Grade-Scales for Homework and Exams
MAT 4930, Section 3F84 (17710) — Curves and Surfaces
Spring 2019

The scale for each assignment or exam below is created after the assignment or exam is graded. These are the cutoffs that will inserted into the announced grading formulas to determine the "raw score" cutoffs for final grades.

The cutoffs given below are the bottom for the "flat" grade, not the minus grade. (For example, if the cutoff listed for a B is 50 points, then 50 is a B and 49 is a B-). The A- cutoff is 1/3 of the way down from the A cutoff to the B cutoff, the B+ cutoff is 1/3 of the way up from the B cutoff to the A cutoff, the B- cutoff is 1/3 of the way down from the B cutoff to the C cutoff, etc. (except that I do not give D-'s; anything lower than the D cutoff is an E).

A cutoff like "17.5" in a grade-scale does not mean that any half-points were given to any student on the corresponding assignment or exam; it simply means that I thought 18 was too high for the cutoff and 17 was too low.

Each average and median below was computed from the scores of only those students who turned in that assignment without a lateness penalty, or took that exam.


Homework

Scores (and cutoffs) for the different assignments are simply added together at the end of the semester. Example: if there are only two homework assignments, worth 60 points and 80 points respectively, and the "A" cutoffs are 50 and 70 respectively, then the "A" cutoff for the homework component of the final grade is 120 out of a possible 140. (The homework component is then weighted according to the percentages given in the syllabus.) A student earning 55 points on each of the two homeworks would have the same homework grade as a student earning 30 points on the first assignment and 80 points on the second.

A B C D class average
Assignment 1 (47 points)
41
(87%)
36
(77%)
29
(62%)
24
(51%)
41.6
(89%)
Assignment 2 (28 points)
22
(78%)
15.5
(55%)
8
(29%)
4
(14%)
19.5
(70%)
Assignment 3 (34 points)
24.5
(72%)
20.5
(60%)
13
(38%)
7
(21%)
23.1
(68%)
Assignment 4 (46 points)
32.5
(71%)
23.5
(51%)
14.5
(32%)
8.5
(18%)
30.3
(67%)
Homework totals (155 points)
120
(77%)
95.5
(62%)
64.5
(42%)
43.5
(28%)
114.5 (74%)
(without averaging-in
the 0's for assignments
that some student(s)
never handed in)

104.5 (67%)
(averaging-in all scores,
including the 0's for
assignments that were
never handed in)


Midterm Exam

A B C D class median class average
Midterm (183 points)
139
(76%)
114
(62%)
69
(38%)
33
(18%)
102
(56%)
108
(59%)
list of scores


Final Exam

A B C D class median class average
Final Exam (146 points)
114
(78%)
90
(62%)
60
(41%)
46
(32%)
92
(63%)
89
(61%)
list of scores

Distribution of final grades for course

A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D E
Number of students receiving grade 4 0 1 0 2 3 0 0 1 0 0


Class home page