Three layers of weighted averages
1. Assessments make a module mark
Multiply each assessment mark by its percentage weighting, add the contributions, then divide by the total assessment weight. A 66% exam worth 60% and 72% coursework worth 40% produce:
(66 × 60 + 72 × 40) ÷ 100 = 68.4%
Assessment weights must add to 100%. A tolerance of 0.01 percentage points allows decimal entries such as three equal weights of 33.33%. We divide by the entered total within that tolerance. A 60%-weighted exam on its own is incomplete, even if it has a mark.
2. Module credits make a year average
Multiply each module mark by its credits and divide the sum by the included credits. A 40-credit module has twice the influence of a 20-credit module within that year. Credits do not tell us whether the university has formally awarded them: you must enter all modules required by your classification rules.
Year average = Σ(module mark × module credits) ÷ Σ(module credits)
3. Year contributions make a degree average
Multiply each counted year average by its degree weighting and divide by the sum of those year weightings. For a complete setup, the year percentages should total 100%. Keep full precision through each layer; round only the displayed result.
Degree average = Σ(year average × year weighting) ÷ Σ(year weighting)
If the regulation gives a ratio, convert it to percentages: 1:2 means 100 ÷ 3 and 200 ÷ 3; the preset uses 33.33% and 66.67%, so it is a rounded approximation. Near a boundary, enter more decimal places or calculate with the exact ratio required by your university.
Reproduce the calculator’s loaded example
The home page’s “Try a worked example” button loads the modules below. Each year contains 120 credits and each module uses a 60% exam and 40% coursework split. Names and marks are invented for demonstration.
| Year | Module | Credits | Exam | Coursework | Module mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 2 | Engineering Mathematics | 20 | 66% | 72% | 68.4% |
| Year 2 | Control Systems | 20 | 64% | 68% | 65.6% |
| Year 2 | Group Design Project | 40 | 71% | 74% | 72.2% |
| Year 2 | Digital Systems | 20 | 62% | 67% | 64.0% |
| Year 2 | Programming | 20 | 70% | 75% | 72.0% |
| Final | Individual Project | 40 | 72% | 76% | 73.6% |
| Final | Advanced Electronics | 20 | 65% | 70% | 67.0% |
| Final | Embedded Systems | 20 | 68% | 73% | 70.0% |
| Final | Robotics | 20 | 70% | 75% | 72.0% |
| Final | Professional Practice | 20 | 66% | 71% | 68.0% |
Year 2 gives 8,288 weighted mark-credit points ÷ 120 = 69.066666…%. Final year gives 8,484 ÷ 120 = 70.7%. Using the example’s 40:60 year weighting gives:
(69.066666… × 0.40) + (70.7 × 0.60) = 70.046666…% → 70.05% displayed
That is in the calculator’s common First-class numerical band. It is not a verified university classification. Open the calculator and choose “Try a worked example” to check it yourself; replacing existing marks requires confirmation.
Missing marks, zeroes and partial results
- A blank mark is unknown. It is not assumed to be zero. A positive-weight assessment needs a mark before its module counts.
- A mark of 0 is a real input. It stays in the calculation. A result below 40% remains visible.
- A zero-weight assessment or year contributes nothing. An empty zero-weight assessment does not block an otherwise complete module; an uncounted year does not block the degree estimate.
- An incomplete module makes its year incomplete. The year is excluded rather than being averaged over only the strongest completed modules.
- Partial means completed years only. If Year 2 is 64% and contributes 40%, while final year is blank, 64% is the completed-years average. It is not a prediction that the degree will finish at 64%. The target planner solves for the remaining work.
“Complete” means the entered counted years have valid inputs. The calculator cannot know whether you omitted a compulsory module, entered predictions, or used a mark before moderation.
How required future marks are calculated
Let A be the confirmed weighted average, W its percentage of the final result and T the target. The completed work secures A × W ÷ 100 points. The remaining share is 100 − W.
Required remaining mark = (T − A × W ÷ 100) ÷ ((100 − W) ÷ 100)
For A = 64, W = 40 and T = 70, the answer is 74%. For coursework at 72%, worth 40%, with a target module mark of 70%, it is 68.666…%. Target displays round upwards to two decimals so display rounding does not suggest aiming below the mathematical requirement.
A required mark above 100% is impossible under an uncapped 0–100 scale. A result at or below zero means the numerical target is already met; assessment and progression requirements still apply. When W is 100%, there is no remaining mark to solve for.
What the tools do not decide
The calculator uses common undergraduate numerical bands: 70% and above, 60% to below 70%, 50% to below 60%, and 40% to below 50%. It does not award a Pass below 40%, apply a university’s rounding or borderline rules, drop low modules, determine progression, apply resit caps automatically, or convert an average into a postgraduate Merit or Distinction.
For example, UCL’s 2026–27 honours scheme has a direct First threshold of 69.50%, with a separate 68.50% route requiring a final-year credit profile. Those are UCL rules, not settings automatically applied here. Read the borderline guide before interpreting a near-boundary result.
Primary sources and how to use them
- University of Bristol: guide to degree classification — a published example of credit and year weighting, classification bands and profile checks.
- UCL Academic Manual 2026–27: classification — the source for the UCL example above.
- QAA: What is Credit? (PDF) — explains credit as a measure of learning and illustrates credit structures.
Sources checked 15 October 2026. They provide context, not a substitute for the regulations covering your course and cohort. The numerical examples on this page are MyDegreeCalc illustrations.
Changes made on 15 October 2026
- Assessment weights that do not total 100% now stop a module from counting.
- Results below 40% remain visible, with no generic 35% Pass label.
- Partial degree estimates are labelled separately from complete entered setups.
- Added exam and degree target tools with worked calculations and scenario comparisons.
- Expanded the loaded example to 120 credits per year and published its arithmetic here.
- Added primary-source references to the student guides.
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