2. Marking to the Full Range: Sharing a view of the meaning of grade descriptors

The MMU generic grade descriptors are:

Mark	Outcome	Descriptor
<35	Fail	Unit learning outcomes not achieved
35 to 39	Marginal fail	Most unit learning outcomes achieved at a threshold level
40 to 49	Pass	All unit learning outcomes achieved at a threshold level
50 to 59	Pass	All unit learning outcomes achieved at a good level
60 to 69	Pass	All unit learning outcomes achieved at a very good level
>=70	Pass	All unit learning outcomes achieved at an excellent/outstanding level

It’s essential to revisit the assignment brief to check what students were asked to do. You can then interpret the grade descriptors in detail for specific assignment – eg what does it mean to ‘critically evaluate alternative approaches’ in this assignment? What does each of the descriptors mean in the context of the assignment? You need to decide, as a team, whether the descriptors need to be interpreted for each individual assignment, or whether a subject area interpretation be produced, like this one from Environmental Science and Geography or this one used across MMU Business School (pdf docs).

Can these be applied to every assignment? If not, what’s your strategy?

 

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