Grade

Mark range (%)

Description

 A*

80%

or above

An outstanding response to the task

An A* grade will be used on individual assignments which show exceptional merit gaining a mark of 80% or more. There is a clear and consistent line of argument, use of extensive and appropriate scientific vocab, coherent structure, innovative, research informed.

The work demonstrates most or all of the following characteristics beyond that expected for work at the given level of study: exceptional display of understanding, exploration, insight and/or research; potential for publication/exhibition and/or ability to undertake further research; all specifications for the assessment task have been adhered to; the organisation, structure and standard of presentation of the work, are exemplary throughout; evidence of effective communication of work to specialist and non-specialist audiences; stimulating and rigorous arguments that are likely to be at the limits of what may be expected at this level; the work has been approached and/or executed/performed in an original way; inspirational, innovative and authoritative - evidence of intellectual rigour, independence of judgement and insightful contextualisation, including relevant theory/literature/ performance; clear evidence of extensive study and demonstration of ability to reach appropriate decisions based on incomplete or complex evidence ; evidence of very high quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal; outstanding problem solving skills – suggests alternative approaches ; ability to address complex issues both systematically and creatively - challenges established knowledge

 A+

A

75-79%

70-74%

An excellent response to the task

Very good grasp of material that displays thorough comprehension, informed criticism and analytical skill. The overall presentation is concise and well expressed, without any major errors. The work demonstrates most or all of the following characteristics in relation to those expected such as : in-depth understanding, exploration, insight and/or research;

potential for publication/exhibition and/or ability to undertake further research;

all specifications for the assessment task have been adhered to; the organisation, structure and standard of presentation of the work are excellent throughout; evidence of effective communication of work to specialist and non-specialist audiences; convincing arguments that are likely to be at the limits of what may be expected at this level; the work has been approached and/or executed/ performed in an original way; insightful contextualisation, including relevant theory/literature/ performance; clear evidence of extensive study and demonstration of ability to reach appropriate decisions based on incomplete or complex evidence; evidence of high to very high quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal; excellent problem solving skills – suggests alternative approaches; ability to address complex issues effectively – challenges established knowledge

 B+

B

65-69%

60-64%

A good to very good response to the task

A middle range answer which shows familiarity and comprehension of many of the salient issues and some critical dialogue with the material. Answers at the bottom of the range may contain a few errors, omissions and insufficiently well-expressed ideas.

The work demonstrates most or all of the following characteristics in relation to those expected: good to very good understanding and exploration; some insight and/or thorough research; some capacity to undertake further research; no significant inaccuracies, misunderstandings or errors ; the specifications for the assessment task have been adhered to; the work is well organised, coherent and the standard of presentation is at least good; evidence of effective communication of work: ability to present structured, clear and concise arguments; the work has been approached and/or executed/performed in a comprehensive way with some degree of originality; appropriate contextualisation, including relevant theory/literature/performance; evidence of extensive study and demonstration of ability to reach appropriate decisions based on incomplete or complex evidence; evidence of high quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal; good or at least competent problem solving skills; suggests alternative approaches; ability to address complex issues competently; explores established knowledge

 C+

C

55-59%

50-54%

An adequate to sound response to the task

An adequate answer which demonstrates an elementary understanding of the basic issues involved. Nevertheless, is deficient in terms of material covered or level of comprehension. Insufficiently researched and not well presented. The work demonstrates most or all of the following characteristics in relation to those expected, such as:

sound understanding and exploration, some insight and/or appropriate research

some minor inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings; small but not significant errors; some minor aberrations from the specifications for the assessment task; the work is suitably organised and the standard of presentation, is at least sound

ability to develop an argument but can lack fluency; the work has been approached and/or executed/performed in a standard way with limited evidence of originality; some contextualisation but with a heavy reliance on a limited number of sources and, in general, the breadth and depth of sources and research are lacking; evidence of study and demonstration of ability to reach appropriate decisions based on incomplete or complex evidence; some, but limited evidence of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal; some evidence of problem solving skills; some evidence of ability to address complex issues adequately

 D+

D

45-49%

40-44%

An unsatisfactory response to the task:

some major points are included, but lack of understanding is shown through poor scientific language, poor overall structure, etc, together with use of irrelevant points.

The work may display some strengths, but these are outweighed by several weak features in relation to the expectations for the given level of study, such as: limited understanding and/or exploration of major ideas with very little insight and/or minimal research; some significant inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings; gaps in understanding and/or knowledge; insufficient attention paid to some of the assessment criteria; the work lacks critical analysis, somewhat disorganised and unclear; and the standard of presentation, is inadequate; development of an argument is limited and often flawed; the context provided takes the form of description lacking any breadth, depth and accuracy; limited or inappropriate research and demonstrated ability to reach decisions; insufficient evidence of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal; little evidence of problem solving skills; hardly addresses complex issues

F

<40%

An unsatisfactory response to the task:

the work fails to meet the requirements in relation to those exemplified by most or all of the following: very few or none of the major points present; many irrelevant or incorrect points included and a serious lack of understanding; very limited understanding and/or exploration of major ideas with very little or no insight and/or minimal research; several significant inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings; minimal or no evidence of knowledge and understanding of the subject; insufficient attention paid to several of the assessment requirements; the work lacks analysis, poorly structured and the standard of presentation; the work lacks supporting evidence or argument; the work has been approached and/or executed/performed inadequately; failure to contextualise from sources; little or no evidence of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal; Little or no evidence of problem solving skills; ailure to address complex issues.