Using a scale with a marking guide (Moodle 3.4)

Using a scale with a marking guide (Moodle 3.4)

by Bob Gilmore -
Number of replies: 1
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Hi all,

For a variety of assessments, we use a scale of Further Evidence Required, Achieved. This gives a maximum grade of 2

To achieve the assessments, learners must get all marking criterion correct. (i.e., achieve 100%).

Each criterion is marked out of 0 or 1. Some use marking guides, others use rubrics. The number of criterion varies between assessments, however it is always more than 5, sometimes climbing over 20.

  • When using this scale with a rubric, missing a single criterion results in the correct grade of Further Evidence Required.
  • When using a marking guide, a student received the incorrect grade of Achieved if they achieve a score of 1 in 50% or more of the criterion.

This suggests to me that rubrics are rounding to total down to the the scale entry, while marking guides are rounding up.

Advanced grading is telling me that the marking guide has a maximum grade of 1, but I cant see where it's getting this from. Both the assignment grade setup and gradebook setup are suggesting the maximum grade is 2.


How do I get a marking guide to correctly round down to the lower scale entry, not the upper one?

This scale is below:

The grade setup:


Gradebook setup:



Thanks in advance!

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In reply to Bob Gilmore

Re: Using a scale with a marking guide (Moodle 3.4)

by Bob Gilmore -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

While I didn't solve the scale problem, I found a workaround.

The more I struggled with scales, the more I realised they were just not fit for purpose for almost anything beyond liking a forum post. For example.

  • Scales don't work correctly with marking guides. For example rounding up instead of down causing a Fail (1) / Pass (2) scale on an assignment with a pass score of 2 incorrectly reporting a pass score if the learner achieved more than 50%. (Annoyingly, they don't do this behavior on a rubric where you need 100% to pass.)
  • They don't integrate at all with the quiz module, meaning you cant use a scale in a grade book also containing a quiz

My workaround; ditch scales completely and use the Letters instead:

  • In the course grade book, set up a letter scale to match your proposed scale. You can use whole words or short phrases instead of just letters. This is already more flexible than scales - you can set proper boundaries.
  • I can already see me using this for a pass / merit / distinction type scale with boundaries of, for example 50% / 75% / 90%
  • Create all your quizzes, assignments, etc as normal. If using advanced marking in assignments, you MUST NOT use a scale. Use a value instead. Simple direct grading seems to work fine with a scale.

  • In the grade book, set up each graded module to use a letter Grade Display type (Or letter with percentage or value if you want to see both). This is under Show more for the Grade Item
  • Do the same for the course total and also any category totals that use the scale.
Everywhere the grade shows, the letter value will now show instead. (Note that the Test(marking guide) has letter (percent) instead of just Letter to show how it looks.

Grader report:



Marking guide:

I'm now left to ponder if this was intended right from the inception of Letters vs Scales. The letters documentation certainly implies this (https://docs.moodle.org/35/en/Grade_letters). I wish I'd been led there from all the searches through the scales documentation I did! It'd be great if Letters and the ability to create proper scales using them was included in the Grade book FAQ.

Anyway, I hope this is of use to someone else. I know I've wasted hours on this so hopefully it benefits someone!
Average of ratings: Useful (3)