From: Aitken Graeme [mailto:[email address]] 
Sent: Friday, 30 June 2006 2:28 p.m. 
To: [email address] 
Cc: Haigh Mavis 
Subject: PG Qualifications: Honours, Merit and Distinction 
 
 
Feedback from the Faculty of Education on Meeting on Grading Paper. 
 
The Faculty supports the need for consistency across the university. 
 
The Faculty will support the use of GPAs as the basis of awards of Honours, 
Merit and Distinction and agrees that the cut off points are appropriate.  It 
would be our preference, however, to use marks averages rather than GPA.  We 
suggest this because: 
 
-          marks are more transparent to students (see consideration 2 at the 
foot of the paper). Student work is either awarded a letter grade or 
a mark.  GPAs add a further categorization that will need to be 
explained to students. 
 
-          marks account for finer distinctions in assessment which may be 
significant in borderline cases (compare, for example, two students 
doing 4, 30 point courses, each with two B+ grades and two A- minus 
grades.  Using GPAs these students would both be awarded 2(1) and yet 
their cumulative marks, assuming that one scores at the bottom of the 
range on each grade and one at the top, could be as many 16 marks 
apart.  If Honours were then calculated on marks average, rather than 
GPA, one would be awarded First Class, the other 2(1)).  In providing 
this example, and in making this recommendation, we are well aware 
that assessment is not the exact science that the use of marks 
appears to suggest but we do feel that there is potential for a 
reasonably large spread of cumulative totals to be masked through the 
use of GPAs. 
 
 
Graeme Aitken 
EdD, MA(Hons), DipTchg 
Associate Dean Academic 
Faculty of Education (Epsom Campus) 
The University of Auckland, 
Private Bag 92601, 
Symonds St, 
Auckland, 1035. 
NEW ZEALAND 
 
ph 0064-9-623-8899 ext 47552 
[email address] 
 
  
The Faculty invites you to its 125th Jubilee of Teacher Education, 23 September 
2006  
For further information: http://alumniandfriends.education.auckland.ac.nz  
Phone Maureen Tizard on [09]6238899 extn 48689 
 
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