Configure grading scale
Set rating modes on exam types, manage institution rating schemas for graded exams, and apply German numeric, ECTS, pass-fail, and points-to-grade scales — including how a scale reaches an open exam.
Grading in the Exam Center uses two layers: the rating mode on each exam type, and rating schemas at the institution level for graded exams. Together they define whether an assessment produces a differentiated grade, a pass/fail outcome, or a participation mark — and, for graded exams, which numeric, letter, or ECTS-style values graders can select.
This page is the deep reference for scales on exam types. Day-to-day grading on an open exam is covered under Grade & manage an exam and Grade submissions. How attempt eligibility interacts with graded outcomes is covered in Attempt lifecycle. For bonus points and ruleset rounding, see Bonus points and grade rounding.
Why it matters
A grading scale is more than a dropdown. It encodes how your institution recognizes achievement for transcripts, progression, and ECTS mobility:
- Numeric scales support averages, weighted module grades, and conversion between systems.
- Pass/fail and participation modes match assessments that certify competence or engagement without a differentiated mark.
- Letter and ECTS grades (commonly A–F) communicate achievement in a form familiar across the European Higher Education Area — typically modeled as named rows in a rating schema, often with numeric values behind them for calculation.
Getting rating mode and schema design right once prevents inconsistent grading UX across programs and avoids mid-term confusion when rulesets override the institution default.
How it fits
| Piece | Where you configure it | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Rating mode | Exam type in OrgHub → Exam Center → Exam Types | Graded vs pass/fail vs participation controls |
| Rating schema | Settings → OrgHub → Exam Center → Rating Schemas | Available grade values for Graded mode |
| Ruleset schema | Academic ruleset version | Can override institution default for covered students |
| Publish | Publish grades | Makes results visible in curriculum and module views |
Key concepts
Rating modes on exam types
When you create or edit an exam type, choose a rating mode:
| Rating mode | How students are evaluated | Grading control in Exam Center |
|---|---|---|
| Graded | Students receive grades from a rating schema (numeric or letter values) | Dropdown or input mapped to schema values |
| Pass or fail | Students can only pass or fail | Pass / fail selector |
| Participation | Students pass by participating | Participation / no participation selector |
Set the rating mode on the exam type in OrgHub → Exam Center → Exam Types. All exams created from that type inherit the mode.
Numeric, letter, and ECTS grades
Domain concepts you will map into schemas:
| Concept | Meaning | Typical schema approach |
|---|---|---|
| Numeric scale | Ordered numbers (for example German 1.0–5.0 or 0–100) | Value-based schema with a numeric value on each row |
| Letter grades | Named bands (A, B, C, …) | Named rows; optionally with values for averages |
| ECTS grades | European A–F achievement labels often used for mobility | Named tiers in a schema; pair with values if you need aggregation |
| Pass / fail | Binary outcome without differentiation | Exam type Pass or fail mode — no schema |
| Participation | Credit for taking part | Exam type Participation mode — no schema |
Formative vs summative and scale choice
- Summative, credit-bearing exams that appear on transcripts almost always use Graded (or regulated pass/fail where the study rules require it).
- Formative feedback during teaching may not need an Exam Center exam type at all; when it does (for example mandatory participation checks), Participation or Pass or fail often fits better than a full numeric scale.
Choose the lightest mode that still satisfies examination regulations.
Best-attempt vs last-attempt (domain context)
Some German and European regulations count the best grade among sittings toward the certificate; others count the last sitting. Fuxam records each attempt on its own tab and publishes what staff release — see Grade & manage an exam and Attempt lifecycle. Your exam office decides which published result is authoritative for transcripts; schema design should still make every sitting’s mark unambiguous.
Worked schema examples
These examples use documented Fuxam mechanics (value-based vs percentage-based schemas, rating modes) with domain grade labels. Adjust names and values to match your Prüfungsordnung.
Example A — Full German numeric scale (value-based)
Common university pattern: grades from 1.0 (sehr gut) through intermediate thirds to 4.0 (ausreichend, typically the lowest pass), then 5.0 (nicht ausreichend, fail).
| Name (label) | Value | Band (typical domain meaning) | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sehr gut | 1.0 | Excellent | Pass |
| Sehr gut | 1.3 | Excellent (lower third) | Pass |
| Gut | 1.7 | Good (upper third) | Pass |
| Gut | 2.0 | Good | Pass |
| Gut | 2.3 | Good (lower third) | Pass |
| Befriedigend | 2.7 | Satisfactory (upper third) | Pass |
| Befriedigend | 3.0 | Satisfactory | Pass |
| Befriedigend | 3.3 | Satisfactory (lower third) | Pass |
| Ausreichend | 3.7 | Sufficient (upper third) | Pass |
| Ausreichend | 4.0 | Sufficient — lowest pass in many statutes | Pass |
| Nicht ausreichend | 5.0 | Fail | Fail |
Configure as a value-based schema; set pass percentage according to your regulations. Use exam type rating mode Graded.
Example B — ECTS letter grades A–F (named rows)
| Name | Optional value | Domain meaning (typical ECTS grade) |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1.0 | Excellent |
| B | 2.0 | Very good |
| C | 3.0 | Good |
| D | 3.5 | Satisfactory |
| E | 4.0 | Sufficient |
| F | 5.0 | Fail |
Use letters as name; add value if you need numeric averages or conversions. Still Graded mode on the exam type. Remember: ECTS grades are not ECTS credits.
Example C — Percentage-based letter bands
| Name | Percentage range | Constraint |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | Ranges must total 100% across the schema |
| B | 80–89 | |
| C | 70–79 | |
| D | 60–69 | |
| F | 0–59 |
Use percentage-based grading basis; validate totals before marking the schema as institution default.
Example D — Points to grade (worked conversion)
Many Klausuren are marked in raw points, then converted to a grade. Fuxam graders enter the schema grade (or percentage band), not an arbitrary free-text score — so your institution needs a clear conversion before the Exam Center session.
Scenario (domain example): Max 100 points; pass at 50 points; German thirds on the pass side.
| Points earned | Approx. share of max | Example grade entered |
|---|---|---|
| 95–100 | 95–100% | 1.0 |
| 90–94 | 90–94% | 1.3 |
| 85–89 | 85–89% | 1.7 |
| 80–84 | 80–84% | 2.0 |
| … | … | Continue per your table |
| 50–54 | 50–54% | 4.0 (lowest pass) |
| 0–49 | below pass | 5.0 |
Two Fuxam-aligned ways to support this:
- Value-based schema with German values — examiners convert points using an institutional table (paper or local tool), then select 1.0, 1.3, …, 5.0 in the grading control.
- Percentage-based schema — if your process expresses results as percentage of max points first, map those percentages to named bands that total 100%.
For bonus points that change the raw total before conversion, see Bonus points and grade rounding.
Example E — Pass/fail or participation (no schema)
| Assessment | Rating mode | Grading control |
|---|---|---|
| Practical safety check | Pass or fail | Pass / fail selector |
| Mandatory seminar attendance | Participation | Participation / no participation |
How a grading scale is applied to an exam
End-to-end path from catalog to student-visible mark:
- Institution defines one or more rating schemas (value-based or percentage-based) under Settings → OrgHub → Exam Center → Rating Schemas, optionally marking one as default.
- Academic ruleset versions may assign a specific grading schema for covered students (Edit a ruleset; resolution order: assignment priority).
- Exam type sets rating mode to Graded (or Pass or fail / Participation).
- Module version attaches the exam type as an examination requirement (and may set weight / final-exam flags for that requirement).
- My Exams opens the live exam; on an attempt tab, the grader sees a control filled from the student’s effective schema (or a binary selector).
- Staff publish grades; students see results in curriculum and module views.
| Student situation | What the grader typically sees |
|---|---|
| Graded type + institution default schema | Schema labels / values from the default |
| Graded type + ruleset schema override | That ruleset’s schema (may differ within one cohort) |
| Pass or fail type | Pass / fail only |
| Participation type | Participation / no participation |
Institution rating schemas
Rating schemas define the grade values available for Graded exams. Manage them at Settings → OrgHub → Exam Center → Rating Schemas.
Schema types
| Basis | Description | Example grades |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage-based | Grades map to percentage ranges (must total 100%) | A (90–100), B (80–89), … |
| Value-based | Each grade has an optional name and a numeric value | 1.0, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0 (German scale) |
When creating or editing a schema:
- Enter a schema name and optional code.
- Choose percentage-based or value-based grading basis.
- Add rating values — name, numeric value (for value-based), and percentage range (for percentage-based).
- Set the pass percentage threshold.
- Optionally mark a schema as the institution default.
Custom grades
You can define any number of grade rows in a schema — letter grades, numeric scales, or named tiers. Each row needs at least a name or a value. For value-based schemas, every row should include a numeric value for correct averages and conversions.
How grades display
- In the Exam Center, graders see a selector populated from the effective rating schema. For Graded mode, the control shows schema labels (and values where applicable).
- For Pass or fail, graders see pass/fail options only.
- For Participation, graders mark whether the student participated.
- Students see published grades in their curriculum and module views after you publish grades.
The exam detail tabs that host this work are described in Grade & manage an exam.
Academic rulesets and schemas
A student’s effective grading schema may come from their academic ruleset version. When a ruleset specifies a grading schema, it overrides the institution default for students covered by that ruleset.
That means two students in the same Graded exam can theoretically see different effective schemas if their ruleset assignments differ. Design schemas and ruleset assignments deliberately so graders are not surprised by divergent dropdowns in one cohort.
Assign or change a schema on a ruleset version when editing a ruleset. Resolution order for which ruleset applies: assignment priority.
Ruleset versions also configure rounding behavior (generic decimal vs rating-schema-based) and module / final weights. Those interact with how averages and combined marks are interpreted — details in Bonus points and grade rounding and Edit a ruleset.
How to configure a grading scale
Go to Settings → OrgHub → Exam Center → Rating Schemas and create or edit a rating schema with the grade values your institution uses.
Optionally assign the schema to an academic ruleset version for program-specific scales.
Set the rating mode to Graded on each exam type that should use the schema.
Grade submissions on the exam attempt tab — the selector reflects the student’s effective schema.
Best practices
- One default schema for the institution’s most common scale; use ruleset overrides only where programs truly diverge.
- Percentage bands must total 100% on percentage-based schemas — validate before marking a schema as default.
- Always set values on value-based rows so averages and conversions remain trustworthy.
- Keep pass percentage aligned with examination regulations so pass/fail boundaries match policy (especially the German 4.0 pass line).
- Publish a points-to-grade table to examiners when Klausuren are marked in points first.
- Train graders on the difference between rating mode (what control they see) and schema (which labels fill a Graded control).
- Name schemas clearly — for example “German numeric 1.0–5.0 (2024)” vs “ECTS A–F mobility” so ruleset editors pick the right override.
Common pitfalls
- Using Graded mode while schemas are incomplete or missing values.
- Expecting pass/fail or participation exams to use a rating schema — they do not.
- Omitting intermediate thirds (1.3, 1.7, …) when the statute uses them — examiners then cannot enter the official mark.
- Changing schemas mid-term without communicating to examiners working in My Exams.
- Confusing ECTS credit points with ECTS grade letters when designing schema rows.
- Assuming every student in one exam shares one schema — ruleset overrides can diverge; check assignment priority.
FAQ
Where do I change rating mode versus schema?
Rating mode lives on the exam type. Schemas live under Settings → OrgHub → Exam Center → Rating Schemas, and may be overridden per academic ruleset.
Can one exam type use different schemas for different programs?
Yes, indirectly. The type uses Graded mode; each student’s effective schema can come from their ruleset version rather than only the institution default.
Do students see unpublished grades?
No. Students see grades in curriculum and module views after you publish them.
How does a fail on a graded scale relate to attempt counting?
A failed mark on a sitting consumes against module failed attempt policy resolved from rulesets and the exam type’s attempt workflow. Schema design defines the fail band (for example 5.0); attempt economy is separate — see Attempt lifecycle.
Is 4.0 always a pass?
In many German statutes yes — 4.0 is the lowest pass and 5.0 is fail. Always confirm against your Prüfungsordnung before locking schema rows and pass percentage.
Related pages
- Bonus points and grade rounding — points conversion, bonus policy, ruleset rounding.
- Participation and ungraded completion — binary and attendance-style modes.
- Attempt lifecycle — how graded outcomes interact with attempt eligibility.
- Grade submissions — enter grades using the configured scale.
- Edit an exam type — change the rating mode on a template.
- Edit a ruleset — assign a grading schema per ruleset version.
- Grade & manage an exam — exam detail tabs and publish flow.
- Exam types — how types inherit rating mode into module exams.
- Exam Center & reporting — section landing.
- Configure attempt limits — numeric attempt ceilings alongside schemas.