BC Graduation Requirements
What are the requirements for graduation in BC?
Required Courses
The following must be completed:
(48 required course credits – courses are 4 credits each)
• Career Life Education 10
• Language Arts 10 (2 credits each)
• Language Arts 11
• Language Arts 12
• Mathematics 10
• Mathematics 11 or 12
• Fine Arts and/or Applied Skills 10, 11 or 12
• Social Studies 10
• Social Studies 11 or 12
• Science 10
• Science 11 or 12
• Physical Health Education 10
• Indigenous education course
— English First Peoples 11 or 12 (English)
and / or
— BC First Peoples (Social Studies)
All students working toward a B.C. Certificate of Graduation (“Dogwood Diploma”), must successfully complete at least 4 credits in Indigenous-focused coursework.
Elective Courses
A minimum of 28 Grade 10-12 elective credits must be taken. As well, at least 4 Grade 12 level courses earning a minimum of 16 credits must be completed (Grade 12 Language Arts course plus 3 Grade 12 level electives).
Use the Graduation Program outline on page 7 to determine the courses that you will need for graduation and for next year.
Choosing courses is not just about meeting the graduation criteria. If you plan to continue your education beyond secondary school graduation, check to see that you have all the courses and prerequisites you need for your chosen field of study. Please consult with your counselor and our Career Counselor for advice about post-secondary requirements.
48 (Required) + 28 (Electives) + 4 (CLC) = 80 credits
Career Life Connections & Capstone (CLC)
Career Life Connections & the culmination of a Capstone Project is a graduation requirement. Content will continue to emphasize the three main themes of Personal Development, Connections to the Community, and Career Life Plan, with the curricular competencies supporting these in a variety of ways. Major outcomes are expected to include a personal plan for
post-graduation, and to design, assemble and present a Capstone project to an audience. This culminating project would demonstrate personal learning and achievement (in and out of school), growth in the core competencies, and a reflection on students’
post-graduation plans.
Required Provincial Assessments
The Ministry of Education no longer requires students to complete course specific Provincial Exams. Students must complete three Provincial Assessments as part of the graduation program:
The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment assesses student ability to use critical thinking and analysis to make meaning from a diverse array of texts. It also assesses the ability of students to communicate their ideas. The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment is not based on a particular course, but on learning across multiple subjects, from kindergarten to Grade 10.
The Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment is based on mathematical concepts learned across multiple subjects from kindergarten to Grade 10, with an emphasis on K–9. It requires students to solve problems by using the five numeracy processes (different ways of thinking and working): interpret, apply, solve, analyze and communicate.
The Grade 12 Literacy Assessment is a provincial assessment that assesses student proficiency in literacy. It is a graduation requirement and students take the assessment in their Grade 12 year.
Students are required to write each assessment once in order to graduate. The assessments are scored on a 4-point scale:
1 – Emerging 2 – Developing 3 – Proficient 4 – Extending
There is no minimum score that must be achieved – as long as a student writes the assessments, they will meet the graduation requirements as they pertain to assessments.
At the time of publication of this Booklet, only one post-secondary institution in BC reviews any of the assessments to determined admission to their institution. The University of British Columbia requires that students achieve a 3 – Proficient (or above) score on their Literacy 12 assessment. Please refer to the specific institution’s admission criteria or speak to our Career & Post Secondary Advisor for more information.
For more information on the Graduation Program, visit: