About scaling: Advice for students

The final grade a student receives is based on the standard of his or her own performance across all the tasks set for a unit. Assessment tasks are designed so students can demonstrate how well they have achieved a unit’s outcomes.

While marks for individual assessment tasks may give a good indication of the likely final mark or grade for the unit, they do not guarantee a specific grade or final mark.

From time to time, final results for a unit may need to be adjusted or scaled. This can happen, for example, if it is found that the marking process has not accurately represented the actual standards achieved by students. If adjustment to raw scores is needed, this is always done with care and attention to individual students’ work. The marking process involves consultation and cross-checking to ensure that results faithfully reflect standards expected in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney.