In school marking what does P stand for?

Answer 1

I assume you're asking about grades on a college transcript, if so flip the transcript over and there will usually be a grading system key on the reverse side. Typically, a P grade stands for a proficiency credit. This most often means the student earned this credit by CLEP or some other means of accepted proficiency testing. Some colleges will let you "test out" of a course by just taking the course's final exam (provided you can demonstrate that you have applicable prior learning for the course). You still have to pay for the course just as if you had taken the class. Many colleges will still keep your money if you fail the exam and record the failure on your transcript. This option is not for the timid.

However, I have seen a few grading system keys where a P grade meant that the student had and chose to exercise an option to take the class on a Pass/Fail basis, in this case P means the student passed. If there is no grading system key available for you to refer to, you should call the college that issued the credit for clarification.