Factsheet
Assessment scales
Updated on 13 June 2021
An explanation of how the current (and previous) assessment scales work at Dundee.
Scale used from academic year 2015-2016 onwards
| Reporting scale | Descriptor | Honours class (where appropriate) | Associated aggregation scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Excellent | 1st | 23 |
| A2 | 22 | ||
| A3 | 21 | ||
| A4 | 20 | ||
| A5 | 19 | ||
| B1 | Very good | 2(i) | 18 |
| B2 | 17 | ||
| B3 | 16 | ||
| C1 | Good | 2(ii) | 15 |
| C2 | 14 | ||
| C3 | 13 | ||
| D1 | Satisfactory | 3 | 12 |
| D2 | 11 | ||
| D3 | 10 | ||
| M1 | Marginal fail | 9 | |
| M2 | 8 | ||
| M3 | 7 | ||
| CF | Clear fail | 5 | |
| BF | Bad fail | 2 | |
| QF | Qualified fail | - |
Qualifying codes
In any assessment scale, a grade or percentage mark may be followed by a qualifying code.
| Reporting Scale | Descriptor |
|---|---|
|
P |
Pass |
|
F |
Fail |
| Reporting Scale | Descriptor |
|---|---|
|
AB |
Unauthorised Absence/No Attempt |
|
CA |
Certified Absence for other than medical reason(s) |
|
DC |
Module to be discounted |
|
DS |
Distinction Pass awarded for specific module |
|
MC |
Absence with a Medical Certificate |
|
ME |
Merit Pass awarded for specific module |
|
NM |
No Mark Awarded |
|
QF |
Required conditions not met to have obtained an overall pass |
|
ST |
Refused admission to examination, no class certificate or for disciplinary reasons |
|
WD |
Withdrawn from module |
* indicates credits awarded under the University's Compensation/Condonement Scheme
Marking in percentages
In some instances individual pieces of work are marked in percentages. Where this is the case the final calculation of the module grades will be based on the aggregation of alpha numeric grades derived from the percentages. This will be the grade which is published and made available to you on eVision. An example of this might be:
- Module A has two items of assessment:
- Project worth 40% of the overall grade
- Degree Examination worth 60% of the overall grade
A student receives an ‘A1’ for the Project (which is 23 on the aggregation scale) and ‘B3’ for the Degree Exam (which is 16 on the aggregation scale), this overall grade is calculated as below:
| Project: | 23 x 40% = 9.2 |
| Degree Exam: | 16 x 60% = 9.6 |
| Total = | 18.8 which is rounded up to 19 (which is an A5 on the alpha numerical scale) |
The overall grade for the Module A is ‘A5’
Older assessment scale
SCQF - Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework
The table below indicates the correlation between University of Dundee levels and Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework.
| UoD Level | SCQF Level |
| 0 | 6 |
| 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 8 |
| 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 11 |
| 6 | 12 |
The Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education Institutions in Scotland requires that our honours programmes comprise 480 credits, with a minimum of 90 credits at SCQF level 9 and a minimum of 90 credits at SCQF level 10.
We consider that English A-levels are at an equivalent level of study to the Scottish University first year (normally SCQF level 7) and it is common practice for us to offer advanced entry into second year for students with appropriate A-levels. This is noted on the transcript as prior learning.