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How Do You Calculate Final Marks?

How Do You Calculate Final Marks?

How Do You Calculate Final Examination Marks? Grade calculator

After an assignment or examination has been taken by a student and the assignment has been reviewed, each student has got a score. Most likely, the score does not represent the final result for the student. Often, the score needs to be calculated into marks. Sometimes the score is corrected before it is turned into a mark.

Usually, as it is known among many schools, colleges and universities, teachers are the ones that are responsible for giving grades to their students at the end of an examination, but it will be a great feeling for students to be able to calculate their final grades using marks they obtained at the end of every semester or examination. By maintaining a record of the scores from your assignments and assessments, you can double-check your teacher’s grading and make sure the correct grade registers.

Calculating your grade allows you to determine the scores you need to reach or maintain your desired grade. For example, if you find that your current grade is a C, you can figure out what you need to earn on your final exam to boost your final grade to a B. Alternatively, if you currently have an A or B, you can determine the minimum score you need to keep that grade.

How To Calculate Final Marks

The year-mark contribution towards the final examination mark is calculated as follows: 50% of the mark obtained for assignment 01 Plus 50% of the mark obtained for assignment 02.

If you only submit assignment 01, your year mark will be 50% of the mark obtained for this assignment. This will then be your year mark out of a possible 100%. If, for example, you obtain 80% for assignment 01 and 0% for assignment 02, your year mark will be 40%.

According to university policy, you require a sub-minimum of 40% in the examination before your year mark is taken into consideration. In other words, if you do not obtain at least 40% in the examination, you will automatically fail, and your final mark will be the mark you obtained in the examination.

A final mark of 50% is required to pass this module. This final mark is calculated as follows: (10% x of the year mark) + (90% x mark obtained in the examination)

READ: How Much Is Grade R Course At Unisa

Final Mark Calculation Options

Three main options can be used to calculate the final marks of an examination, which include: formula, table or none.

Marks Calculated Using Formular:

The formula option allows you to create a mark calculation based on two parameters:

  • Points: the number of points earned by the student
  • Total: the total amount of points that a student can earn for the assignment

There are multiple functions and operators available which can be used to set the formula:

  • Math operators: + , – , * , / , ^
  • Logic functions: IF, AND, OR
  • Comparison operators: <, >, <=, >=, !=, =
  • Numeric functions: MIN, MAX, ROUND, ROUNDUP, ROUNDDOWN
  • It’s possible to insert parentheses to determine the order of (parts of) the formula

The default formula used by Ans is 1 + 9 * points/total. This translates the score into a mark on a scale of 1 to 10.

Marks Calculated Using The Table Option:

Within the table, there are two different possibilities to insert a table in the answer. The first option is to manually insert or import a table, the second option is to let answers create a table based on the cut-off score.

Manually Create A Table

The first option is to manually create a table by either adding each row by hand or by importing a table from a .csv file. On the screen, you will see the following buttons and fields:

  • Rounding: choose the desired rounding of the mark. This can be either two decimals, one decimal, halves or whole numbers. A table always rounds down. Every row in the table can be seen as a threshold. A student needs to score the number of points or a row to receive the corresponding mark. In the example below, a student that has got 2.5 points, will receive a mark of 2 as the number of points in the next row has not been scored.    Final Examination Marks
  • Import: it’s possible to import a table that you created outside Ans. A table can be imported via a .csv file, with at least the columns ‘Points’ and ‘Marks’. Additionally, you can add a letter grade as a third column. A template can be found when you click on Import.
  • Export: in case you have a table created that you want to reuse for other purposes or other assignments, you can export it. This button is not clickable when there is not a single row.
  • Add row: to add a row to your column manually, you can click the button and insert the number of points with the corresponding mark. Optionally you can add a letter grade, such as sufficient, or insufficient. To edit or delete a row, you can press the more_vert– icon.
  • Determine cut-off score: this is the second way to create a table. This option is described below.

Automatically Generated Table

When grading with a table, you have the option to determine the grading of the results using the cut-off score. By determining the minimum grade, pass grade, maximum grade, maximum points and cut-off percentage, you can create a grading table that supports a cut-off score:

Click on Determine cut-off score to start. If you want to edit an existing table, you can also click on this button. Ans will show the previously entered information which you can adjust.

In the pop-up that appears, you can enter the following information:

  • Minimum mark: The minimum mark is the mark a student gets when scoring the minimum amount of points.
  • Pass mark: The pass mark is the mark which counts as the threshold of passing the assignment. All students with a rounded mark lower than the pass mark have not passed the assignment. This information is used to determine the pass rate for the assignment.
  • Maximum mark: The maximum mark is the mark a student gets when scoring the maximum amount of points.   Final Examination Marks
  • Minimum points: This is the number of points a student needs to score to get the minimum mark.
  • Maximum points: This is the number of points a student needs to score to get the maximum mark. Ans shows the maximum amount of points that can be scored for the assignment. Ans also provides information that can be used to apply the caesura method of Cohen-Schotanus*. Based on this method you adjust the maximum score for an assignment after taking the assignment. The new maximum score is then equalled by the score of either the 95th or 90th percentile.
  • Cut-off (%): In this field, you fill in the score (in percentage) that equals the pass mark. As an example, we take an assignment with a maximum amount of points of 100 points, a pass mark of 5.5 and a cut-off of 70%. In this scenario a student needs to score at least 70% of 100 points (= 70 points) to get a 5.5. This would create a non-linear caesura.
  • Mark rounding: The mark rounding needs to be determined in this menu, as Ans (re)calculates the table once you click on Save. You have the option to set the mark rounding to whole numbers, halves and one decimal.

READ: What Is The Pass Mark For Unisa Exams 2025

No Mark Calculation

The third and easiest option to explain is the option None in the dropdown menu. When using no mark calculation, the score will not be translated into a mark. The mark is not visible in other parts of the platform where the mark is visible when using the formula or the table method. Examples are the Results menu and the publication of an assignment.

How Do You Calculate Final Marks 2025

Example One

  • The current grade is 70% (or C-).
  • The final exam weight is 50%.
  • The required grade is 80% (or B-).

Calculation:

The final exam grade is equal to the required grade, minus 100% minus the final exam weight (w) times the current grade (g), divided by the final exam weight (w):

Final exam grade =

  • = ( required grade – (100% – wcurrent grade ) / w
  • = ( 80% – (100% – 50%)×70% ) / 50% = 90%

So the final exam grade should be 90% (or A-).

Final Examination Marks

Example Two

  • Assignment 1: weight1=50%, grade1=16 out of 20.
  • Assignment 2: weight2=30%, max grade=30.
  • Assignment 3: weight3=20%, max grade=40.
  • Find the average grade in assignments 2 and 3 needed to get a class grade of 85%.

Calculation Method:

Current grade = Assignment 1 grade = grade1 / max grade1 = 16/20 = 0.8 = 80%

  • Required grade = 85%
  • Final exam weight = w = weight2+weight3 = 30%+20% = 50%

Final exam grade =

  • = ( required grade – (100% – wcurrent grade ) / w
  • = ( 85% – 50%×80% ) / 50% = 90%

This means that you have to get an average grade of 90% in assignments 2 and 3 to get a class grade of 85%.

  • Assignment 2 grade = 90% × max grade = 90% × 30 = 27
  • Assignment 3 grade = 90% × max grade = 90% × 40 = 36

How To Calculate Midterm And Final  Examination Grades

The example below presents one way that faculties have found helpful to calculate grades. Please consult your department to ensure that your grading rubric aligns with any relevant department or school policies. Below are the steps to be used to calculate Midterm Final Grades:

  1. To calculate a weighted midterm grade, add the weighted percentages for each grade and divide by the % of grades completed by the midpoint of the semester. If some students, but not all students, have been graded for an assignment at the midpoint, you should exclude that grade. In the example below, not all students have made their Presentations by the midpoint of the semester, so that grade will not be included in midterm grade calculations:
  • Midterm Grade = (.20*Homework) +(.25* Exam 1) + (.15*Paper 1) (.20+.25+.15)
  • Midterm Grade = (.20*75) +(.25* 85) + (.15*90)/60
  • Midterm Grade = 15 +21.25 + 13.5 /60
  • Midterm Grade = 49.75 = 82.91% /60
  1. To calculate a final grade – add the weighted percentages for each grade:
  • Final Grade = (.20*Homework) +(.25* Exam 1) + (.15*Paper 1) +(.25*Pres 1) + (.15*Paper 2)
  • Final Grade = (.20*75) +(.25* 85) + (.15*90) +(.25*60) + (.15*85)
  • Final Grade = 15 +21.25 + 13.5 +15 + 12.75
  • Final Grade = 77.5

READ: What Is The Pass Mark At Unisa?

Calculating final marks often depends on the grading system of your school or institution. A typical method is to use a weighted average, though grading systems can vary and may include different methods or scales, such as letter grades or GPAs. Visit The Official website of The Department of Higher Education and Training.

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