Absolute vs Relative Grading: How Your University’s System Affects Your GPA
Two students can score the same marks and receive different grades. The reason is usually absolute versus relative grading. Here is how each works and what it means for your GPA.
Updated 10 October 2026 · 5 min read
Absolute grading: fixed cutoffs
In absolute grading, the percentage cutoffs for each grade are fixed in advance. If the cutoff for an A is 85%, everyone who scores 85% or more gets an A, whether that is two students or the whole class. Your grade depends only on your own marks.
This is the easiest system to work with. Because the cutoffs never move, you can convert marks to grade points yourself as soon as you know your marks.
Relative grading: your grade depends on the class
In relative grading, often called grading on a curve, the cutoffs are decided after marking, based on how the class performed. Instructors commonly use the class average and the spread of marks, or fixed shares of the class for each grade. A hard paper with low marks across the board can still produce a good number of A grades, and an easy paper can produce fewer.
Policies differ between universities, programmes and sometimes individual departments. Some institutions grade absolutely in most courses and relatively in a few, so do not assume one system applies everywhere in your degree.
Same marks, different grades
The numbers below are made up to show the effect and do not describe any particular university. A student scores 72 marks in two different courses.
| Course A (hard paper) | Course B (easy paper) | |
|---|---|---|
| Class average | 55 | 78 |
| Cutoff for an A | 70 and above | 90 and above |
| Cutoff for a B | 62 and above | 82 and above |
| Cutoff for a C | 52 and above | 70 and above |
| Grade for 72 marks | A | C |
Identical marks, two grades two steps apart, and a very different effect on the semester GPA. That is why a friend in another section can score the same as you and still receive a different grade.
What this means when you calculate your GPA
- Under absolute grading, you can convert your marks to grades yourself using the published cutoffs.
- Under relative grading, you cannot know the cutoffs until they are announced, so work from the letter grades on your result card rather than predicting them from marks.
- In the GPA Calculator, you can edit the grade table in the grading settings to match the cutoffs announced for your course. If the cutoffs differ between courses, enter a mark that sits inside the range of your letter grade for each one.
How to find out which system applies to you
- Read the grading section of your student handbook or examination rules.
- Check the course outline, which often states whether grades are assigned on fixed cutoffs or relative to the class.
- Ask the instructor or the examination department directly.
- Compare old result sheets: if the same marks earned different grades in different courses or semesters, relative grading is probably in use.
Strengths and weaknesses of each
Absolute grading is predictable and transparent: you know what you need to score from day one. It can be unfair when papers vary in difficulty, because a harder paper lowers everyone’s grades.
Relative grading adjusts for paper difficulty and keeps the spread of grades consistent across years. The cost is uncertainty, and your grade can be affected by how strong your classmates are, not only by your own work.