Honours Grades

Below are general guidelines for grade descriptions for undergraduate courses in the Division of Society, Culture, Media, and Philosophy. For Honours work specifically, Senate has resolved that standardised marks for Honours results be used in accordance with the following table:

Macquarie University awards grades in the following ranges. Below is a brief summary of what each grade may be taken to mean in the Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy.

High Distinction (85% 100%)

Students gaining a HD show all the qualities of students earning a Distinction, but their work also shows originality and real initiative in approach, research or argument. HD students have usually gone beyond the question asked and the materials on the unit, to seek out new materials, reflect critically on issues or methodologies used in a certain discipline or to contrive daring styles of literary presentation. HD work shows no lapses in any field, whether interpretation, argument, research or presentation.

Distinction (75 % 84 %)

Distinction work shows all the qualities of Credit work, but shows evidence of initiative. The student will usually show they have a range of options at their disposal: there are a number of ways they can interpret the question, research the topic and organize their argument; and they are aware of the specificity of the methodology available. In other words, they will show an understanding of the approaches modeled in lectures and readings, and the ability to go beyond them. Within the choices they have made, they have presented a strong, considered, if not absolutely water tight argument.

Credit (65%. 74%)

Credit work will present an argument that shows a considered, planned, response to the issues and questions raised by a unit, and a well informed engagement with unit material. Discipline based terminology and methodology will be clearly understood and applied. Credit. , students show evidence of thorough use of unit readings and lecture material. Credit essays show basic mastery of unit material and discipline specific methodology as modeled in lectures and readings. Literary presentation should show proper referencing, and proper structure, at a sentence, paragraph and overall strategic level. Students who consistently receive Credit grades and above are eligible to do Honours.

Pass (50% 64%)

The Pass grade is the grade most commonly awarded in a unit. A pass essay deals adequately with unit material; it understands key discipline based terminology as it has been outlined in lectures and unit material. It shows a general or basic understanding of discipline-based methodology, in a practical sense, but it would not usually reflect on methodological questions (unless that is the specific focus of the unit or task). It would be adequate in its literary presentation, conforming loosely to discursive writing conventions (using paragraphs etc.) showing some evidence of planning and structuring; some attempt at informed use of references would be expected. A pass essay at the lower level would probably be descriptive; at the higher level, it should show awareness of the need to be analytical and critical, though this might not have been brought off effectively. Research will not go beyond a basic, probably one off reading of unit material.