Rules and Regulations of Gymnastics
Senior 6 · Physical Education
Rules and Regulations of Gymnastics
Lesson 3 of 3
25 min
Until 2005 a perfect gymnastics routine scored 10. In 2006 the FIG split the score in two: one number for what the gymnast did (difficulty) and one for how well it was done (execution). An open-ended difficulty score lets the hardest routines be rewarded, while execution keeps its classic scale of 10. In this lesson you learn how each half is built under the 2025–2028 Codes of Points, who calculates it, and how to judge a routine yourself.
Definition
D-score (difficulty score): the sum of the values of the counting elements, plus the points for composition (element-group) requirements and connection value. It has no upper limit.
E-score (execution score): 10.0 minus deductions for errors of technique, body position, artistry and landing.
Neutral deduction: a penalty that is not about difficulty or execution, such as going over time, stepping out of bounds or wrong attire, subtracted from the total.
Connection value (CV): a bonus for linking certain difficult elements directly, without a pause or extra step.
| Part | WAG (bars, beam, floor) | MAG (all apparatus except vault) |
|---|---|---|
| Counting elements | The 8 highest-valued elements, including the dismount | 8 elements: the dismount and the 7 highest others, at most 4 from one element group |
| Element values | A = 0.1, B = 0.2, C = 0.3, D = 0.4, E = 0.5 … rising by 0.1 a letter | Same letter scale |
| Requirements | 4 composition requirements, 0.5 each (up to 2.0) | Element-group requirements, 0.5 each |
| Connections | Connection value for listed direct connections | Connection bonus on floor and horizontal bar |
On vault each vault has a fixed difficulty value in the Code, so the D-score is simply that value. The cut from 10 to 8 counting elements for men came with the 2025–2028 Code; since 1 January 2026 the men's D-jury credits the dismount first, then the seven highest remaining elements.
| Size of error | Deduction | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 0.1 | Slightly bent arms or knees; a small step on landing |
| Medium | 0.3 | Clearly bent legs; a large step or a hop on landing |
| Large | 0.5 | Very bent body; legs badly apart; touching the mat with the hands on landing |
| Fall | 1.0 | Falling on or from the apparatus, or onto the mat at landing |
Each E-judge marks independently and gives a score out of 10. With five judges, the highest and lowest scores are dropped and the middle three are averaged; at the largest events there are seven E-judges, and the two highest and two lowest are dropped. Dropping the extremes protects the score from one judge's mistake or bias. Coaches may ask the D-panel to review the D-score (an inquiry), but the execution score cannot be challenged.
Worked example
Worked example 1: a full beam score. A gymnast's 8 counting elements on beam are worth D, C, D, B, E, C, B and D (dismount). She meets all 4 composition requirements and earns 0.2 in connection value. Her five E-judges give 8.10, 8.30, 7.90, 8.20 and 8.60. She goes over the 90 s time limit (neutral deduction 0.1).
Worked example
Worked example 2: one judge's sheet. On floor, a judge sees: legs apart in a salto (0.3), a small step after the first pass (0.1), bent knees in a leap (0.1), and a fall on the last landing (1.0).
Separately, if both her feet land outside the boundary line, the D-panel takes a neutral deduction of 0.3 (one foot or hand outside costs 0.1).
Video: "How Olympic Gymnastics Scoring Works", The Gymnast Space. It explains D- and E-scores at Paris 2024, under the 2022–2024 Code: watch how the two scores are added, but remember that men now count 8 elements, not 10.
To judge a school routine, use the same split. One pair of pupils acts as the D-panel and lists the elements on a sheet with an agreed value for each (for example forward roll = A, cartwheel = A, round-off = B, handstand forward roll = B). Three to five pupils act as E-judges, start from 10 and deduct 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 or 1.0 for each error. A recorder drops the highest and lowest E-scores and averages the rest. Compare the judges' marks afterwards: when one judge is always far from the others, discuss which errors that judge missed or over-punished.
Tip
Exam technique. In a scoring calculation show three lines: the D-score (elements + requirements + connections), the E-score (with the dropped scores stated) and the final score after neutral deductions. Give E-scores to three decimal places.
Warning
Common mistakes. Neutral deductions come off the total, not the E-score. Do not average all five E-scores. A fall costs 1.0 in execution and may also cost the element's difficulty if it was not completed.
Practice
Remember
Further reading
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
