Assessment

UAL Marking Scale

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Start date

From September 2011, all courses at the University of the Arts London will assess students against the UAL Marking Scale. The new scale will be introduced for:

  • all new undergraduate students
  • all progressing undergraduate students
  • all new taught masters students

Part time and ongoing postgraduate courses will introduce the scale at the start of their next academic session.

How the UAL Marking Scale works

  • When marking a unit or a piece of work with the UAL Marking Scale, tutors will give students one of fifteen Letter Grades, representing a high, middle and low point within each classification.
  • The Letter Grades map directly onto the undergraduate and postgraduate Marking Criteria Matrix and Feedback Forms.
  • Each Letter Grade has a point value, as illustrated in the UAL Marking Scale table (for example an A- is worth 13 points). The point is weighted according to the number of credits in the unit. The weighted points from all assessed units are added together to calculate the final mark for the year.

Benefits of the new Marking Scale

  • The UAL Marking Scale maps directly onto letter grades and degree classifications, and onto the UAL marking criteria, making marking more intuitive for students, markers and external examiners
  • The UAL Marking Scale is more in line with practices of marking in arts subjects, since it is concerned with broader bands of achievement rather than with differentiating exactly and consistently between, for example, 67% and 68%
  • The UAL Marking Scale encourages markers to use the whole range of marks, giving greater emphasis to good student performance
  • The UAL Marking Scale makes the calculation of final results more straightforward, reducing the possibility of error
  • It is an integral part of a change which includes online assessment and feedback and automated results calculations, speeding up marking, receiving feedback and preparing for exam boards, for students and staff.

Additional Resources