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Gradebook guide

Explore the Gradebook where Moodle stores and organises students' grades.

About grading and calculations

The Gradebook is very powerful and allows you to manage complex grading and calculations. Some of the common grading and calculation scenarios are outlined below.

Enable show calculation

To complete a number of the tasks described below, you first you need to confirm that Grader report preferences are set to Show calculations.

  1. Select Grades in the contextual navigation menu above the module name.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Choose Preferences: Grader report.
  3. Change the Show calculations option (top one on the page) to Yes.
  4. Save changes.

Assign weighting to assignments

  1. Select Grades from the contextual navigation menu.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Select Gradebook setup.
  3. Go to the category heading to which you want to assign a weighting. Select Edit > Edit settings.
  4. If you are updating the Module total, then select the top category (by default, it is named after the module).
  5. Under Aggregation setting, select Weighted mean of grades from the drop-down menu.
  6. When finished, select Save changes button.
  7. To assign weighting to each grade item, enter the percentage weight under the Weights column in relation to the grade item. Then select Save changesNote: Default is 1.0 (=100%)

Gradebook set-up with weight column highlighted

 

Manage multiple submission points (Aggregation: Highest grade)

  1. Select Grades in the contextual navigation menu above the module name.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Select Gradebook setup.
  3. Select Add category, name it as the name of the assessment.
  4. Move all the grade items which represent the multiple submission links to this category.
  5. Apply aggregation method Highest grade to the category.

Calculate category or course total using formula (Edit Calculation)

The Gradebook provides a list of standard methods of aggregation. If none of them apply to your course, you can manually enter a formula for a category or the Module total.

You first you need to confirm that Grader report preferences are set to Show calculations. First you need to confirm that Grader report preferences are set to Show calculations. Follow the steps described in Show calculation.

  1. Select Grades in the contextual navigation menu above the module name.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Select Gradebook setup.
  3. Select Edit and choose Edit calculation next to the category or Module total. 

  4. Assign an ID to the grade item(s) which will be included in your calculation. Select Add ID numbers.
  5. In the Calculation text box, type in the formula. The formula should start with an equal (=) sign and may use common mathematical operators, such as max, min and sum. If desired, other grade items may be included in the calculation by typing the ID numbers in double square brackets. Select Save changes.
  6. Separate each ID number with a comma, for example:
    •   =average([[item1]], [[item2]]...): Returns the average of a sample
    •    =max([[item1]], [[item2]]...): Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments
    •    =min([[item1]], [[item2]]...): Returns the minimum value in a list of arguments
    •    =mod(dividend, divisor): Calculates the remainder of a division
    •    =pi(): Returns the value of the number Pi
    •    =power(base, power): Raises a number to the power of another
    •    =round(number, count): Rounds a number to a predefined accuracy
    •    =floor(number): Maps a real number to the largest previous integer
    •    =ceil(number): Maps a real number to the smallest following integer
    •    =sum([[item1]], [[item2]]...): Returns the sum of all arguments
    •    =an asterisk (*) gives the product of two items: [[item1]]*[[item2]]
  7. IF Conditions - You are able to add AND or OR criteria into IF conditions in the Grade Calculation.

Screencast

The screencast below provides a step-by-step overview of how to set up a formula for a category or Module total.

Resit assessment. Marks capped at 50 (Edit calculation)

First you need to confirm that Grader report preferences are set to Show calculations. Follow the steps described in Show calculation.

  1. Select Grades from the contextual navigation menu.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Choose Gradebook setup.
  3. Select Add category button. Name it as the name of the assessment. For example, 'Assignment 1 resubmission'.
  4. Move the resubmission grade item(s) to this category.
  5. Select Edit and choose Edit calculation next to the category total.
  6. Assign an ID to the resubmission grade item. For example, 'resit'. Then select Add ID numbers at the bottom of the page.

  7. Enter this formula in the Calculation box (put the ID in double square brackets). =min([[resit]], 50)

  8. Select Save changes button.

 

Calculate category or course total with resit assessment. Marks capped at 50 (Edit calculation)

The table below illustrates different scenarios of student marks and the respective calculated course total for an assignment with a resubmission point and a capped grade:

Calculated total scenarios

Student Assignment grade

Resub grade

 

Cap

Module total
Student 1 40 30 50 30
Student 2 40 50 50 50
Student 3 40 65 50 50
Student 4 60 Not required to resubmit Not applicable 60
  1. First you need to confirm that Grader report preferences are set to Show calculations. Follow the steps described in Show calculation.
  2. To cap resit assessment at 50, please follow the guidance in the section above - Resit assessment. Marks capped at 50 (Edit calculation).
  3. Select Grades in the contextual navigation menu above the module name.
  4. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Select Gradebook setup.
  5. Select Edit and choose Edit calculation next to the category or course total. 
  6. Assign an ID to the original assignment submission, for example, 'assignment'.
  7. Assign an ID to the category total for the capped resit assessment, for example, 'capped_resit'.
  8. Then select Add ID numbers at the bottom of the page.
  9. Enter this formula in the Calculation box (put the ID in double square brackets). =max([[capped_resit]], ([[assignment]]-[[capped_resit]]))
  10. Select Save changes button.

Screencast

The screencast below provides a step-by-step overview on how to set up a new category and how to add a calculation for capped grade items.

Calculate category or Module total by excluding lowest grades (Drop the lowest)

The Drop the lowest setting enables a specified number of the lowest grades to be excluded from the aggregation. 

  1. Select Grades in the contextual navigation menu above the module name.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Select Gradebook setup.
  3. Select Edit and choose Edit calculation next to the category.
  4. Select Show more…
  5. Next to Drop the lowest option, enter the number of grade items to drop.

Grade with a non-numerical scale (Grade type: Scale)

A scale is an ordered list of marks or text values, ranging from negative to positive (e.g. Sub-standard, Less than satisfactory, Satisfactory, Good, Very good, Excellent!, or Fail, Pass), that is used to grade assessment submissions.

  1. Select Grades in the contextual navigation menu above the module name.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Select Gradebook setup.
  3. Select Edit and choose Edit calculation next to the category total.
  4. Open the Category total section, select Scale as Grade type.

  5. Select the Scale to apply from the Scale drop-down.
  6. Save changes.

Add a new scale

  1. Select Grades in the contextual navigation menu above the module name.
  2. Open the drop-down menu on the left of the page. Choose Scales.
  3. Select Add a new scale button. Complete the settings
  4. Select Save changes button.
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