Marking periods and grading scheme
Set up a level's marking periods and grading scheme — term weights, sub-term period splits, external exam entries, and period-level scale overrides — so the gradebook calculates correctly.
The grading scheme and marking periods together define how a student's year grade is assembled for a level. The grading scheme sets the year-level weights (which terms and external exams contribute and how much). Marking periods are the grading units inside each term where teachers record assessments.
Who this is for
Administrators configuring the grading structure for a level before teachers start entering marks.
The three weight rings
Every grade calculation passes through three nested rings:
| Ring | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Year ring (grading scheme) | How much each term and each external exam contributes to the year grade. Weights must sum to 100%. |
| Term ring (marking periods) | How much each marking period contributes within its term. Weights must sum to 100%. |
| Leaf ring (grade categories) | How much each category (Exams, Assignments…) contributes within a marking period. See Gradebook. |
If a term has only one marking period (the default), the term ring is trivially 100% and the term grade equals that period's grade.
Set up the grading scheme
The grading scheme lives in Grading setup. Open Assessments → Grading setup → Levels, pick the level, then open the Scheme tab.
Load a preset
Use a preset as a starting point:
| Preset | Year ring |
|---|---|
| Two terms (standard) | T1 50%, T2 50% |
| Grade 6 / Grade 9 | T1 25%, T2 25%, Regional exam 50% |
| BAC | T1 12.5%, T2 12.5%, Regional 25%, National 50% |
You can adjust any preset after loading it.
Add or edit entries manually
Each entry is either an internal term (links to a term definition) or an external exam (links to an external exam you have defined). Set a weight for each entry. The running total is shown — it must reach 100% for the scheme to be valid.
Weights below 100% warn but don't hard-block
If the year ring does not sum to 100%, a warning appears and averages are renormalised automatically. Close the gap when you are ready, but it will not prevent teachers from entering grades.
Manage marking periods
Marking periods live inside each term. Open Assessments → Grading setup → Levels, pick the level, then open the Marking periods tab.
Default state
When a term is created, one marking period at 100% is added automatically. You see it listed even if you never split the term. Teachers record assessments inside that single period.
Split a term
To divide a term (for example into Midterm and End-of-term):
Open the term
Select the term in the marking periods view.
Add a period
Click Add period and give it a name (e.g. Midterm) and a within-term weight.
Set weights so they sum to 100%
The total for all periods in the term must reach 100%. A running total is shown in green when the sum is correct.
Repeat for all terms that need splitting
Each term's periods are independent — you can split Term 1 into two periods while Term 2 stays as one.
You cannot delete the last period in a term
Every term must keep at least one marking period. Deleting a period that still has assessments or grades recorded against it will be blocked.
Minimum pass score
Each marking period can have an optional minimum pass score (e.g. 10/20). If a student's period grade falls below it, a fail flag is shown on the gradebook and report card even if their overall average is above the pass threshold.
External exams
An external exam (regional or national) is an entry in the grading scheme of kind External rather than a term. Define the exam first, then add it to the scheme.
Define an external exam
Go to Assessments → Grading setup → Levels, pick the level, open the External exams tab, and add the exam.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | e.g. Regional Exam 2024. |
| Code | Optional short code. |
| Default max score | The score the exam is marked out of (e.g. 20). |
| Covered subjects | Select which subjects the exam covers. Each gets a coefficient and optional max score. The coefficient defaults from the subject's school coefficient but can be adjusted — it is used only for the exam's own average, never for the overall average. |
Add the exam to the scheme
Open the level's grading scheme, add an External entry, and link it to the exam. Set its year-ring weight. The year ring must still sum to 100% across all internal terms and external entries.
Enter scores
During the exam period, go to Assessments → Grading setup → Levels → External exams and open the exam's Scores to enter each student's score per covered subject. Students can be marked Absent for individual subjects.
Period grading config override
Each marking period can override the level's grading settings for that period only — useful when an external exam is scored on a different scale from internal assessments.
Open a marking period and choose Config override to set:
- a different grading scale (e.g. /100 instead of /20),
- a different calculation method or rounding,
- a different pass threshold.
Fields left blank inherit from the level (or school-year) defaults.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up Term 1 = 25%, Term 2 = 25%, Regional = 50%?
Open the level's grading scheme, add two internal term entries (T1 and T2 at 25% each) and one external entry linked to the regional exam at 50%. Make sure the regional exam has been defined first with its covered subjects and coefficients.
What happens if I don't split a term?
Nothing changes. The single auto-period covers 100% of the term, so the term grade equals the period grade. The system always works with marking periods, but with one period per term the result is identical to a simple term-based gradebook.
Can I rename a marking period?
Yes. Open the period and edit its name. The name appears on the gradebook column header and on the report card.
If I add an external exam, do all subjects get a score?
No. You choose which subjects the exam covers when you define it. Subjects not covered by the exam have the exam's weight dropped for them — their year grade is computed from terms only, and the remaining weights are renormalised to sum to 100%.
Can two levels share the same grading scheme?
No — each level has its own scheme. But you can load the same preset for multiple levels and then adjust each one independently.
Do marking periods carry over to next year?
Yes. Marking period definitions are per level and reused every year. The per-year instance (its weight snapshot and assessments) is created fresh each year during academic year setup.
Related articles
Report Cards
Generate, publish, and reissue student report cards — per student or in bulk for a whole class — showing period grades, term grades, overall average, rank, and mention.
Grading scale
Set up grading scales and grade bands so numeric scores are converted to letter grades, mentions, and GPA values on the gradebook and report cards.