How Grades and Marks Work in Australian Universities

If you’re studying at an Australian university or planning to, understanding how grades and marks work is essential. Marks are the numerical scores you receive, usually as a percentage, while grades place those marks into categories such as Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction. Universities may also use GPA or WAM to summarise your results across multiple subjects. Here’s everything you need to know about how the system works.

What Are Marks and Grades?

• Marks: These are numerical scores, often expressed as percentages, that indicate how well you performed in an assessment or subject. For example, you might receive 75 out of 100 for an essay, meaning you scored 75%.
• Grades: These are text-based classifications tied to ranges of marks. They provide a broader summary of your performance, such as “High Distinction” or “Pass.”

Together, marks and grades give a complete picture of your academic performance.

The Common Australian Grading Scale

Most Australian universities use a standard grading scale. While there can be slight variations, the typical structure looks like this:

Grade	Mark Range	Description
High Distinction (HD)	85–100	Exceptional performance, demonstrating a thorough understanding and originality.
Distinction (D)	75–84	Excellent performance, with a strong grasp of the material and application.
Credit (C)	65–74	Good performance, showing competent understanding and application of knowledge.
Pass (P)	50–64	Satisfactory performance, meeting the basic requirements for the subject.
Fail (F)	Below 50	Performance did not meet the required standard to pass the subject.

Understanding Marks in Detail

Marks are typically awarded for individual assessments like essays, exams, or lab reports. These marks contribute to your overall subject mark, calculated as a weighted average based on the percentage value of each assessment. For example:

• An essay worth 40% of your grade, where you score 70, contributes 28 points (70 x 0.4).
• A final exam worth 60%, where you score 80, contributes 48 points (80 x 0.6).
• Combined, these give you an overall mark of 76, which corresponds to a Distinction.

Do Grades or Marks Matter More?

Both marks and grades are important, but they tell you different things. You may also see WAM or GPA, which summarise your results across multiple subjects.

• Marks: The numerical score you receive for an assessment or subject, usually shown as a percentage.
• Grades: A category given to a range of marks, such as Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction.
• WAM (Weighted Average Mark): Your average mark across multiple subjects, with subjects weighted according to factors such as their credit points.
• GPA (Grade Point Average): A numerical score calculated from your grades across multiple subjects. The GPA scale varies between universities.

Key Things to Remember

1. Thresholds Matter: If you’re aiming for a specific grade, understanding the mark range is critical. For example, scoring 74.5 might round up to 75, earning you a Distinction instead of a Credit.
2. Failing Isn’t Always the End: If you fail a subject (score below 50%), many universities allow you to retake it. However, retakes can delay your degree and add costs, as well as lowering your GPA.
3. Not All Assessments Are Equal: Pay attention to the weightings of each assessment. A heavily weighted exam can significantly impact your final mark, so focus your efforts accordingly.

Other Grading Classifications

Some universities use additional classifications, such as:

• Withdrawn (W) or Academic Withdrawn (AW): Indicates that you withdrew from the subject after the census date.
• Fail Absent (FA) or Absent Fail (AF): Used when you fail due to non-attendance or missing key assessments.
• Fail Withdrawn (FW): Indicates you withdrew after a set date and failed the subject.

These classifications are important to understand, as they may appear on your academic transcript. If you withdraw from a subject before census date then the subject will not normally appear on your academic transcript – so you don’t pay for it at all!

You can read more about what failing a uni subject in Australia means here.

Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

A Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is basically your average mark across your university subjects.

The “weighted” part means that subjects worth more credit points can have a bigger effect on your WAM.

For example, imagine you received:

• 80 in a 6-credit subject
• 70 in a 6-credit subject
• 90 in a 12-credit subject

The 12-credit subject counts twice as much as each 6-credit subject.

Your WAM would be:

(80 × 6 + 70 × 6 + 90 × 12) ÷ 24 = 82.5

So your WAM is 82.5.

If all your subjects are worth the same number of credit points, your WAM is usually just the average of your marks.

Not every Australian university uses WAM, and the exact calculation can vary. Some universities also give different weightings to subjects depending on their year level.

Grade Point Averages (GPAs)

Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is a numerical representation of your academic performance, calculated based on your grades in each subject. The scale varies by university, but the two most common are the 7- and 4-point GPA systems:

Australian Universities and Their GPA Systems

Most Group of Eight (Go8) universities (Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, ANU, UWA, Adelaide) use a 7-point GPA system, while some universities (such as Monash and UTS) use a 4-point GPA system:

• Australian National University (ANU) – 7-point GPA
• Monash University – 4-point GPA
• Griffith University – 7-point GPA
• University of Adelaide – 7-point GPA
• University of Melbourne – 7-point GPA
• University of New South Wales (UNSW) – UNSW does not use a grade point average (GPA) system
• University of Queensland – 7-point GPA
• University of Sydney – 7-point GPA
• University of Technology Sydney (UTS) – 4-point GPA
• University of Western Australia (UWA) – 7-point GPA
• University of Wollongong – 7-point GPA

The 7-Point GPA System

The 7-point GPA system is used by most Australian universities. Here is a breakdown of how many points each grade is worth:

Grade	GPA Value
High Distinction (HD)	7.0
Distinction (D)	6.0
Credit (C)	5.0
Pass (P)	4.0
Fail (F)	0.0

4-Point GPA System

The 4-point GPA system is only used by a few Australian universities, such as Monash and UTS. Here is a breakdown of how many points each grade is worth:

Grade	GPA Value
High Distinction (HD)	4.0
Distinction (D)	3.0
Credit (C)	2.0
Pass (P)	1.0
Fail (F)	0.0

How Your GPA is Calculated

Most universities calculate GPA as a weighted average of your grades. Each subject’s grade is assigned a GPA value, multiplied by its credit points, and then divided by the total credit points.

For example, using the 7-point GPA system, if you took three subjects with the following results:

• HD (7.0) in a 6-credit subject
• D (6.0) in a 6-credit subject
• C (5.0) in a 6-credit subject

Step-by-Step Calculation

1️⃣ Multiply each subject’s GPA value by its credit points:

• (7.0 × 6) = 42
• (6.0 × 6) = 36
• (5.0 × 6) = 30

2️⃣ Add them together: 42 + 36 + 30 = 108

3️⃣ Divide by the total number of credit points: 108 ÷ 18 = 6.0

4️⃣ Final GPA = 6.0 (Distinction level)

Honours

For students pursuing an honours degree, grading can include additional distinctions:

• First Class Honours: Typically awarded to students with an average mark of 80+ in their honours year.
• Second Class Honours (Division 1 or 2): Reflects averages in the 70–79 or 60–69 range.
• Third Class Honours: For averages between 50–59.

Australian Universities and Their GPA/Grading System Pages

Here’s a link to each university in Australia and their grading system so you can check how your university calculates your grade:

• Australian National University (ANU) – Grades
• Charles Sturt University (CSU) – GPA Calculator
• Deakin University – Results and grading schema
• Edith Cowan University (ECU) – What is a Grade Point Average (GPA)?
• Griffith University – Grades explained
• James Cook University (JCU) – Grade Point Average (GPA)
• La Trobe University – Grades and Results
• Macquarie University – Grading Policy
• Monash University – Grading Scale
• RMIT University – Grades
• Swinburne University of Technology – Results and grades
• University of Adelaide – Grading system
• University of Melbourne – Results and grades
• University of New England (UNE) – Information about your Grade Point Average (GPA)
• University of New South Wales (UNSW) – UNSW Grading System
• University of Newcastle – GPA Calculator
• University of Queensland (UQ) – Grading System
• University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) – How to calculate your GPA in Australia
• University of Sydney – Understanding your academic results
• University of Tasmania (UTAS) – What is a grade point average (GPA) and how is it calculated?
• University of Technology Sydney (UTS) – Grades and Grade Point Average
• University of Western Australia (UWA) – Grades and Marks
• University of Wollongong – Understanding Your Grades
• Victoria University (VU) – Results and grades
• Western Sydney University – Grades and Grade Point Average