Grading schemes

A grading scheme answers two questions for a class that is assessed by marks:

1. What parts make up a subject's mark? For example Mid Term out of 25, Term Exam out of 50 and Activities out of 25. These are the components.
2. What grade does a percentage earn? For example 80 to 100 is an A, Excellent. These are the grade bands.

Each class uses one scheme. Different classes can use different schemes, for example a nursery-style scheme for young classes.

See your schemes

Open Assessment → Grading Schemes. The list shows each scheme. Click one to see or change it.

Create a scheme

1. Click New grading scheme.
2. Optionally choose Start from a template. It fills in the components and grades below, and you can change anything before saving:
   • Single exam mark out of 100, grades A–E
   • Mid Term (25) + Term Exam (50) + Activities (25), grades A–E
   • NECTA O-Level: exam out of 100, grades A–F with points 1–5, for secondary schools that report points and division (see Secondary results). A is 75–100 (1 point), B 65–74 (2), C 45–64 (3), D 30–44 (4) and F 0–29 (5).
   • Start empty, to set up your own.
3. Give it a Scheme Name.
4. Set the Pass mark (%) if you want one. A subject percentage at or above it counts as a pass in the exam reports. Leave it empty if the scheme has no pass or fail.
5. Check the Components and Grade Bands (below) and click Create.

Components

The parts that add up to a subject's total mark for one exam. Use a single component if only one mark matters.

Click Add Component for more; use the arrows to reorder and the bin to remove one.

Grade bands

The percentage ranges that become a letter grade.

Every mark must fall in one band. Leave no gaps between bands.

How a mark becomes a grade

1. A subject's marks are added up across its components (the total).
2. The total is turned into a percentage of the maximum possible.
3. The percentage is looked up in the bands to find the grade and remark.

A component with no mark entered is left out, never counted as zero.

Choose the scheme for a class

• For new classes: the school's default is set in Account → Settings → Exams and Reports → Default grading scheme.
• For an existing class: open Academic Management → Classrooms, click the class, Edit, and choose the Grading Scheme. You can also make a new scheme there with the + beside the field.

Change a scheme later

You can edit components and bands at any time. Changing them does change how marks are graded, including exams already sat, when their results are next calculated. Do this before an exam, not after.

If something goes wrong