Attainment scales
An attainment scale turns a mark into a grade. Each grade has a label (A, B, 7, Secure), a points value used in averages and sorting, and often a range of marks. Use attainment scales for anything that is a level of achievement: current grade, report grade, target grade, exam grade.
For effort, behaviour or attitude, where there is nothing to convert, use Judgement Scales instead.
Where: Configuration → Assessment → Attainment scales
Who can change this
A manager, or a person whose role includes Grade and assessment scales. That permission also covers conversions between scales.
The list
The newest scale is at the top. Each scale shows its name, number of bands and a preview of the bands. One scale is tagged Default. Use Set as default to change which. The default is what a new column uses when nothing else is chosen.
Actions: Add scale, Edit boundaries, Duplicate, Archive or Unarchive. Archiving hides a scale from new templates. Markbooks already using it keep working.
Two kinds of scale
When you create a scale you choose its Grading type:
| Type | What it describes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Numeric marks | Each band also has a points range: the lowest and highest mark that belongs to it. | 80–89 = A |
| Label marks | Only the labels and their points. | Secure = 3 points |
In both cases, teachers enter a grade on the marks grid by picking the label from the list. The points (weight) of each label are what averages, sorting and formulas use. To let teachers type a raw score instead, use a Number column, and add a calculated or grade column next to it if you also want the band. See Columns Configurations.
Defining the bands
Under Define labels for marks, add one row for each grade. Select Add mark (a scale can hold at most 20 grades).
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grade | The label, such as A*, B, 7, Secure. |
| Description (optional) | A longer text, such as "Exceeds expectations". Families read it under What the codes mean in their view of the grades. Without it, they see the grade but not its meaning. |
| Weight (points) | The number used when averaging and sorting. Higher grades must have higher points. |
| Points range | For numeric scales: the lowest and highest mark in the band. |
| Color | The colour of the grade in the grid and in reports. |
For numeric scales you also set the Minimum value and Maximum value, such as 0 to 100.
Overlaps and gaps
- Two bands must not cover the same mark. MarkBook shows "Some bands overlap — every point must map to exactly one grade" and will not save.
- A gap between bands is allowed but flagged: "{n} gap(s) detected between bands. Marks falling into a gap will not map to any grade."
- Each band's weight must be distinct.
Final grades and averages
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Final grade is based on | Arithmetic average, Last mark / grade received, Highest mark received, Lowest mark received, or No final average. |
| Decimals for final grade | How many decimals an average keeps. Unused when only labels are shown. |
| Rounding rule | None, nearest, down or up. |
| Markbook display | Numbers only, Labels only, Labels in grid, numbers in reports, Numbers in grid, labels in reports, or Labels and numbers everywhere. |
| Preview style | Solid or Outline, for how a grade chip looks. |
A preview panel on the right shows a sample child, their marks and the resulting average and final grade as you change the settings.
Example: a British A*–U scale
| Grade | Points | From mark |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 8 | 90 |
| A | 7 | 80 |
| B | 6 | 70 |
| C | 5 | 60 |
| D | 4 | 50 |
| E | 3 | 40 |
| U | 1 | 0 |
A student scores 83 in one test and 68 in another. Their grades are A (7 points) and C (5 points, because 68 is below 70). The arithmetic average is 6 points, which is B.
Example: an American A–F scale
| Grade | Points | From mark |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 90 |
| B | 3 | 80 |
| C | 2 | 70 |
| D | 1 | 60 |
| F | 0 | 0 |
Points of 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 give a grade point average on the usual 4.0 scale.
Where a scale is used
A scale does nothing until a column uses it:
- On the column (Column Library (Value Types)) as its Default attainment scale.
- On a subject in a template (Markbook Templates), which overrides the column's default for that subject.
A calculated column can also turn its result into a grade from a scale. See Calculated Columns & Formulas.
Deleting a scale
Select the scale and delete it. MarkBook first checks what depends on it and tells you:
| Situation | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Nothing uses it | Delete it. |
| It is used by columns but no one has been graded against it | Choose a replacement scale. Every column, value type and override moves to it, then the old scale is removed (Reassign and delete). |
| It already carries grades | Archive is the recommended choice. Delete anyway remains available but strands those grades. |
Edge cases
- Changing boundaries after marks exist. Check the preview before you save. New marks and averages follow the new bands, so a report could read differently from one printed earlier.
- Several systems in one school. Create one scale per system (for example one for lower school, another for upper) and set each subject's scale in the template.
- Showing two scales at once. Use Scale Conversions.