Each question in an assignment or tutorial will be graded with either an:

• $$\mathbf{\alpha}$$: you understood all or most of the question and answered all or most of it correctly. In an exam or test you would have scored close to full marks or 100%.
• $$\mathbf{\beta}$$: you understood the basic concept of the question, but there was either a calculation error, or you didn't have enough details in your answer to score full marks. In a test or exam you would have scored around 60 to 75% of the marks.
• $$\mathbf{\gamma}$$: you attempted the question, perhaps got one or two things right, but there was a serious deficiency in your understanding of the problem, or a serious calculation error. In an exam or test you would have got less than 50% of the marks for that question.

To calculate the final grade, an $$\mathbf{\alpha}$$ will be weighted as 1, a $$\mathbf{\beta}$$ as 0.65 and $$\mathbf{\gamma}$$ as 0.4. Each question will be assigned a point number, shown in brackets next to the question, for example [2]. Most questions will be worth 1 or 2 points, some will be worth 3 points; occasionally they will be worth more.

In the example below, there were 6 questions and one bonus question. Given the Greek letter grade and the point number, a weighted sum is created to determine the final grade. You will get extra credit for the bonus questions. Grades from those bonus questions are cumulative. This way it is possible to score above 100% for the assignment-portion of your overall grade.

Example

Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (bonus)
Point number [1] [1] [2] [1] [1] [2] [1]
Mark $$\alpha$$ $$\beta$$ $$\beta$$ $$\gamma$$ $$\alpha$$ $$\alpha$$ $$\beta$$
Weighting (convert Greek letter to a number) 1.00 0.65 0.65 0.40 1.00 1.00 0.65
Multiply point number with weighting: 1.00 0.65 1.30 0.40 1.00 2.00 0.65
Grade for a student not attempting the bonus question (1.00 + 0.65 + 1.30 + 0.40 + 1.00 + 2.00)/8 = 6.35/8 = 79.3%
Grade for a student attempting the bonus question (1.00 + 0.65 + 1.30 + 0.40 + 1.00 + 2.00 + 0.65)/8 = 7/8 = 87.5%
• Unanswered questions are weighted with a zero; as are questions that are attempted, but really nothing was answered (e.g. you just repeat the question, or are doing the totally wrong thing).
• A student scoring $$\alpha$$ on every question, including the bonus question would achieve a grade of (1+1+2+1+1+2+1)/8 = 9/8 = 112.5%.