Grades
How to calculate your university grade
6 min read · Updated 1 August 2026
University modules are almost always weighted: a quiz worth 10% and a final exam worth 50% do not affect your grade equally. Calculating your grade means converting each assessment to a percentage, multiplying by its weight, and adding the results.
The formula
Grade = Σ (assessment percentage × assessment weight) ÷ Σ (weights completed). Dividing by the completed weight is the important part — it tells you how you are doing so far rather than assuming zero on everything unmarked.
Worked example
- Essay: 68/100 = 68%, weight 20% → contributes 13.6
- Lab report: 41/50 = 82%, weight 20% → contributes 16.4
- Midterm: 54/80 = 67.5%, weight 30% → contributes 20.25
- Completed weight = 70%. Current grade = (13.6 + 16.4 + 20.25) ÷ 0.70 = 71.8%
What do I need on the final?
Use: Required = (Target − Current × CompletedWeight) ÷ RemainingWeight. If you are on 62% with 70% of the module marked, your target is 70%, and the final is worth 30%, you need (70 − 62 × 0.7) ÷ 0.3 = 88.7% on that final. If the answer is above 100%, the target is no longer reachable — and it is better to know now.
Common mistakes
- Averaging percentages while ignoring weights.
- Forgetting that a mark out of 30 is not the same as a percentage.
- Assuming weights sum to 100 when your course has an optional component.
- Mixing up module grade with overall degree classification, which weights whole years.
Our grade calculator does all of this for you, including the 'what do I need to get?' calculation, and shows each assessment's weighted contribution so you can see exactly where marks are being lost.