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Understanding grades

Getting a mark over 50% means that you are beginning to understand the difficult work of your degree. Getting over 60% is excellent because it means you have demonstrated a deep knowledge of your subject to the marker.

You may be used to getting marks of 90–100%, but this is very unlikely to happen at university. Remember that marks in the 50–70% range are perfectly normal. Your grades will improve as you get used to working at university level, and in the style required by your degree subject.

Degree classifications

UK degree classifications are as follows:

First-Class Honours (First or 1st) (70% and above)
Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1, 2.i) (60-70%)
Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2, 2.ii) (50-60%)
Third-Class Honours (Third or 3rd) (40-50%)

Visit the Regulations for further information on degree classifications.

In your first year at university, achieving a grade of 50% or more is a good thing. You can build on your work and improve as you work towards your final grade. Scores above 70% are classed as “First”, so you should be very excited to get a grade in that range.

It is rare for students to achieve grades higher than 90%, though this can happen. Remember as well that you will be surrounded by other highly motivated and capable students, so you may not automatically be top of the class anymore! Don’t worry – lots of your fellow students will be feeling the same, and there is always someone you can talk to about this. Having realistic expectations about your grades will help to reduce the possibility of feeling disappointed with yourself.

How to get a high mark

Before starting a piece of work, make sure you understand the assessment criteria . This may vary depending on your course and the specific piece of work; so ask your tutor if you are unsure.

In general, high marks will be given when you display that you have clearly understood the subject and included relevant detail. The best marks will go to students who show that they have read around the subject and brought their own analysis and criticism to the assignment.

Low marks will be given to a piece of work that suggests you don’t understand the subject or includes too much irrelevant detail. This applies to coursework and exams, so planning your work before you start is always a sensible option. Speak to your tutor if you are unsure about the requirements of a specific piece of work.

Don’t be afraid to ask

You may encounter different classifications, or courses that don’t use exactly the same boundaries. If you need help understanding the exact requirements of your course, contact your tutor for clarification.

When you’ve had your work returned to you, remember to look at the feedback to see where you could improve – this will give you the best chance of achieving a better grade in the future.

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This article about how the UK university grading system was updated by the Great British Mag content team on 5 September, 2019

The UK grading system is not terribly different to the grading systems in China , India, USA or the EU. The top grades go to the people who excel and get very high percentages and the pass grades are given to anyone who manages to achieve the minimum grade percentage required. But that is where the similarities end.

Whereas other systems use the alphabet to demonstrate the achievements of the student, the UK system uses a class grade order. This system dates all the way back to the invention of the university itself and reflects the archetype of the British class system .

The UK grading system:

First (1 st ): The best grade you can get. The student has got higher than 70% on their course or assignment. An almost perfect piece of work. You should be very happy with it. The markers definitely were…

2:1 (upper second class): Student achieved between 60%-69%. The work was at a very good level, but there was still room for improvement. Kick back, smile and relax. You’ve done a good job! You will need to get a 2:1 or higher if you’re planning on staying on for a masters or post-graduate degree.

2:2 (lower second class): If you got 50%-59% on a course or assignment, then you have this grade. Even though it is not a perfect score it is still very good. You should still be happy about getting this mark.

Third: If you get between 45%-49%, you need to start thinking about where you went wrong. It’s not the worst mark, but perhaps some tutoring might help next time.

Ordinary degree: The absolute minimum you need to pass the course. Getting between 40%-44% is not where you want to be. You should definitely seek out some extra help if you want to do more than scrape by. Or maybe cut down on the time spent in the pub…

Fail: Anything below 40% constitutes failure. Sorry, but you will need to take the course again to pass.