Grading in education is the alternative to marks given to students based on their performance in an examination. Relative grading is the system of assessment in which students’ grades are determined by comparing their performance against their peers in the class.
In relative grading, the student’s scores fluctuate as it depends on how they performed compared to other students in their class. In this grading system, the teacher converts the result of students to grades after evaluating the performance of the whole class.
For example, a commonly followed relative grading will be:
A=Top 10% of students
B=Next 25% of students
C =Middle 30% of students
D =Next 25% of students
F =Bottom 10% of students
Advantages of Relative Grading
The advantage of relative grading is that it takes the pressure off the students and removes the fine edge of competition for marks among students.
- The major disadvantage of relative grading is that a student’s grades don’t reflect their understanding of the subject. If a student scores 40/100 on a test and 40 is the highest mark, then he is awarded an A grade, which is not an accurate representation of the performance and knowledge gained by the student.
- Another disadvantage of the system is that it doesn’t instil a sense of competition among students.
It lies in the hands of the education system to consider the pros and cons of relative grading and devise a Learning Management System and assessment pattern that ensures the development of a wholesome and fully knowledgeable student community.
