NOTES OR MARKS?

NOTES OR MARKS?

When Spanish speakers are talking about their exam results they often fall into the trap of talking about their "notes" because inside their head they have the word "notas".

For example: "At school I always had good notes" is not correct.

If you want to talk about your academic performance it is much better to use the words "marks" (UK) or "grades" (US). For example: "My marks at school were terrible (muy malos) but when I got to university they got better".

We use the word "notes" more commonly with money (billete de 100 euros = 100 euro note) or music ("These notes are very high").

Hope that helps!