grade
n. · v.-
1 academic mark (n.) A2 Elementary American English Educationa letter or number that shows how well you did on a test or in a class.
a mark indicating the quality of a student's work or performance in an examination.
ExampleShe was very happy because she got an A grade on her history project.
ExampleThe final grade for the semester is calculated by averaging the midterm exam results with the marks from three independent research papers.
UsageCommonly used with 'get', 'receive', or 'give'.
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2 school year (n.) A2 Elementary American English Educationa level of study in school, usually based on a student's age.
a level of primary or secondary education, typically corresponding to one academic year.
ExampleMy younger brother is starting the fourth grade this September.
ExampleIn the American school system, students typically enter the first grade at age six and continue through the twelfth grade before graduation.
Teacher's tipIn British English, 'year' or 'form' is used instead of 'grade' for this meaning.
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3 level of quality (n.) B1 Intermediatea particular level of quality or rank in a system.
a position within a scale of quality, rank, or size.
ExampleThe restaurant only uses the highest grade of olive oil in its cooking.
ExampleThe military officer was promoted to a higher pay grade after serving three years in the overseas division.
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4 slope (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe steepness of a road or a hill.
the degree of inclination of a slope, road, or railway.
ExampleThe truck struggled to climb the steep grade of the mountain road.
ExampleEngineers had to adjust the railway's grade to ensure the heavy freight trains could safely navigate the pass during icy conditions.
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5 to mark work (v.) B1 Intermediate American English Educationto give a mark to a student's test or piece of work.
to evaluate and assign a mark or score to academic work.
ExampleThe teacher spent the whole weekend grading the students' essays.
ExampleThe professor uses a strict rubric to grade the final presentations, ensuring that every student is assessed on the same criteria.
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6 to classify (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto arrange things into groups based on their quality or size.
to arrange or classify items according to a scale of quality, size, or rank.
ExampleThe machines grade the eggs by weight before they are packed into boxes.
ExampleThe diamonds are carefully graded based on their clarity, colour, and cut before being sent to the jewellers.
Borrowed from Middle French grade (“a grade, degree”), from Latin gradus (“a step, pace, degree”), from Proto-Italic graðus, from Proto-Indo-European gʰradʰ-, *gʰredʰ- (“to walk, go”). Doublet of gradus. Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌹𐌸𐍃 (griþs, “step, grade”), Bavarian Gritt (“step, stride”), Lithuanian gri̇̀diju (“to go, wander”).