School of Theology
Report on the Recommendations on Grading of
Postgraduate Qualifications: Honours, Merit and Distinction
The School of Theology endorses the recommendations on Grade Descriptors. The
following points are made in response to these recommendations.
i. The suggested basis for awarding honours for Bachelors (Hons) and Masters degrees is
very close to the practice that the School of Theology has followed for its MTheol
degree.
ii. The School commenced its Post-graduate Diploma programme at the beginning of
2006. The policy on the difference between Distinction and Merit for the Post-graduate
is therefore very timely. There is a question as to whether it will be necessary to ensure
that examiners’ marks are given in percentages rather than letter grades in order to
distinguish the Merit grade at 5.5 and above (72.5%)? If so this will need to be built
into the instructions sent out to examiners and assessors.
iii. The policy on “rounding” clarifies what has up to this point been ill defined.
iv. The School is revising its instructions for examiners of MTheol theses and the generic
descriptors it uses to describe grades awarded at the post-graduate level. These generic
descriptors will be considered at the next meeting of the School’s Research and
Postgraduate Committee.
Elaine Wainwright
15.6.06