As I was about to enter University I learned that I would no
longer be graded under a marks system but instead a Grade Point Average (GPA)
system out of 10 would be used. I began to wonder, if the system in a particular
institution requires that they use a 4 point system, which is used in foreign
universities and is a standard for measuring students’ scores throughout the
world was used in my University, would it be fair or unfair?
According to that system the marks are converted into and the GPA chart used in that institution
which is completely unrelated to my University looks like this.
85 and above= 4
75- 84= 3.6770-74 = 3.33
60-69 = 3
Nice na? Basically you could look at this and say that you
just need an 85 or you just need a 75 and your performance would be equated to
that of a 100 or an 84 respectively. Bullshit, it’s an absurd and pathetic system
which does not reward the one with the highest marks.
Take this scenario
Person A scores 75 across 6 papers for a score of 450
Person B scores 84 across 6 papers for a score of 504
Person C scores 84 in 5 papers and 74 in 1 paper for a score
of 494
B has an advantage of 54 marks over A.. and that is MASSIVE. But both A and B have the GPA
of 3.67. Bloody nonsense….
Person C on the other hand will end up with an inferior GPA
of 3.61 despite having a massive advantage of 44 of marks over Person A.
Yes people who get 75 will be over the moon, but there will
be that 1 time when you get something more than 75. How would you like anything
from 76-84 be considered equal to 75? I wouldn’t like it. I do not like it.
If one of the 84s gotten by B had been an 85 it would have
been a different story entirely. The G.P.A. in that course would rise by 0.33 and even the overall G.P.A. would rise. Isn’t this loss
of 1 mark too costly? Same for Person C who got the 74. His 9 mark advantage
over Person A in 5 papers is thwarted by a 1 mark deficit in 1 paper.
The system suits and rewards low scores.
The brackets themselves are an issue
60 to 69 is 3 G.P.A. and 75 to 84 is 3.67 GPA.
If you get 69 and another gets 75 you miss out on 6 marks
you lose a huge chunk of GPA. This is even worse than the 84=75 debate. Here, a
meagre 6 marks which a person can lose in simple 2 point losses per answer
throughout the paper. Take a 60 marks paper having 3 answers for 20 marks each and
you lose 2 marks per answer due to subjectivity. It’s fine under a marks system
where 6 marks isn’t that big a deficit, but the GPA deficit is 0.67. Your score
of 69 is treated equally to someone who got a 60 (69=60).
Also note that had you gotten 60 and the other person gotten
84 the GPA difference would still be the same. Weird system.
If the systems are universal I wonder why they aren’t implemented
from years 9-12(high school). When we had it in the 8th in school the
teachers were scornful of it and said that it’s not a real way of marking
people(I agree with that) and they also said ahead you will compete on marks(what
the hell were y’all talking about? We have grades in the “ahead” y’all spoke
about) Every mark doesn’t count.
Under that G.P.A system.
Anything above 85=85
84=75
74=70
69=60
The GPA system is flawed
Some say that they can’t complain as they will benefit. Fair
enough.
In my opinion it’s totally unfair and such a 4 point system shouldn’t
exist. Let everyone be judged on every single mark they score and not on weird
uneven mark brackets. I’m thankful such a chart doesn’t exist in my
institution. Would have preferred marks, but, so happy that we get marked fairly on a sensible 10 point GPA here. 