Norwegian Grading System in Higher Education

Grading

Principals of the Norwegian universitites state about the grading system in a letter dated 29.10.03:
http://www.admin.uio.no/sfa/sfa/studiekom/AU% 20univrektorer% 20to% 20fak101103.rtf

 
Especially important for this round of censorship are these points:
* "Grading should be based on the verbal description
which is given by the various levels. "
* "For large populations of students, the grade C stand as would be expected
as a typical performance of the "average student". One should
therefore expect that C is the average grade, for large
populations over time. "

A: Outstanding
High knowledge level and excellent analytical ability. The student is able to use his/her knowledge independently. The student demonstrates solid analytical understanding and very good knowledge
and overview of the subject’s academic content. The student demonstrates outstanding skills in the
application of this knowledge.

B: Very good
Good overview of the knowledge field and analytical ability. The student shows good
knowledge and overview of the subject’s academic content. The candidate shows excellent skills in the application of this knowledge.

C: Good
Might manage the most important elements in the field. Can to some extent use the knowledge gained independently. The candidate demonstrates analytical ability and understanding. The candidate shows good understanding of the key knowledge elements and relationships in the subject’s academic content. The student masters the use of these knowledge elements.

D: Usable
Overview of the key knowledge elements is missing. The student is unable to useknowledge independently. The student demonstrates a certain degree of analytical ability and
understanding. The student shows some understanding of the key
knowledge elements and relationships in the subject’s academic
content and may to some extent use these knowledge elements.

E: Sufficient
Meets minimum requirements, but not much more. The student is unable to
use the subject’s content independently. The student shows limited analytical ability and
understanding. The student has a list of important knowledge elements in the subject’s academic content, but his/her knowledge is incomplete and characterized by limited insight into the relationships of the topic.

F: Fail
Lacks both the detailed knowledge and overview. The student shows very little analytical ability and
understanding. The candidate shows large and obvious lack of knowledge
in the subject’s academic content. The student demonstrates little
insight into relationships in the academic content.

(Additional info: www.uhr.no / national-row / nrt / nykarakterskalanrt.htm)

The Gauss curve:

The Gauss curve indicates a percentage of the grades divided on the different levels. Of the passing students, these are the percentages for each passing grade:

A 10% B 25% C 30% D 25% E 10%

The curve shows a wanted distribution of the grades in Norway. If someone shows large and lasting deviations from the expected distribution, it will be corrected.