Assessment Criteria

Student work is assessed into different class categories by using the following criteria:

Very High First Class (90-100)

Such answers are exceptional and fully answer the question demonstrating the attainment
of all learning objectives and in adherence to all guidelines. The answer will be expected to
show an exceptional level of achievement with respect to the following criteria:
• insight and depth of understanding of the material;
• the exercise of critical judgement along with clarity of analysis and of expression;
• knowledge of the relevant literature.

High First Class (80-89)

Such answers are outstanding and provide a near-full and well-structured answer to the
question and can be expected to indicate an outstanding level of achievement of all of the
following qualities:
• insight and depth of understanding of the material;
• the exercise of critical judgement along with clarity of analysis and of expression;
• good knowledge of the relevant literature.

First Class (70-79)

Such answers are excellent and provide a largely- full and well-structured answer to the
question and can be expected to indicate excellence in some or most of the following
qualities:
• insight and depth of understanding of the material;
• the exercise of critical judgement along with clarity of analysis and of expression;
• knowledge of the relevant literature.

Upper-second Class (60-69)

Such answers are very good and provide a generally well-structured answer to the question
and can be expected to indicate some of the following qualities:
• a good or very good understanding of the material;
• clarity of analysis, of argument and of expression;
• a demonstrable grasp of the relevant literature.
Lower-second Class (50-59)
Such answers are good and provide a clear answer to the question. They can be expected to
show most of the following features:
• a firm understanding of the material;
• clarity of analysis and argument, albeit limited in extent;
• some awareness of the relevant literature.
Note: What distinguishes a high Lower-second Class from a low Upper-second Class is greater
extent of understanding of material and clarity of analysis and argument, as well as at least
some selective knowledge of the relevant literature, not mere awareness of its existence.

Third Class (40-49)

Such answers are sufficient and demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of the issues and
offer only partial answers to the question. They can be expected to show some of the
following features:
• sparse coverage of the material with several key elements missing;
• unsupported assertions and a lack of clear analysis or argument;
• Important errors and inaccuracies.

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Fail (30-39)
Such answers are insufficient and, while showing some awareness of the area, fail to deal
• with the question in a way that suggest more than a fragmented and shallow
acquaintance
• with the subject. They are often error-prone, lacking in coherence, structure and
evidence of independent thought.

Bad Fail (20-29)

Such answers are inadequate and fail to demonstrate the ability to engage with the question.
They demonstrate only the most basic awareness of the area and may contain errors. They
will be almost completely lacking in coherence, structure and evidence of independent
thought.

Very Bad Fail (10-19)

Such answers are severely inadequate and exhibit an almost complete lack of engagement
with the area or question.

Extremely Bad Fail (0-9)

Such answers are profoundly inadequate and exhibit a complete lack of engagement with
the area or question.

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Marking Criteria on Grademark

Third Class
High First Class (80+) First Class (70-79) Upper-second Class Lower-second Class Fail Fail
(40-49)
(60-69) (50-59) (30-39) (0-29)

The analysis is mostly

coherent, although there
The analysis is almost may be some minor
The analysis is fully The analysis is, in
fully coherent. It contradictions. It makes
coherent. It makes large part, coherent. The coherence of the
makes several critical some critical insights, The analysis lacks
several critical insights It makes some analysis may be
insights that are although some may coherence. The
that are deeply perceptive critical weak. The work may The work
perceptive. The require greater arguments are very
Critical perceptive. The insights. The contain weak demonstrates little
arguments are clarification or thought, weak and not fully
analysis and arguments are fully arguments are arguments or be or no critical ability.
almost fully or the work may be supported.
argument supported with sound supported with overly descriptive.
supported with largely descriptive.
evidence. It may also sound evidence.
sound evidence. Some of the arguments
demonstrate a degree
of originality. require greater
evidence.

The work demonstrates The work

a reasonable level of The work
demonstrates an The work
The work The work understanding of the demonstrates a very
The work incomplete demonstrates a
demonstrates an demonstrates a very issues and approaches weak understanding
Knowledge demonstrates a deep understanding of the little or no
excellent good understanding involved, although at of the issues and
and understanding of the issues and understanding of
understanding of the of the issues and times may show a lack of approaches involved.
understanding issues and approaches approaches involved. the issues and
issues and approaches awareness of some of There are some very
involved. There are some approaches
approaches involved. involved. the complexities of the sizable gaps in
notable gaps in involved.
subject. understanding.
understanding.

Structure and The structure and

organisation are largely The structure is very
organisation The structure and
The structure and The structure and appropriate, but some weak and unclear. There is no
organisation are The structure is very
organisation are very organisation are points are not organised The points are not discernible
appropriate and poor and unclear.
clear and logical. clear and logical. in a logical manner. organised in a logical structure.
largely logical.
manner.

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 The work addresses The work addresses
The work addresses The work addresses The work addresses the
the question for the question, but
the question fully. It the question almost question for most part.
Relevance most part. It offers only a partial The work fails to
answers the question fully. It answers the It answers the question
answers the answer to it. It (i) The work fails to demonstrate the
in an extremely question in a very in a largely focused
question in a contains tangential tackle the question. ability to engage
focused manner. There focused manner. manner. There may be
focused manner. material and/or (ii) with the question.
is no tangential There is little, if any, some tangential
There is not much lacks focus at several
material. tangential material. material.
tangential material. junctures.

The work effectively

The work
The work provides a uses the literature The work
The work provides a The works demonstrates demonstrates a The work
Use of deeply perceptive and to frame the demonstrates a poor
perceptive and a good knowledge of the limited knowledge of demonstrates
secondary focused use of the discussion and to knowledge of the
focused use of the literature. However, it the literature. There almost no
literature literature, based on a support its claims. It literature in the
literature, based on a may rely too heavily on may be notable knowledge of the
very wide range of is clearly based on a subject area. There
wide range of certain sources and/or errors and literature in the
reading. good range of may be notable
reading. be overly descriptive of inaccuracies. subject area.
reading. errors and
the existing literature.
inaccuracies.

The discussion is The discussion is very The discussion is

Style and The discussion is The discussion is, for the
The discussion is highly The discussion is unclear and/or unclear and/or extremely unclear
presentation clear. The work most part, clear. The
lucid and cogent. There lucid and cogent. adopts an adopts an and/or adopts an
adopts an work adopts an
are very few, if any, There are few, if any, inappropriate tone. inappropriate tone. inappropriate tone.
appropriate tone. appropriate tone. There
spelling, grammar, or spelling, grammar, or There may be several There may be several There may be
There may be a few may be some
typographical errors. typographical errors. errors in errors in several errors in
errors in presentation errors.
presentation. presentation. presentation.
presentation.