Faculty of Science and Engineering

Assessment and Grading Criteria

Detailed below is the Faculty of Science and Engineering's marking criteria used by staff to assess your work. Hopefully this will help you to assess the quality of your own work. They provide a description of the characteristics associated with work that is given different grades. Follow the links below:

An 'Outstanding' First Class Honours Degree: 80-100% (A+)

An outstanding response to the task: All assessment criteria have been achieved to an exceptionally high level. Work demonstrates all of the following characteristics beyond that expected for work at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: In-depth understanding, insight and/or research, grasp of detail, relevant theory and literature. Evidence and integration of background independent study and other aspects of course.
  • Structure: Originality in the way in which the work has been approached and executed. Exemplary organisation and standard of presentation throughout.
  • Application: Consistently displays high levels of initiative, personal responsibility, decision-making and learning ability.
  • Evaluation: Evidence of exceptionally high quality, insightful and creative analysis and/or critical appraisal. (At Level 3, for appropriate independent work, possibly of publishable quality with minor revisions).
  • General: Clear, relevant and consistently accurate citation and referencing.
  • Additional Criteria: Original, creative and sophisticated - evidence of intellectual rigour and independence of judgement.Striking insight and evaluation demonstrated. Evidence of intellectual rigour and independence of judgement.Outstanding in all areas and displaying originality.

An 'Excellent' First Class Honours Degree: 75-79% (A) and 70-74% (A-)

An excellent response to the task: all assessment criteria have been achieved to a very high standard and most at an exceptionally high level. Work demonstrates all or most of the following characteristics expected for work at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: In-depth understanding, insight and/or research, grasp of detail, relevant theory and literature.Evidence and integration of background independent study and other aspects of course.
  • Structure: Clear, fluent integrated and focused, high standard of organisation and presentation.
  • Application: Demonstrates high levels of initiative, personal responsibility, decision-making and learning ability
  • Evaluation: Evidence of very high quality, insightful and creative analysis and/or critical appraisal.
  • General: Clear, relevant and consistently accurate citation and referencing. Specification of assessment adhered to.Excellent in all areas and displaying some originality.Excellent in all areas and displaying some originality.

A 'Very Good/ Commendable' Upper Second Class Honours Degree: 67-69% (B+), 64-66% (B), 60-63% (B-)

A very good/commendable response to the task: all assessment criteria have been met fully and many have been achieved at a good or very good standard. The work demonstrates some of the following characteristics in relation to those expected at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: Very good understanding and exploration, some insight/and or thorough research, is mostly focused on the task posed. Appropriate awareness of the relevant theory and literature without achieving the intellectual independence and originality that distinguishes from (First/Distinction) level.
  • Structure: A standard and comprehensive approach and execution of the work/ work is well organised and the standard of presentation is good.
  • Application: Demonstrates high levels of initiative, personal responsibility, decision-making and learning ability.
  • Evaluation: Evidence of some good quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation and/or critical appraisal.
  • General: Few errors; Citation and referencing relevant and mostly accurate. Specifications of assessment adhered to.

A 'Good/Competent' Lower Second Class Honours Degree: 57-59% (C+), 54-56% (C), 50-53% (C-)

A good/competent response to the task: all assessment criteria have been met and some may have been achieved at a good standard. The work demonstrates some of the following characteristics in relation to those expected at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: Sound understanding of basic subject material/principles and some evidence of analysis or synthesis.
  • Structure: A standard and comprehensive approach to the devising and/or execution of the work. Some evidence of organisation and structure but little development.
  • Application: Demonstrates good levels of initiative, personal responsibility, decision-making and learning ability.
  • Evaluation: Evidence of some quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation and/or critical appraisal.
  • General: Occasional errors, minor inaccuracies or inconsistencies in citation.

A 'Satisfactory' Third Class Honours Degree:47-49% (D+), 44-46% (D), 40-43% (D-)

A satisfactory/adequate but weak, response to the task; all assessment criteria have been met but at least some barely exceed the threshold standard to pass the module. The work demonstrates some of the following characteristics in relation to those expected at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: Adequate but limited understanding of major ideas with very little insight and/or minimal research or synthesis.
  • Structure: Very basic and/or poorly thought out approach to and execution of the work, disorganised.
  • Application: Demonstrates some use of initiative, personal responsibility, decision-making and learning ability.
  • Evaluation: Low quality in at least one area, generally coherent but some lack of clarity of thought or expression in relation to the expectations for the given level of study.
  • General:Some minor inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings and/poor standard of presentation and not completely focused.

A 'Marginal Fail/ Weak Fail': 37-39% (E+), 34-36% (E), 30-33% (E-)

An unsatisfactory response to the task because one or more of the assessment criteria do not reach the threshold standard to pass the module.The work demonstrates some of the following characteristics in relation to those expected at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: Limited understanding and/or exploration of major ideas with very little insight and/or minimal research.
  • Structure: Poorly thought out approach to the devising and/or execution of the work; some significant aberrations from the specifications for the assessment task; little attempt at organisation.
  • Application: Little evidence of initiative, personal responsibility, decision making and learning ability.
  • Evaluation: The work is too descriptive, insufficiently analytical and/or poorly performed in relation to the expectations for the given level of study.
  • General: Some significant inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings; poor standard of presentation; deviations to the specification of the assessment task e.g substantial deviations from the word limit and/or minor elements of the work missing; referencing inaccurate or inconsistent.

A'Very Weak Fail': 20-29% (F+)

An unsatisfactory response to the task because most of the assessment criteria fail to reach the threshold standard to pass the module. The work demonstrates some of the following characteristics in relation to those expected at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: Very limited understanding and/or exploration of major ideas with little or no insight and/or minimal research.
  • Structure: Very poorly thought out approach to devising and /or execution of the work; insufficient attention paid to several of the assessment criteria.
  • Application: No evidence of initiative, personal responsibility, decision-making and learning ability.
  • Evaluation: The work is descriptive and/or very poorly performed, with little evidence of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and/or critical appraisal in relation to that expected at the given level of study.
  • General: Several significant inaccuracies and /or misunderstandings; poor standard of presentation; some deviations to the specifications for the assessment task.e.g .substantial deviations from the word limit and/or major elements of the work missing.

A'Very Weak Fail':10-19% (F), 0-9% (F-)

An unsatisfactory response to the task because few, if any, of the assessment criteria reach the threshold standard to pass the module. The work demonstrates some of the following characteristics in relation to those expected at the given level of study:

  • Knowledge/understanding: Very limited understanding and/or exploration of major ideas with little or no insight and/or minimal research.
  • Structure: Very poorly thought out approach to devising and/or execution of the work; insufficient attention paid to all or most of the assessment criteria.
  • Application: No evidence of initiative, personal responsibility, decision-making and learning ability.
  • Evaluation: The work is purely descriptive and/or very poorly performed, with no evidence of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and /or critical appraisal in relation to that expected at the given level of study.
  • General: Many significant inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings; very poor standard of presentation; significant deviations to the specifications for the assessment task, i.e. substantial deviations from the word limit and/or major elements of the work missing.