In Denmark, the educational system has historically used a number of different systems of grading student performances, several of which are described below. The current grading system is the 7-trins-skala (7-step-scale) which replaced the 13-skala in 2006.

Starting with the academic year 2005–06, a new scale was introduced, 7-trins-skalaen ("7-step-scale"; colloquially dubbed the 12-scale), designed to be compatible with the ECTS-scale:

The first 0 in 00 and 02 is used to prevent fraud with grades.

Furthermore, Undervisningsministeriet (the Ministry of Education) will adapt to a more international way of grading, by handing out a set number of grades per class. This is because in other countries, the grade A (12) is given twice as often as it is in Denmark (because of strict grading on absolute standards).

The Latin scale had five steps:

0 was an outright failing grade – there was a limitation on the number of non contemendus there could be in a passing student's examination. The highest grade, laudabilis præ ceteris was explicitly named a grade for exceptional purposes only.

The first version of the Ørsted scale had six steps:

A student could not pass an exam if he/she had got mdl in Danish essay or Latin or slet in Latin essay.