How to Compute Grades in the MATATAG Grading System: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
The most common question I hear from teachers every June isn’t about lesson plans or new competencies. It’s this: “Sir, paano ba ulit i-compute ang grades?”
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. The MATATAG grading system looks simple on paper — three components, fixed weights, a bit of arithmetic. But the moment you sit down with your class record, the doubts creep in. Did I weight Written Works right? Is the Quarterly Assessment really just 20%? What exactly is my Initial Grade, anyway?
Here’s the thing — this guide settles all of it. We’ll walk through the three components, the exact weight for every subject group, and a full worked example with real numbers. By the end, you’ll compute grades the same way DepEd does. Confidently. No more second-guessing.
The Official Basis (It’s Older Than You Think)
Now here’s something a lot of teachers miss. MATATAG didn’t change how grades are computed. It changed the curriculum — what’s taught, how competencies are sequenced, how subjects are organized. The grading policy itself? Still DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015, the Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program.
That’s the order that defines Written Works, Performance Tasks, and Quarterly Assessment, fixes their weights per subject group, and lays out the exact computation steps. DepEd Order No. 10, s. 2024 — the one that rolled out MATATAG in phases — didn’t repeal or replace it. (And if you want the full rundown on that order, our DepEd Order 010 explainer has you covered.)
Why does this matter? Because any guide or Facebook post telling you to compute grades “the MATATAG way” — with different weights or some brand-new formula — is just making policy up. The official way is DO 8, s. 2015. And that’s exactly what follows below.
So the next time someone talks about the MATATAG grading system, you’ll know exactly where the rules come from: DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 — not a new MATATAG rulebook.
The Three Components Every Grade Comes From
Every quarterly grade for Grades 1 to 10 is built from the same three components. Each one measures something different — and honestly, understanding the difference is half the battle.
1. Written Works (WW). These check whether learners can put skills and concepts into writing: quizzes, unit or long tests, essays, written reports, and other written outputs. DepEd strongly recommends spreading test items across cognitive levels — not just recall, but understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. A quiz made of pure memorization questions? Doesn’t quite live up to the intent.
2. Performance Tasks (PT). This is where learners show what they know and can do — by producing something or performing something. Projects, research outputs, group presentations, multimedia presentations, skills demonstrations. A Performance Task can include written outputs too, so long as the point is demonstrating learning, not just recalling it. And notice: in most subject groups, this component carries the biggest weight. That’s deliberate — the emphasis is on applying what was learned, not just memorizing it.
3. Quarterly Assessment (QA). The end-of-quarter check — the “exam” in the traditional sense. It can be an objective test, a performance-based assessment, or a mix of both. Given at the end of each quarter.
One thing to keep straight, though: formative assessments don’t count. Daily checks, seatwork used for feedback, practice exercises — those are for guiding your teaching, not for the grade. Only the summative assessments inside these three components go into the computation.
Together, these three components make up 100% of every MATATAG grading system computation — nothing else goes in.
The Weight Table: What Percent Each Component Is Worth
Not all subjects are weighted equally under the MATATAG grading system. DepEd clusters subjects into three groups, and each group gets its own weight distribution:
| Component | Languages, AP, EsP | Science, Math | MAPEH, EPP/TLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Works | 30% | 40% | 20% |
| Performance Tasks | 50% | 40% | 60% |
| Quarterly Assessment | 20% | 20% | 20% |
A few notes, so you actually use this table right:
- Languages means English and Filipino. AP is Araling Panlipunan; EsP is Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga. Same cluster: 30/50/20.
- Science and Math form the second cluster: 40/40/20. Written Works carry more weight here than in any other group — that’s the one to watch.
- MAPEH and EPP/TLE put a full 60% on Performance Tasks. Makes sense, right? The skills-heavy subjects lean hardest on demonstrating what learners can actually do.
- The Quarterly Assessment is always 20% — no matter the subject. If you remember one number from this entire table, make it that one. It’s also the number teachers get wrong most often.
- Kindergarten doesn’t use the MATATAG grading system at all — no numerical grades, just checklists and portfolios describing each learner’s progress.
How to Compute Grades in the MATATAG Grading System: 5 Steps
Now the part that actually matters: the MATATAG grading system computation in five steps. We’ll work through a real example: a Grade 6 learner’s English scores for Quarter 1. English sits in the Languages cluster, so the weights are 30% Written Works, 50% Performance Tasks, 20% Quarterly Assessment. Got it? Let’s go.
Step 1: Add up the raw scores for each component
First, list every recorded score in the quarter and get the totals. Here’s our example learner:
Written Works
| Written Work | Score |
|---|---|
| Quiz 1 | 18 / 20 |
| Quiz 2 | 22 / 25 |
| Long Test 1 | 20 / 20 |
| Quiz 3 | 17 / 20 |
| Essay | 23 / 25 |
| Long Test 2 | 26 / 30 |
| Total | 126 / 140 |
Performance Tasks
| Performance Task | Score |
|---|---|
| PT 1 | 12 / 15 |
| PT 2 | 13 / 15 |
| PT 3 | 19 / 25 |
| PT 4 | 15 / 20 |
| PT 5 | 16 / 20 |
| PT 6 | 25 / 25 |
| Total | 100 / 120 |
Quarterly Assessment
| Assessment | Score |
|---|---|
| Quarterly Exam | 40 / 50 |
| Total | 40 / 50 |
So the totals: Written Works 126 out of 140. Performance Tasks 100 out of 120. Quarterly Assessment 40 out of 50. Simple enough, right? These totals are the raw material for every MATATAG grading system computation — so double-check them before moving on.
Step 2: Convert each total to a Percentage Score
The formula is dead simple:
Percentage Score (PS) = (Learner’s Raw Score ÷ Highest Possible Score) × 100
| Component | Raw Score | Highest Possible | Percentage Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Works | 126 | 140 | 90.00 |
| Performance Tasks | 100 | 120 | 83.33 |
| Quarterly Assessment | 40 | 50 | 80.00 |
Step 3: Multiply each Percentage Score by the component’s weight
Remember — English is a Languages subject, so the MATATAG grading system weights are WW 30%, PT 50%, QA 20%. So:
| Component | PS | × Weight | = Weighted Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Works | 90.00 | × 0.30 | 27.00 |
| Performance Tasks | 83.33 | × 0.50 | 41.67 |
| Quarterly Assessment | 80.00 | × 0.20 | 16.00 |
Step 4: Add the weighted scores — that’s your Initial Grade
27.00 + 41.67 + 16.00 = 84.67. And that’s the Initial Grade for Quarter 1 English under the MATATAG grading system. See? Not scary at all.
Step 5: Convert the Initial Grade to the Quarterly Grade
DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 includes an official transmutation table (Annex/Appendix B) that converts the Initial Grade into the Quarterly Grade — the number that actually goes on the report card. An Initial Grade of 84.67 converts to a Quarterly Grade of about 84 — Satisfactory.
And here’s the floor you need to remember: the minimum passing grade is 75. At or above 75, it’s a pass. Below 75 — “Did Not Meet Expectations.” That’s the official MATATAG grading system floor: 75 to pass, no exceptions.
| Descriptor | Grading Scale | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | 90–100 | Passed |
| Very Satisfactory | 85–89 | Passed |
| Satisfactory | 80–84 | Passed |
| Fairly Satisfactory | 75–79 | Passed |
| Did Not Meet Expectations | Below 75 | Failed |
From Quarterly Grades to the Report Card
The MATATAG grading system doesn’t stop at a single quarter. The quarterly grade is one piece of a longer chain — here’s how it all connects at the end of the school year.
Final Grade per learning area: just average the four Quarterly Grades. Say a learner’s English grades are 84, 86, 85, and 88 — the Final Grade is (84 + 86 + 85 + 88) ÷ 4 = 85.75, which rounds to 86.
General Average: the average of the Final Grades across all learning areas. Add them up, divide by the number of learning areas. This is the number that decides honors — and, more importantly, promotion.
Promotion rules: a learner moves up when the Final Grade is at least 75 in all learning areas. Fall below 75 in one or two learning areas, and it’s remedial classes — pass those and the learner gets promoted. Fail three or more learning areas, and the learner is retained in the same grade level. (These thresholds come straight from DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 — no guesswork involved.)
Parents see it quarterly. DepEd requires the report card to be discussed with parents or guardians every quarter through a parent-teacher conference. And that’s exactly why getting the MATATAG grading system computation right matters — you’re explaining these numbers to families, not just filing them away.
6 Mistakes Teachers Make (and How to Avoid Them)
Steer clear of these six mistakes and your MATATAG grading system computations will hold up to any audit — or any parent conference.
1. Using the wrong cluster’s weights. The classic error: computing Math with 30/50/20 instead of 40/40/20. Pin the weight table to your desk — and keep it there until you stop looking it up.
2. Averaging the components instead of weighting them. The Initial Grade is the sum of weighted scores, not the average of percentage scores. Averaging 90, 83.33, and 80 would give you 84.44 — a different number. And a wrong one.
3. Counting formative assessments. Practice quizzes and daily checks that were given as feedback don’t belong in the computation. Only the recorded summative assessments in each component do.
4. Forgetting the transmutation step. The Initial Grade isn’t the report-card grade yet. In the MATATAG grading system, you still need to run it through the official table — and don’t forget the passing floor of 75, because that’s the part that matters most.
5. Mixing up which subject belongs to which cluster. EsP goes with Languages and AP (30/50/20), not with Science and Math. MAPEH and EPP/TLE share the 20/60/20 group. Get this wrong and every number downstream is wrong too.
6. Letting the Quarterly Assessment dominate. The exam is only ever 20% — in every subject, at every grade level. So when parents ask why their child’s high exam score didn’t save the grade, that’s your answer: the quarter’s body of work counts more than the final test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did MATATAG change the grading system?
Nope. The MATATAG grading system still runs on DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 — same three components, same weights, same steps. MATATAG changed the curriculum (competencies, sequencing, subject organization); it didn’t replace the assessment policy.
What are the exact weights for English, Math, and MAPEH?
English: Written Works 30%, Performance Tasks 50%, Quarterly Assessment 20%. Math: Written Works 40%, Performance Tasks 40%, Quarterly Assessment 20%. MAPEH: Written Works 20%, Performance Tasks 60%, Quarterly Assessment 20%. That’s the MATATAG grading system weight table in a nutshell.
Is the Quarterly Assessment always worth 20%?
Yes — always. Under the MATATAG grading system, the Quarterly Assessment is fixed at 20% across every subject cluster and every grade level in Grades 1–10. It never varies. That’s the whole point of a fixed policy.
What is the passing grade?
75. A quarterly grade of 75 or above is a pass (the 75–79 band is “Fairly Satisfactory”); below 75 is “Did Not Meet Expectations,” which counts as a failure for promotion purposes.
How is the Final Grade different from the Quarterly Grade?
The Quarterly Grade covers one quarter of work. The Final Grade for a learning area is the average of its four Quarterly Grades. And the General Average is the average of all the Final Grades across every learning area. Three different numbers — don’t mix them up.
What happens if a learner fails a subject?
Fail one or two learning areas, and it’s remedial classes — pass those and the learner is promoted. Fail three or more, and the learner is retained in the same grade level. Final Grades of at least 75 in every learning area mean automatic promotion. That’s the whole system in a nutshell.
Conclusion
Look, the MATATAG grading system isn’t mysterious once you see it as a fixed routine: total the raw scores, turn them into percentage scores, weight each by its component percentage, add the three weighted scores, and convert with the transmutation table. The only thing that changes from subject to subject is the weight column — 30/50/20, 40/40/20, or 20/60/20.
Get the weights right and the rest is just arithmetic. Bookmark this guide, pin the weight table somewhere you’ll see it every grading period, and the MATATAG grading system becomes the easiest part of your job.
Sources & References
- DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 — Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program (deped.gov.ph)
- DepEd Order No. 10, s. 2024 — Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum
- MATATAG Curriculum Guides, Grades 4–10 (Music & Arts; Physical Education & Health) — computation of MAPEH grades as two components
