Your degree classification is decided by a weighted average, not a plain one. A 30-credit module counts for twice as much as a 15-credit module, and a final-year mark usually counts for far more than a second-year one. Averaging your marks without weighting them gives you a number that looks right and is wrong.
The formula
A weighted average multiplies each mark by its weight, adds those up, and divides by the total weight:
Weighted average = Σ(mark × weight) ÷ Σ(weight)
“Weight” can be credits (for combining modules within a year) or year-weighting percentages (for combining years into a final result). The method is identical; only what you plug in changes.
Worked example: one year of modules
Suppose a second-year student has taken four modules over the year:
- Module A — mark 72, worth 30 credits
- Module B — mark 58, worth 15 credits
- Module C — mark 65, worth 15 credits
- Module D — mark 61, worth 60 credits
Multiply each mark by its credits:
- 72 × 30 = 2,160
- 58 × 15 = 870
- 65 × 15 = 975
- 61 × 60 = 3,660
Add those products: 2,160 + 870 + 975 + 3,660 = 7,665. Add the credits: 30 + 15 + 15 + 60 = 120. Divide: 7,665 ÷ 120 = 63.875, which rounds to a 64 — a solid 2:1.
Notice what happened: a plain average of the four marks (72, 58, 65, 61) is 64 as well — but only by coincidence. Because the big 60-credit module sat at 61, it pulled the weighted result down toward itself. Had Module D been a single small module, the high 72 would have lifted the average. Where your marks land matters as much as the marks themselves.
Combining years into a degree result
Once each year has a single mark, you repeat the process using your university’s year weightings as the weights. If second year is weighted 40% and final year 60%, and you scored 64 then 68:
- (64 × 40) + (68 × 60) = 2,560 + 4,080 = 6,640
- 6,640 ÷ 100 = 66.4 — comfortably a 2:1, edging toward a First.
Common mistakes
- Averaging modules ignoring credits. The most frequent error. Always weight by credit value.
- Counting first year when it does not count. Many universities weight first year at 0% toward the final classification. Check before you let a rough year worry you.
- Forgetting unmarked work is not zero — yet. When you project a grade mid-year, decide whether you are treating ungraded assessments as zero (worst case) or excluding them (current form). The two answers can differ a lot.
Let the maths run itself
Doing this by hand once is worthwhile for understanding; doing it every time you get a mark back is tedious and error-prone. UniGrade keeps a live weighted average at module, year and degree level, and shows both your “banked” figure and your average on completed work. From there you can work out exactly what you need on what is left.