Understanding grades
Just like in your previous experiences in education, your assignments will be graded at university. You will receive marks and feedback. However, this feedback might look slightly different to how your feedback has previously been presented to you. In previous learning environments, you might have received assignments marked with letter grades—such as A, B, or C—or numerical grades, such as 9, 8, or 7. At university, you will be given a mark out of 100%.
At the end of your undergraduate degree, you will be offered one of the following awards based on how successful you have been:
- First Class
- Upper Second Class (2.1)
- Lower Second Class (2.2)
- Third Class
Here is an example of university grades and how they might correspond with your previous marking system:
| A1 | 90-100% | 1st | Exemplary |
| A2 | 80-89% | 1st | Highly Excellent |
| A3 | 70-79% | 1st | Excellent |
| B | 60-69% | 2.1 | Very Good |
| C | 50-59% | 2.2 | Good |
| D | 40-49% | 3rd | Satisfactory |
| E | 30-39% | No award | Fail |
| F | 20-29% | No award | Clear Fail |
From the table above, you can see that getting a grade that is in the 60s is still very good!
See Also: Understanding university grades
You can watch this short video for further information about university grades: Understanding University Grades – mmutube. The video provides further information on how the levels and grades at university compare to previous learning points. It also considers the difference between undergraduate and postgraduate study.
Understanding marking criteria
In the previous sprint, we discussed how assignment briefs usually include a table of grade descriptors. Here is an example of what that looks like at Manchester Metropolitan University at level 4.
The skills you need to evidence are listed across the top, and the grades are listed along the side. You can then cross reference, using the grid to see what level of skill you need to evidence to achieve a certain grade.
Watch: University grade descriptors
Watch this video where we go through the different aspects you could be assessed on at university. We will be drawing on examples from Manchester Metropolitan University; however, the general principles will be relevant to other universities too.
Stop and Reflect:
Based on the areas covered in the video, is there anything you think you will need to focus on in particular?
The comments you get with your grade for an assignment is called summative feedback. It can be used to:
- Understand why you got the mark you did for that assignment.
- Help you to build on what you’ve done for your next piece of work.
- Identify strengths in your work, alongside areas for improvement.
We will now look at some potential feedback scenarios, so that you can think about how you would respond based on what you’ve learned.
Apply Your Thinking:
Complete this multiple-choice quiz below as honestly as possible.
How would you respond to the following feedback on an assignment? There may be more than one correct answer!
- My feedback said I needed to include more evidence in my assignment. I would:
A) Get in touch with the library to see if they can give me some information on how to find sources for my subject area.
B) Highlight all the evidence I used in the assignment so I can see where it’s been used and how I could include more next time.
C) Ask for a second opinion.
D) Look at the marking criteria.
- My feedback said that I’m not critical enough. I would:
A) Review the library’s guide on how to reference.
B) Look at the university’s study support information and see if there are any workshops on criticality I can sign up for.
C) Use an essay planner to help organise my ideas.
D) Ask for more specific examples.
- My feedback was that my argument wasn’t clear. I would:
A) Panic!
B) Go through your assignment and think where I could be more specific.
C) See if the university has workshops I can sign up for on academic writing techniques.
D) Be more descriptive next time.
- My feedback was that I haven’t answered the question or addressed the title. I would:
A) Get upset and feel like I’m failing.
B) See if I can meet with my personal tutor or a member of my university’s study skills team to go over what to improve on.
C) See if there are any workshops on critical thinking I can attend.
D) Re-write the assignment brief in simple language to check my understanding.
- My feedback was that I should review the structure of my assignment. I would:
A) Discard the assignment and feedback. My grade wasn’t bad so I can relax.
B) See if there are any workshops I can attend on constructing paragraphs and/or assignment.
C) Spend more time researching at the library.
D) Ask to see examples of well-structured assignments.
- My feedback was that there were problems with referencing. I would:
A) Just leave out citations in future, they probably don’t matter.
B) Check my citations and reference list or bibliography for errors.
C) Review the library’s guide on referencing.
D) Book onto a library workshop on referencing.
- My feedback was that my research was limited. I would:
A) Interrogate evidence by asking more questions to give a deeper analysis.
B) Send an angry email to my tutor demanding that they raise my grade.
C) Attend a workshop on research.
D) Review the marking criteria to understand my grade.
Now have a look at the answer sheet attached below. How did you do?
Can you add anything to your KWLH grid? If you’ve learnt something new about how you will be graded at university, for example, you could add that to the L-column. You might have further questions about how grading at university works. If so, add these questions to the H-column on your grid.
You will get more guidance on how to turn your feedback into action plans—as well as what tutors might expect from you—in the final topic of this RISE self-study pack.
Note:
Remember: Feedback is only feedback if it results in action! You might find the following actions helpful:
- Collect your feedback and read it.
- Be objective when assessing your feedback. If you’re upset by the grade or wording, come back to it later when you’re feeling less emotional.
- Adopt a strategy for recording and storing your feedback. It is useful to compare your feedback across different modules and assignments.
- Follow up on your feedback if you need to with your tutor. Your feedback doesn’t have to be an end point.
- Swap and discuss your feedback with your peers.
- Stay positive. Don’t just focus on the areas for development, but also look for areas where you have done well too.
In this sprint, we have considered how grading might work at your university and introduced you to some of the key terms that you might hear your tutors use. We have also focused on the importance of actively engaging with your assignment feedback. Using your feedback to develop your future work is a key part of being an independent learner! We will consider the importance of setting targets for success further in the final topic of this RISE self-study pack.