How Does Grade of Execution (GOE) Work in Figure Skating?
The GOE scale, base values, and how judges modify element scores
Grade of Execution (GOE) is the quality rating that judges apply to every technical element in a figure skating program. Each of the nine judges assigns a GOE from -5 to +5, where negative values indicate errors and positive values reward excellence. The GOE corresponds to a percentage of the element's base value, so harder elements gain or lose more points. After trimming the highest and lowest marks, the remaining seven are averaged to produce the final GOE adjustment.
What Is GOE in Figure Skating?
Under the ISU Judging System (IJS), every technical element in a figure skating program receives two scoring layers. First, a base value: a fixed point total reflecting the element's difficulty. Second, a Grade of Execution (GOE) from each judge, adjusting that base value up or down based on execution quality.
GOE ranges from -5 (severely flawed or failed element) to +5 (exceptional execution). A GOE of 0 means baseline quality -- competent but unremarkable. Positive GOE rewards qualities like exceptional height, effortless flow, and creative entry or exit. Negative GOE penalizes falls (-5), under-rotations, poor landings, and loss of control.
The scale was expanded from -3/+3 to the current -5/+5 in the 2018-2019 season, giving judges finer granularity. This change increased the impact of execution quality on scores.
How Does the GOE Scale Work?
Each integer on the GOE scale corresponds to a percentage of the element's base value. This proportional system means that the same GOE rating produces a larger point adjustment on harder elements. For example, a +3 GOE on a quad Lutz (base value 11.50) adds 3.45 points, while a +3 on a triple toe loop (base value 4.20) adds only 1.26 points.
| Goe | Percentage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -5 | -50% | Fall or severely failed element |
| -4 | -40% | Major errors or multiple flaws |
| -3 | -30% | Significant errors (e.g., two-foot landing, severe under-rotation) |
| -2 | -20% | Clear errors (e.g., slight under-rotation, shaky landing) |
| -1 | -10% | Minor errors (e.g., slight imperfection in execution) |
| 0 | 0% | Baseline quality -- element performed as expected |
| +1 | +10% | Good quality with one notable positive aspect |
| +2 | +20% | Well executed with two or more positive aspects |
| +3 | +30% | Very well executed with several positive aspects |
| +4 | +40% | Excellent execution with outstanding qualities |
| +5 | +50% | Exceptional execution with no visible errors |
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What Are Base Values for Figure Skating Elements?
Every recognized figure skating element has a base value set by the ISU in its Scale of Values. The base value reflects the inherent difficulty of the element before any quality adjustment. The table below follows the Scale of Values for the 2026-27 season, published as ISU Communication No. 2786 on 2 June 2026, which replaced Communication 2707.
No jump base value moved between the two seasons. A triple Axel is still 8.00 and a quad Lutz still 11.50, so a protocol from last season and one from this season can be compared directly. The 2026-27 table also lists quintuple jumps: 5T, 5S, 5Lo, 5F and 5Lz all carry a base value of 14.00, dropping to 11.20 when the Technical Panel marks the jump under-rotated and 9.50 when it is downgraded.
| Element | Base Value |
|---|---|
| Double Axel (2A) | 3.30 |
| Triple Toe Loop (3T) | 4.20 |
| Triple Salchow (3S) | 4.30 |
| Triple Loop (3Lo) | 4.90 |
| Triple Flip (3F) | 5.30 |
| Triple Lutz (3Lz) | 5.90 |
| Triple Axel (3A) | 8.00 |
| Quad Toe Loop (4T) | 9.50 |
| Quad Salchow (4S) | 9.70 |
| Quad Loop (4Lo) | 10.50 |
| Quad Flip (4F) | 11.00 |
| Quad Lutz (4Lz) | 11.50 |
| Quad Axel (4A) | 12.50 |
| Quintuple jumps (5T, 5S, 5Lo, 5F, 5Lz) | 14.00 |
How Is the Trimmed Mean Calculated?
Figure skating uses a trimmed mean to determine the final GOE for each element:
Step 1: All nine judges independently assign a GOE from -5 to +5.
Step 2: The highest and lowest marks are dropped, reducing the influence of outliers or bias.
Step 3: The remaining seven marks are averaged to two decimal places.
Step 4: The trimmed mean GOE is converted to a point value using the corresponding percentage of the base value, then added to or subtracted from the base value to produce the final element score.
Example: seven remaining marks produce a trimmed mean GOE of +2.43 for a triple Axel (base value 8.00). Adjustment: 8.00 x 24.3% = 1.94, giving a final score of 9.94.
What Changed for 2026-27? (ISU Communications 2788, 2786 and 2769)
Three ISU Communications define the 2026-27 season for singles and pairs: No. 2788 (Levels of Difficulty and the GOE guidelines, replacing 2701), No. 2786 (the Scale of Values, issued 2 June 2026, replacing 2707) and No. 2769 (the +GOE guidelines for the choreographic elements, signed 18 March 2026). The judging system itself is not rebuilt. What moves is where a judge may start, and what a judge now has to mark.
The structure of the ISU Judging System is unchanged, and Communication 2788 keeps the shape of the GOE guidelines it inherited from Communication 2701. It takes effect for the 2026-27 season, including the Junior Grand Prix, Skate America, and the ISU Grand Prix.
The ceiling mechanism is not new. Communication 2701 already told judges that "the starting GOE for the evaluation cannot be higher than +2" for a listed set of errors, and 2788 repeats that sentence almost word for word. Judges build a starting GOE from the positive bullets of an element, then subtract for errors; a listed error caps where that start may begin.
What actually changed for 2026-27 is narrower, and it cuts both ways. The general cap that applies to any mistake requiring a reduction moved up from +3 to +4, which loosens the ordinary case. The +2 list grew: poor take-off and 2 three turns between jumps joined it, while jump with no value in a combination or sequence dropped off. A single Euler missing any revolution is now not evaluated by the Technical Panel at all, where 2701 downgraded it only at half a revolution or more. In the Free Skate, a jump with no value in a combination or sequence now draws -2 to -3 instead of -3 to -4.
The Scale of Values barely moved, and that is the point. Communication 2786 carries every jump base value over untouched, so the arithmetic in the worked example below is the arithmetic judges will use all season. The additions sit elsewhere: quintuple jumps are listed at 14.00, and three new choreographic elements arrive with fixed base values of their own.
Three new choreographic elements, and GOE is the only lever. From 2026-27 singles skaters have a Choreographic Spin (Rule 612) and pairs have both a Choreographic Pair Spin and a Choreographic Pair Lift (Rule 621), alongside the Choreographic Sequence that already existed. Each of them has a fixed base value and no Levels of Difficulty at all. The Technical Panel only confirms that the element happened; every point separating two skaters on that element comes from GOE. A Choreographic Spin needs a minimum of three consecutive revolutions, and the Technical Committee's clarification of April 2026 is that those three must be on the same foot, though one or two blades are allowed and deliberate travelling is permitted. If the panel cannot identify which spin was the choreographic one, the third spin performed is taken. A Choreographic Pair Lift must ascend and descend while moving across the ice, with at least one rotation executed while the lifting partner has straight or almost straight arm(s) above the head.
Choreographic elements now carry their own deduction block. Communication 2788 gives them a dedicated column in the error tables: an element that fails, partly or fully, to correspond to the music costs -1 to -4; a lack of connection between movements costs -2 to -3; and failing to highlight the choreography, poor quality of movements or positions, loss of control, lack of energy, weak execution or a small pattern each cost -1 to -3. On an element with no level to fall back on, those reductions are the whole story.
The -5 to +5 scale, the percentage table above, the Levels of Difficulty and the Serious Error caps on Program Components are all carried over unchanged from 2701. To see how these marks appear on a real protocol, read reading figure skating scorecards.
Worked Example: GOE Impact on a Triple Axel
Calculate the GOE adjustment for a triple Axel (3A) with a base value of 8.00 points.
Step 1 -- Nine judges assign GOE: | J1 | J2 | J3 | J4 | J5 | J6 | J7 | J8 | J9 | |----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----| | +3 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 |
Step 2 -- Trim: Drop +4 (highest) and +1 (lowest). Remaining: +3, +2, +3, +3, +2, +3, +3
Step 3 -- Trimmed mean: (3+2+3+3+2+3+3) / 7 = 2.71
Step 4 -- Point value: 8.00 x 27.1% = +2.17 points
Step 5 -- Final element score: 8.00 + 2.17 = 10.17 points
Compare: a poorly executed triple Axel with trimmed mean GOE of -2.00 scores 8.00 - 1.60 = 6.40 points. The gap of 3.77 points can shift medal positions at the Olympic level.
Adding up GOE and base values by hand? Automate it.
Base value, GOE and program components computed live to the Code of Points. Judges enter scores, the segment total adds up itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Primary Sources
- ISU Sports Rules — Figure Skating (effective 12 June 2026) — ISU
- ISU Communications — Judging System and GOE Updates — ISU
- ISU Communication No. 2788 — Single & Pair Skating: Levels of Difficulty and Guidelines for Marking GOE and Program Components, Season 2026/27 — ISU
- ISU Communication No. 2786 — Single & Pair Skating: Scale of Values, Season 2026/27 — ISU
- ISU Communication No. 2769 — Guidelines for Marking +GOE of Choreographic Elements from 2026/27 — ISU
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