Faculty of Law Undergraduate Handbook - Faculty of Law - The ...

How will your coursework and examinations be graded?The following table shows the relationship of marks to grades on the nine-point scale used by the Facultyof Law for coursework and the final examination in the course, as well as descriptors appropriate to therequirements of the course, corresponding to the level of attainment within each of the letter grades onthe scale. Students will note that the descriptors are broadly banded in the grades of A, B, C, and D,with the finer gradings being reflecting as “shades” or “levels” of achievement within the broad bands.Grade % Value Description Relating to Student Attainment in the CourseA+AA-B+BB-C+CC-D+D90–10085–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–44D- 0–39Work of high to exceptionally high quality showing excellence in, or advanced knowledge andunderstanding of, subject matter, appreciation of the issues, analysis, synthesis, and evaluationof course content; well formulated arguments based on strong and sustainable evidence and/orsupporting authority; full identification and accurate referencing of relevant primary andsecondary sources; high level of creative ability, originality, and critical thinking; excellentcommunication and presentation skills; accurate adherence to the Faculty’s current LegalResearch and Writing Guide. In short, the “A” student will have attained an “in-depth”knowledge and understanding of the subject matter of the course, and may have undertakenextensive reading beyond that which is required. The student will have consistentlydemonstrated a high level of proficiency in understanding and applying relevant conceptualtools and methodologies to the subject area, and in addressing relevant debates in the area.Clarity, insight and “added value” are looked for.Work showing a good to strong grasp of subject matter and understanding of major issues,though not necessarily of the finer points; good-to-strong application of the appropriate legalprinciples to the assessment task; arguments clearly developed and based on sound evidenceand/or legal authority; identification and accurate referencing of relevant primary andsecondary sources; evidence of creative ability, originality, and critical thinking; goodcommunication and presentation skills; accurate adherence to the Faculty’s current LegalResearch and Writing Guide. In short, the “B” student will have attained a “sound” knowledgeand understanding of the subject matter of the course, and demonstrated familiarity with themajor academic debates, and the ability to apply, fairly accurately, relevant methodologies, andconceptual tools to the subject area.Work showing a knowledge of subject matter and appreciation of the main issues, albeit withsome lapses and inadequacies; basic application of appropriate legal principles to theassessment task; arguments developed and supported by some evidence and/or legal authority;identification and accurate referencing of the main primary and secondary sources; creativeability, originality, and critical thinking evident but limited; adequate communication andpresentation skills; adequate adherence to the Faculty’s current Legal Research and WritingGuide. In short, the “C” student will have attained an “adequate” knowledge and understandingof the subject matter of the course, and demonstrated some familiarity with the majoracademic debates, approaches, methodologies, and conceptual tools of the subject.Work lacks breadth and depth, generally has gaps of a significant nature, and may statecontradictory propositions and/or conclusions are often stated. Frequently work of this gradetakes a simple factual approach, and student understanding and coverage is inadequate; littleor no attempt is made to interpret, analyse, or critique the material; at the lower end, workindicates a need for considerable effort to achieve improvement; poor communication andpresentation skills; poor (or no) adherence to the Faculty’s current Legal Research and WritingGuide. In short, the “D” student will have attained an “inadequate” knowledge andunderstanding of the subject matter of the course, and demonstrated merely superficialfamiliarity with the major academic debates, approaches, methodologies, and conceptual toolsof the subject.Highly unsatisfactory work; shows a real lack of knowledge about and understanding of thesubject matter; inadequate in degree of relevance, sometimes completeness, often both;communication and presentation skills are very weak; poor (or no) adherence to the Faculty’scurrent Legal Research and Writing Guide. In short, the “D-” student will have attained a “verypoor” knowledge of the subject matter of course, and demonstrated little (if any) familiarity withthe major academic debates, approaches, methodologies, and conceptual tools of the subject.2010 Faculty of Law Handbook | 79