It is up to each instructor to determine the requirements for individual letter grades or scores. The grading scale shown below is that which is currently used in GATE.
A level grades are assigned to the best work in the class, work that also demonstrates a thorough and nuanced understanding of the material, and the ability to clearly convey this information and the writer’s own ideas to the reader in a scholarly fashion.
A level work is often on par with that completed at higher levels of university.
B level work is that which provides a quality interpretation of ideas and materials, and does so in a comprehensive and well-structured manner. This material is ‘above average’, meaning that the work illustrates an understanding that is better than what would be expected for the course.
C level work demonstrates an understanding of materials that is on par with most of the other students. A C is not a bad mark! A C or C+ grade indicates that the student has not only met the minimum requirements of the assignment, but has also provided a basic or fundamental interpretation of the materials.
A C- is typically awarded when the submitted material meets only the basic requirements of the assignment, or when it fails to do so but demonstrates a nearly successful effort to do so.
D’s are awarded in cases where the work submitted meets most, but not all of the minimum requirements of the assignment, and does not show an effort to do so, or for work that is in such poor condition (e.g. badly written, not proofread) that the student’s ideas are unclear.
An F is awarded to work submitted that does not meet at least most of the requirements of the assignment, or is so poorly composed that a passing grade cannot be legitimately assigned.
| Letter Grade | Percentage Equivalence |
|---|---|
| A+ | 90-100 |
| A | 85-89 |
| A- | 80-84 |
| B+ | 77-79 |
| B | 73-76 |
| B- | 70-72 |
| C+ | 67-69 |
| C | 63-66 |
| C- | 60-62 |
| D | 50-59 |
| F | <50 (fail) |