Our view: self-report what is finished, let the school send what is predicted
Our view: type only awarded results into the Common App. Leave predictions to your school official, through the School Report and the transcript. Then write nothing more unless something on the record needs a sentence of context.
The basis: the Common App grid asks for "Highest scores" "so far," and four of the five colleges above name your school (or an exam board) as the sender. The fifth, Columbia, names no sender for predictions. Your signature also matters. The application's certification says the information is "factually true, and honestly presented." A predicted A* typed into a score box is not a true score.
The countercase: if a college's own portal asks you to self-report predicted grades after you submit, do what that college asks. Its instruction beats this general rule. And if your school refuses to issue predictions at all, you are not stuck. Caltech says it will "consider the most recent grades on your transcript," and Princeton says that if your school "does not provide midyear grades or predictions," no Midyear Report is needed.
Unknown: none of these pages say how much weight a reader puts on a prediction compared with internal grades. Don't believe anyone who gives you a number.
Curriculum by curriculum: what goes where
This table applies the rules above. It is our recommendation, not a Common App instruction.
| Curriculum | Self-report in Testing (if awarded) | Your school sends | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-levels (Cambridge International or a UK board) | IGCSE or GCSE grades; any AS results already awarded | Predicted A-level grades on the transcript or School Report; final results later | Penn names "Cambridge Advanced (International AS & A Level) exam grades." Caltech requires "A-Level Maths" for A-level students |
| IB Diploma | Any IB subject results already awarded | Predicted grades per subject and, if your school issues one, a predicted total | Caltech requires "Higher Level Math" for IB students |
| National leaving exams (WASSCE, KCSE, HSSC, Indian boards and others) | A lower-secondary leaving exam, if your system has one and you have the result | Internal marks, mock or pre-board results, and predictions if your school issues them | Answer yes to the leaving exam question, then choose your board or "Other" |
| French Baccalaureate | Any results already awarded | Internal grades and predictions | Columbia lists it by name among results that "must be submitted" |
Indian board students have extra detail on marks and Class X results in our guides to CBSE marks in the Education section and predicted grades for Indian boards. If your school uses a 1–7, 0–20 or percentage scale, explaining that scale is its own task: see how to explain your grading scale to US colleges.
When the GPA field is a trap
Common App's deck says to leave Cumulative GPA blank "if it uses a GPA scale that is different than the options available in the drop down menu." The blank field is the honest answer. A GPA you made yourself is the dishonest one. Penn says grades and GPAs "should not be recalculated." A home-made 3.9 forces the reader to guess which formula you used, and it contradicts the transcript your school sends.
One Additional Information line that helps
You may need no note at all. Write one only if a reader would otherwise be confused: predictions that differ from your internal grades, an exam session that falls after your deadlines, or a curriculum switch mid-way. The Additional Information box allows up to 300 words, per the print preview, and you need about 50. Our page on what belongs in Common App Additional Information covers the wider decision.
Constructed example: an Additional Information line about predictions
Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Placeholders in brackets.
The weak version (44 words):
I am a hardworking student and my predicted grades of AAA show my true potential. My school uses a different grading system, so I have calculated that my GPA is equal to about 3.9 on the American scale, which I hope will help you.
The revised version (53 words):
My school issues predicted A-level grades once, in [month year], after the second mock exam. The predictions in my School Report come from that point. My Chemistry prediction (A) is higher than my mock result (B) because the second mock is the one my school uses. My final exams are in [month year].
The weak version argues for the grades and invents a GPA, which Penn says not to do. The revised version gives the reader facts they can't get elsewhere: when predictions were made, why one grade differs, and when final results come. It never asks the reader to believe anything.
No counselor to send your predictions?
Predictions still need a school sender. Princeton says that if your school has no counselor, ask "a school official — such as a principal, vice principal or dean — to complete your School Report." That person can include predictions. Our guide to applying to US colleges without a counselor covers who to ask and what to hand them. If you are also applying through UCAS, your school writes predictions for that form too; applying to US and UK universities at the same time covers the two calendars.
Before you submit: a six-point check
- Rank: "none" if your school does not rank.
- GPA: blank unless your school prints one on a scale the menu offers.
- Courses: each subject listed with its level (HL/SL, AS/A Level).
- Testing: only awarded results as scores; future papers as future test dates.
- Leaving exam question answered, with your board chosen or typed under "Other."
- School official told, in writing, which colleges want predictions on the transcript (Caltech) and which want a Midyear Report.
Questions about predicted grades on the Common App
Do I enter my predicted IB or A-level grades in the Testing section?
No, in our recommendation. The grid asks for "Highest scores" "so far," and the colleges above ask your school to send predictions. You can list the exam session as a future test date.
Should I convert my A-levels or IB points to a GPA?
No. Princeton, Penn and Caltech all say not to convert, and Common App says to leave Cumulative GPA blank when your school's scale is not in the menu.
What if my predicted grades change after I apply?
Your school updates them. Princeton's Midyear Report covers "new internal or predicted grades," and for 2026–27 Common App says "Counselors will have a text box option to provide written updates on the Mid-year report" (Common App, What's new for 2026–2027).
Do I have to report an exam I resat or failed?
Report completed results honestly, because your signature certifies the application is "factually true." What to say about a repeated year or a failed paper is covered in repeated a year or failed an exam.
Do US colleges need my final results after I'm admitted?
Princeton and Columbia do. Princeton asks admitted students' schools to send external marks "as they become available," and Columbia says required final exam results "must be submitted." See what happens with board exam results after admission. Before you reuse your UCAS statement, see UCAS personal statement vs Common App essay.
Your EE and CAS go elsewhere on the Common App; see IB Extended Essay and CAS in your college essay.
Applying from Australia? Australian students applying to US colleges sets the ATAR release against US deadlines.
Get a free review of your Common App essay
Get a free Quick Review of your Common App Additional Information note against GradPilot's Additional Information rubric. It reads whether the note gives the reader context they need and an account they can follow. For your main essay, the Common App narrative craft rubric reads for one main moment told in scenes, with details that change the story. You can also start from the Common App essay review page.
More guides for international applicants are in the Common App essays hub. If you are deciding whether to send SAT or ACT scores alongside your predictions, see which top colleges require the SAT or ACT in 2026–27.
Sources
Retrieved October 30, 2026, except where noted.
- Common App, First-year application print preview (PDF) (© 2026): Grades, Courses, Testing fields; Additional Information 300-word maximum; signature certification.
- Common App, Counselor conversations: International student supporters (PDF) (February 2026): class rank and GPA guidance; leaving-exam question; 10 exams and 30 boards.
- Common App, What's new for 2026–2027 (PDF): Mid-year report text box.
- Princeton University, International Students: predicted or achieved results from your school official; no GPA conversion; Midyear and Final Reports; school official in place of a counselor.
- University of Pennsylvania, International Applicants: predicted scores from your school; no recalculation; exam results from school or agency.
- Caltech, International Applicants: predicted grades on the transcript; no conversion; IB HL Math and A-Level Maths requirements; most recent grades considered.
- Columbia University, Testing (2026–27 page): required final exam results must be submitted.
- NYU Abu Dhabi, Apply for Admission: School Report includes predicted test scores.
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