Academic grading in Australia
Encyclopedia
This article is a summary of academic grading
in Australia
.
. However, in 2005 the Federal Government introduced a universal common assessment and reporting standards legislation which all states had to adhere to in order to receive federal funding for their schools. The grading system is now structured as follows, though the percentages are only an approximate guide:
In order to complete high school studies, students complete coursework to attain the Cetificate of Education for their respective state:
These certificates are administered by an education body in each state. The results in subjects studied is used to calculate the students' university entrance score, or Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
.
Note that the numbers above do not correspond to a percentile, but are notionally a percentage of the maximum raw marks available. Various tertiary institutions in Australia have policies on the allocations for each grade and scaling may occur to meet these policies. These policies may vary also according to the degree year (higher percentages for later years), but generally, only 2-5% of students who pass (that is, who achieve raw marks of 50 or more) may be awarded a High Distinction grade, and 50% or more of passing students are awarded a basic Pass grade. Raw marks for students who fail are not scaled and do not increase the allocations of higher grades. Some universities also have a Pass Conceded (PC) grade for marks that fall in the range of 45-49 inclusive.
approved a policy of using Norm-referenced assessment for all faculties (although not all faculties use the official policy). In Section 3.2 of the academic board assessment guidelines (Distribution of Grades), the percentages are stated as follows:
This may be alternatively stated by percentile as follows:
Note, however, that Section 3.2.2 cautions that this distribution "may vary from unit of study to unit of study, and from year to year", and that "the proportions should apply [only] at highly aggregated levels".
Many courses also have Non-Graded Pass (NGP) and Non-Graded Fail (F), where it is considered more appropriate to have qualitative than quantitative assessment.
usually award numbered grades for subject results from 1 (fail) to 7 (high distinction). Generally these are based on the raw marks.
Further information on these and other supplementary gradings for UQ can be found at http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=1158
Grade Point Average (GPA) = Sum of (grade points × course unit value) / total number of credit points attempted
Where grade points are as follows:
A conceded pass is a pass for a course that has been awarded only after supplementary assessment has been undertaken by the student.
Where a course result is a Non-Graded Pass, the result will only be included if the GPA is less than 4, and will be assigned the grade point of 4, otherwise NGP results will be disregarded. The term course unit values is used to distinguish between courses which have different weightings, for example between a full year course and a single semester course.
Some other universities, such as the University of New South Wales
, University of Sydney
and the University of Wollongong
, use a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) for the same purpose as a GPA, however this is based on the raw percentage grades, or marks, achieved by the student rather than grade points such as High Distinction or Distinction.
Grade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Schools
Australian primary and secondary schools are currently migrating to a common reporting and assessment format. Primary and secondary education is the responsibility of the states in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. However, in 2005 the Federal Government introduced a universal common assessment and reporting standards legislation which all states had to adhere to in order to receive federal funding for their schools. The grading system is now structured as follows, though the percentages are only an approximate guide:
| Grade | Percentile |
|---|---|
| A (Very High Achievement) | 85 and above |
| B (High Achievement) | 70-84 |
| C (Sound Achievement) | 50-69 |
| D (Low/Limited Achievement - Fail) | 25-49 |
| E (Very Low/Limited Achievement - Fail) | 0-24 |
In order to complete high school studies, students complete coursework to attain the Cetificate of Education for their respective state:
- Australian Capital Territory Year 12 Certificate
- Northern Territory Certificate of EducationNorthern Territory Certificate of EducationThe Northern Territory Certificate of Education is the credential awarded to High School students who successfully complete senior high school level studies in the Northern Territory, Australia.-The NTCE structure:...
(NTCE) in the Northern Territory
- Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) in Queensland
- South Australian Certificate of EducationSouth Australian Certificate of EducationThe South Australian Certificate of Education is awarded to students who have successfully completed their senior secondary schooling in the state of South Australia....
(SACE) in South Australia
- Tasmanian Certificate of EducationTasmanian Certificate of EducationThe Tasmanian Certificate of Education, or TCE, is the main credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete senior high school level studies in Tasmania, Australia...
(TCE) in Tasmania
- Victorian Certificate of EducationVictorian Certificate of EducationThe Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
(VCE) in Victoria
- Higher School Certificate (HSC) in New South Wales
- Western Australian Certificate of EducationWestern Australian Certificate of EducationThe Western Australian Certificate of Education is the credential given to students who have completed Year 11 and Year 12 of their secondary schooling in the state of Western Australia, Australia, and is intended to become the Western Australian certificate within the Australian Certificate of...
(WACE) in Western Australia
These certificates are administered by an education body in each state. The results in subjects studied is used to calculate the students' university entrance score, or Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programs in Australia, it was gradually introduced during 2009 and 2010 to replace the Universities Admission Index, Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank and Tertiary Entrance...
.
Tertiary Institutions
Australian universities issue results for each subject based on the following gradings:| ACU Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University is a national public university. It has six campuses and offers programs in five faculties throughout Australia.-History:... , ACS Australian Computer Society The Australian Computer Society is an association for information and communications technology professionals. According to its Constitution, its objects are "to advance professional excellence in information technology" and "to promote the development of Australian information and communications... , Adelaide, Bond Bond University Bond University is a private university located in Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is also the first private university established in Australia... , Canberra University of Canberra Over the years the Stone Day program has gradually become larger and larger, taking up a whole week and now Stonefest is one of Australia's most popular music festivals. The first foundation celebrations were held in 1971. In 1973 Stone Day celebrations were held over two days, which was expanded... , CQU Central Queensland University CQUniversity is an Australian public university based in Queensland. Its main campus is in North Rockhampton Queensland. However, it also has campuses in Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone and Mackay, as well as operations throughout Asia-Pacific. For instance, Melior Business School is one of its... , CSU Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus university located in New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. It has campuses at Bathurst, Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange, Wagga Wagga and Burlington, Ontario... , Flinders Flinders University Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research... , MQ Macquarie University Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney... , Newcastle University of Newcastle, Australia The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales... , QUT Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A... , Swinburne Swinburne University of Technology Swinburne University of Technology is an Australian public dual sector university based in Melbourne, Victoria. The institution was founded by the Honourable George Swinburne in 1908 and achieved university status in June 1992... , SCU Southern Cross University Southern Cross University is a university based on the North and Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is a regional University with more than 14,000 students. The University's primary campus is in Lismore, with other campuses located at Coffs Harbour and Tweed Heads.The University is... , UNE University of New England (Australia) The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales.... , UniSA University of South Australia The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000... , UNSW University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia... , USyd University of Sydney The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania... , UOW University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney... , UTS, UWS University of Western Sydney The University of Western Sydney, also known as UWS, is a multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia... |
UWA University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the... , ANU Australian National University The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students... , Curtin, Deakin Deakin University Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835... , ECU Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman.... , Monash Monash University Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL.... , Murdoch Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university based in Perth, Australia. It began operations as the state's second university in 1973, and accepted its first students in 1975... , RMIT RMIT University RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam.... , UTAS University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia... , VU Victoria University, Australia Victoria University is a multi-sector tertiary institution based in Melbourne, Australia with 10 campuses.VU offers qualifications in higher education, vocational education , and short courses... |
USQ University of Southern Queensland The University of Southern Queensland is based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The institution was established in 1967 as the Queensland Institute of Technology... |
La Trobe La Trobe University La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are... |
Melbourne University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria... |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | High Distinction (HD) | High Distinction (HD) | High Distinction (HD) | A | First Class Honours (H1) |
| 95-99 | |||||
| 90-94 | |||||
| 85-89 | |||||
| 80-84 | Distinction (D) | A | |||
| 75-79 | Distinction (D) | B | Second Class Honours Div A (H2A) | ||
| 70-74 | Credit (C) | B | Second Class Honours Div B (H2B) | ||
| 65-69 | Credit (C) | C | Third Class Honours (H3) | ||
| 60-64 | Pass (P) | C | Pass (P) | ||
| 55-59 | Pass (P) | D | |||
| 50-54 | |||||
| < 50 | Fail (N) | Fail (N) | Fail (F, FNP, FNS, FNC or FLW) | Fail (N) | Fail (N) |
Note that the numbers above do not correspond to a percentile, but are notionally a percentage of the maximum raw marks available. Various tertiary institutions in Australia have policies on the allocations for each grade and scaling may occur to meet these policies. These policies may vary also according to the degree year (higher percentages for later years), but generally, only 2-5% of students who pass (that is, who achieve raw marks of 50 or more) may be awarded a High Distinction grade, and 50% or more of passing students are awarded a basic Pass grade. Raw marks for students who fail are not scaled and do not increase the allocations of higher grades. Some universities also have a Pass Conceded (PC) grade for marks that fall in the range of 45-49 inclusive.
University of Sydney
In 2000, the university-wide academic board for The University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
approved a policy of using Norm-referenced assessment for all faculties (although not all faculties use the official policy). In Section 3.2 of the academic board assessment guidelines (Distribution of Grades), the percentages are stated as follows:
| %HD | %D or HD | %Cr, D or HD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Year | 3 | 14 | 42 |
| Senior/Upper | 4 | 18 | 50 |
This may be alternatively stated by percentile as follows:
| Grade | First Year | Senior/Upper |
|---|---|---|
| High Distinction (HD) | 97-100% | 96-100% |
| Distinction (D) | 86-96% | 82-95% |
| Credit (Cr) | 58-85% | 50-81% |
| Pass (P) | 0-57% | 0-49% |
| Fail (F) | not scaled | not scaled |
Note, however, that Section 3.2.2 cautions that this distribution "may vary from unit of study to unit of study, and from year to year", and that "the proportions should apply [only] at highly aggregated levels".
Many courses also have Non-Graded Pass (NGP) and Non-Graded Fail (F), where it is considered more appropriate to have qualitative than quantitative assessment.
University of Queensland
The University of QueenslandUniversity of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
usually award numbered grades for subject results from 1 (fail) to 7 (high distinction). Generally these are based on the raw marks.
| UQ Grade | Equivalent | Raw mark range |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | High Distinction (HD) | 85-100% |
| 6 | Distinction (D) | 75-84% |
| 5 | Credit (CR) | 65-74% |
| 4 | Pass (P) | 50-64% |
| 3,2,1 | Fail (F) | < 50% |
Further information on these and other supplementary gradings for UQ can be found at http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=1158
Grade point average
Grade point averages are not generally used in Australia below a tertiary level. They are calculated according to a more complicated formula than in some other nations:Grade Point Average (GPA) = Sum of (grade points × course unit value) / total number of credit points attempted
Where grade points are as follows:
| Grade | CSU , SCU | USQ University of Southern Queensland The University of Southern Queensland is based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The institution was established in 1967 as the Queensland Institute of Technology... |
Monash | Macquarie | Bond ,RMIT | Flinders | UWS, QUT ,Griffith, |
UTS | UWA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Distinction | |||||||||
| Distinction | |||||||||
| Credit | |||||||||
| Pass | |||||||||
| Conceded Pass / Near Pass / Fail Level 1 | |||||||||
| Fail | |||||||||
| Withdrawn Fail |
A conceded pass is a pass for a course that has been awarded only after supplementary assessment has been undertaken by the student.
Where a course result is a Non-Graded Pass, the result will only be included if the GPA is less than 4, and will be assigned the grade point of 4, otherwise NGP results will be disregarded. The term course unit values is used to distinguish between courses which have different weightings, for example between a full year course and a single semester course.
Some other universities, such as the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and the University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
, use a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) for the same purpose as a GPA, however this is based on the raw percentage grades, or marks, achieved by the student rather than grade points such as High Distinction or Distinction.