An A* — say “A star” — is the highest mark a student can get in a GCSE examination in Britain. GCSEs are the big subject exams many students take around age 16. A* sits above A, then B, C, and so on; the star is not decoration, it means “even better than A.” Though actually, England later moved GCSEs onto a number scale from 9 down to 1, and 9 is above the old A*; Wales and Northern Ireland still use A*. It is not the same as an American A+, and it is not a Taiwan 學測 or 會考 grade. You would never write it as a little star floating on its own; it belongs with the letter A.

英國 GCSE 的最高等第，唸 A star（A星）。跟美國的 A+、台灣的百分或級分不是同一套。