Grading

All you need to know about grading at Makerere University

Examination Marks

The range of marks is probably a lot smaller than you are used to from school. The overall marks a candidate obtains in each Course he/she offered shall be graded out of a maximum of One Hundred (100) Marks and assigned appropriate Letter Grades and Grade Points.

The following list is to give you an idea of what the marks mean

Grade Point Average Terminology

Credit Unit- Hours assigned a course, this is the number listed in both the schedule of classes and the catalog and is usually 2 to 5 credits. Grade point - the numerical value assigned to a grade; A+ = 5 points A = 5 points B+ = 4.5 points B = 4 points C+ = 3.5 points C = 3 points D+ = 2.5 points D = 2.0 points F = 0 points Grade points – Number of credit units for a course times the grade value Earned credits – Credit hours that you passed (with a grade of D or higher).

What can I do if I fail my semester examinations?

Don’t despair – you can still recover the following year! Such a student shall be allowed to progress to the next semester/ academic year but shall still retake the courses failed when next offered.

Final Year Results

Officially, in the final year you get a classified degree. For purposes of the classification of Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates (where applicable) the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CPGA) for the various Classes shall be as indicated below:

The road to success for 99% of the people isn’t a jump! It’s a steady incline from one successful project to the next – Lee Morris

I didn’t fail, but can I re-sit anyway to improve my marks?

Yes! A student may retake a Course or Courses when next offered again in order to improve his/her Pass Grade(s) if the Pass Grades got at the first assessment in the Course or Courses were low. A student who fails to attain higher marks after retaking to improve, the examination results of the first sitting are recorded on the transcript and shall not be recorded as a Retake.

I don’t believe my exam marks!

Every year we receive complaints from students who believe that their mark for one or more examination papers is too low. We perform, lots of checks and the chances of a mark being significantly in error are tiny. The most common reasons are because the question has not been answered in sufficient depth or some of the required points in the answer have been missed. Answers are sometimes self-contradictory or illegible or the main point of the question has been missed.

How do I appeal?

The decisions of the examiners regarding passes, fails and degree classification are taken with extreme care and attention, with one of the primary considerations being fairness to all students. Once these decisions are made, the opportunities to change them are limited; in particular, students do not have the right to have their papers remarked simply because the published mark doesn’t match their expectation. Only if we are presented with primafacie evidence that a student has been unfairly treated will we even consider a change of decision.

Should you feel that the department has not treated you fairly, every student has the right to use the University’s Examinations appeal procedure. Candidates shall make their requests in writing clearly specifying the grounds upon which the appeal is being made including, but not limited to the following:

That there exists or existed circumstances affecting the student’s performance of which the Examiners had not been made aware when their decision was take

That there were procedural irregularities in the examination process.

That there is evidence of prejudice or bias or inadequate assessment on the part of one or more of the examiners. Note that disagreement with the academic judgement examiners is not a ground for appeal.

NB: The appeal must be made within a period of 30 days after the display of examination results.