INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS THIS HANDBOOK ALL ABOUT?

The author of this book is triggered by students quest to be more conscious and
educative in computing their cumulative grade points average and grade points average
(CGPA & GPA).
This handbook is written to assist Open & Distance Learning (ODL especially NOUN)
students to understand more about the grading system at ODL. Students are often
trapped under the pretense that once they've failed; their grades can never go up again.
This is fairly not true in most of the cases; however, it is imperative to note that not all
tertiary education system follows the same CGPA system. What I have tabled out
below is applicable to ODL system especially National Open University of Nigeria
(NOUN) and some Nigerian Universities with ODL system

1.0

Definition of Terms

1.8.1 Core/Compulsory Course:

A course which every student must compulsorily take and pass in any
particular programme at a particular level of study and designated by C under
status in your portal.
1.8.2 Elective Course
A course that students take within or outside the faculty. Students may
graduate without passing the course provided the minimum credit unit for the
course had been attained. It is designated by E under status in the your portal
1.8.5 Required Course
A course that you take at a level of study and must be passed before
graduation.
1.8.6 Minimum Credit Load Per Semester
The Minimum credit load per semester is 10.
1.8.7 Maximum Credit Load per Semester is 20 while Law students are allowed to
register up to 28 credit units in a semester

1.8.8 Course Credit Unit System

This should be understood to mean a quantitative system of organization of
the curriculum in which subject areas are broken down into unit courses which
are examinable and for which students earn credit(s) if passed. The courses
are arranged in progressive order of difficulty or in levels of academic
progress, e.g.100 Level or year 1 courses are 100, 101 etc. and 200 level or Year 2
courses are 200, 202 etc.
The second aspect of the system is that courses are assigned weights allied to
Credit Units.
1.8.9 Grade Point Average (GPA)
Performance in any semester is reported in Grade Point Average. This is the
average of weighted grade points earned in the courses taken during the
semester. The Grade Point Average is obtained by multiplying the Grade
Point average in each course by the number of Credit Units assigned to that
course, and then summing these up and dividing by the total number of Credit
Units taken for the semester.
1.8.10 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)
This is the up-to-date mean of the Grade Points earned by the student in a
programme of study. It is an indication of the students overall performance at
any point in the training programme. To compute the Cumulative Grade Point
Average, the total of Grade Points multiplied by the respective Credit Units
for all the semesters are added and then divided by the total number.

1.8.11 Incomplete Result (IR): Either you have not submitted all your TMA for the
course or failed to sit for the exams when all the TMAs are already submitted without
dropping the course for exams

11. PROGRAMME REGISTRATION

(a) Any students who have been offered admission either in 100, 200 /300 levels as
the case may be into the ODL are required to register his/her courses within the
stipulated time.
(b) Students may request to defer their registration by officially writing to the
University.
There are basically two forms of registration in ODL system. These include:
i.
Course registration and
ii.
Examination registration
2. COURSE REGISTRATION
There are basically two type of registration before you are allowed t sit for the
examination. These include:
i)
Course registration: As soon as you get your matriculation number and you
sign up, you can now access your portal and register your semester courses
provided you made payment and is reflected in the portal.
ii)
Examination registration: Here, the course you have already registered and
will be found under register examination, thus, you can then click those
courses for examination.
2)

Registration Period
Registration is open shortly after each semester examinations and last until the
8-9 week of the semester while examination registration is sometimes extended
to the 10th week.

4. CHANGE OF PROGRAMME
(1) Students who wish to change program may have to have five Thousand Naira (N5,
000) in their portal and apply for change of course through the study centre Director to
the Headquarters. Then, the money will be deducted in your portal when the change of
course is effected.

Specialization Subjects
Specialization subjects are designed to provide students with a broader knowledge and
a deeper understanding of the subjects pertaining to their area of specialization. For
instance, if you are MBA student and want to specialize in financial management, you
must do all your MBF courses and not MBA/MPA courses. You can only pick those

MBA/MPA courses when all the MBF courses cannot give you the total graduating
units and such are known as elective courses denoted by E.

7. GRADE SYSTEM
1.4.5 Course Credit System

Credits are weights attached to a course. One credit is equivalent to one hour
per week per semester of 15 weeks of lectures or three hours per week or term
paper work per semester of 15 weeks

Definition of Course Credit System

This should be understood to mean a quantitative system of organization of the
curriculum in which subject areas are broken down into unit courses which are
examinable and for which students earn credit(s) if passed. The courses are
arranged in progressive order of difficulty or in levels of academic progress,
e.g. Level or year I courses are 100, 101 etc and Level II or year II courses are
200, 202 etc.
The second aspect of the system is that courses are assigned weights allied to
Credit Units.

Credit Units
Consist of specified number of student-teacher contact hours per week per
semester. Credit Units are used in two complementary ways: one, as a
measure of course weighting, and the other, as an indicator of student work
load.
(i) As a measure of course weighting for each Unit course (e.g) His 105,
Zoo 203, Arch 504), the credit unit to be earned for satisfactorily
completing the course is specified; e.g. a 2-credit unit course may
mean two 1-hour lecture plus one 3-hour practical per week per
semester.
(ii) As a measure of work load, One Credit Unit means one hour of
lecture or tutorial per week per semester. For other forms of teaching
requiring student teacher contact, the following equivalents may apply:
two hours of seminar: three hours of laboratory or field work, Clinical
practice/practicum, studio practice or stadium sporting activity, six
hours of teaching practice; one week of industrial attachment where
applicable.
Normally, in Course Credit System, courses are mounted all year
round, thus enabling students to participate in examinations in which

they are unsuccessful or unable to participate on account of ill health or

for other genuine reasons. In such a system no special provisions are
made for re-sit examinations.

10 1.4.5 Grade Point Average and Cumulative Grade Point Average

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Performance in any semester is reported in Grade Point Average. This is the
average of weighted grade points earned in the courses taken during the
semester. The Grade Point Average is obtained by multiplying the Grade
Point average in each course by the number of Credit Units assigned to that
course, and then summing these up and dividing by the total number of Credit
Units taken for the semester.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

This is the up-to-date mean of the Grade Points earned by the student in a
programme of study. It is an indication of the students overall performance at
any point in the training programme. To compute the Cumulative Grade Point
Average, the total of Grade Points multiplied by the respective Credit Units
for all the semesters are added and then divided by the total number
Carry Over: When one fails a course, it leads to carry over. It means the
student will have to sit for that course in the following session. In most schools when
you fail a course, it will affect your GPA for that semester. When you sit for the course
in the following session, it will add to your workload.
Missing Script: a missing script is a situation whereby your exam script for a
particular subject was not found. It is expected that you sit for the course again. In
some school such result is considered as a fresh exam and it will not have a direct
effect on the semester. But some school will take it as carry over. However make sure
you dont have a carryover or a missing script because it will slow you pace in
academics acceleration.
Letter Grades: They are alphabet from A to F representing grade obtained in a
particular subject.

1.5 Evaluation
1.5.1 Technique of Student Assessment
All courses taken must be evaluated and a final grade given at the end of the
semester.

To arrive at the final grade, the evaluation must be a continuous process

consisting of some or all of the following where applicable:
(i) Tutor mark assignment (TMA)

(ii) End of semester examinations.

A letter grade and numerical point shall be awarded to each student based on
his /her total scores on all the evaluation criteria. The final marks scored by a
student and the corresponding letter grades and the numerical points should be
clearly indicated. The following are possible final marks and their
corresponding letter grades and grade points:

Marks% Letter Grade Point

70-100 A 5
60-69 B 4
50-59 C 3
45-49 D 2
Below 45 F 0

11 1.5.3 SIWES Rating and Assessment (where applicable)

(1) Grade and Point Values
(a) A students performance in a subject is indicated by the grade received. The
relationship between the grade and the point value is as shown below:
Mark
70-100
60-69
50-59
45-49
0-44

Grade
A
B
C
D
F

Point Value
5
4
3
2
0

Status
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Pass
Fail

Well, the grading system has changed as such, from 2013/2014 academic session
onwards, from 44-0 is Fail. i.e. no more E

(c) To calculate GPA:

First of all, take the grade you received in a course and multiply it by the number of
units assigned to that course. This gives you the number of grade points earned for
that course. For example, a student who has an A in Technical Report Writing
(CIT802) which carries 3 credit hours receives 15 points for the course (3 hours x 5
point value for an A) i.e. 3*5=15 point

1. Add up all the grade points you have earned for a certain period (for instance,
for a semester or for your entire program) and divide that by the number of
units you attempted, not the number of units earned. This will give you the
average grade point you earned for units attempted.

(i) The points are counted by taking the total credit hours for a particular subject and
multiplying it with the grade received for a particular subject. For example, (ii) The
total point is the total of all points accumulated by students of all subjects taken in one
semester as follows:
Course
Grade
Credit Hour
CIT802
B
3

Grade
Subject
Point
Principles A
of
Manageme
nt
Principles Bof
Marketing
Principles C+
of Finance
Total Point

Credit Hour
Credit Hour x
Grade
(Counted)
Grade Point
4.00
3
4.00 x 3 =
12.00

10

2.67

2.67 x 3 =
8.01

2.33

2.33 x 4 =
9.32
29.33

time given due to illness verified by a Medical Officer or for other reasons with the
approval of the Dean. The student who obtained the I grade is required to sit for a
supplementary examination as replacement for the initial examination or has to
complete the incomplete assignment at a date to be fixed by the Dean. Appropriate
time extensions will be considered.
I status is also accorded to the following cases:

nd absent from Final Exam

(ii) IP = In Progress. This status is given to students who have completed the
coursework of a subject but yet to sit for the final examination in the same semester.
This status indicates the work progress of the students before a final grade is awarded
in the later semester. A student is required to sit for the final examination within the
next three (3) consecutive semesters and if he fails to do so, he needs to re-register for
the subject.
(iii) CT = Credit Transfer. This status is given to students who have been granted
credit transfers for certain subjects in accordance with the relevant regulations. In such
cases, students will be regarded as having received the credit hours for the relevant
subjects.
(iv) W = Subject Withdrawal. This status is given to students who withdraw from a
subject within the allocated time as provided for in 7 (4). The W status will not be
calculated in the GPA.
(v) AU = Audit. This status will be given to students who have registered for a subject
but do not take part in the assessments.

GRADING
Scripts are usually marked and scored raw scores. The raw scores are subsequently
converted into grades. Grading therefore, is a system showing the range of marks that
can be assigned a specific letter grade. Grading has a standard range, though may vary
slightly from University to University. For example, the following patterns of grading
abound in various institutions of learning:
80 and above = A

70-79 = B
60-69 = C
50-59 = D
40-49 = E
39 and below = F
University of Agriculture, Makurdi adopts the following grades:
70 and above = A
60-69 = B
50-59 = C
45-49 = D
40-44 = E
In the arrangement above, A is Excellent, B is Very Good, C is Good, D is Average, E
is Fair and F represents failure. Grading system approved for Universities in Nigeria in
classifying final year students include:
4.50 5.00 = 1st Class
3.50 4.49 = 2nd Class Upper
2.40 3.49 = 2nd Class Lower
1.50 2.39 = Third Class
1.00 1.49 = Pass
<0.00 = Fail
8. EVALUATION SCHEME
(1) Subject Evaluation
Assessments for each subject will be carried out periodically and continuously based
on works done within the study weeks in a semester in the manner determined by the
School or in accordance with University regulations.
(2) Modes of Assessment
Students performance is assessed in the following manner: (a) Continuous assessment through tests, assignments/project and quizzes. Normally
not more than 60% of the total marks may be allocated to this form of assessment.
(b) The end of semester examinations is held comprehensively at the end of each
semester for each subject taken. Normally not less than 40% from the total marks may
be allocated for the end of semester examinations.
(c) In special cases (with prior approval of the University), the end of semester
examinations can be replaced with other forms of assessment like mini project, term
paper and others.
(d) Assessment via practical training must follow modes of assessment approved by
the University.
(3) End of Semester Examinations
(a) Final examinations must be held within the allocated time and in modes approved
by the University.

(b) Students can apply to defer sitting for the examinations provided all continuous
assessments have been submitted. Applications are to be made before the final
examination week. The subjects will be graded as In Progress (IP) until students sit
for the examinations. Students will be allowed to sit for the examinations within the
next three consecutive semesters. If he fails to do so, he needs to re-register for the
subject.
(4) Announcement of Examination Results
(a) Examination results can only be released to the student concerned and to a party
agreed to by the student in writing.
(b) Appeals for Re-marking of Assessment
(i) Appeals for remarking applies only to the examination component.
(ii) Appeals for remarking of the examination can be made by filling the Appeal on
Examination Grade form. A payment of RM 100 or equivalent in other currency is
required for each remarking. Applications must be made to the Registry within 10 days
of the announcement of the final examination results.
(iii) Upon appeals for remarking of the examination, a student can have a grade change
from Lower to Higher grade or Higher to Lower grade.
(iv) In the event that the student has obtained a Higher to Lower grade upon appeal,
a third examiner may be appointed to evaluate the final examination.
(v) The Senate shall consider all cases of appeal and reserves the right to reexamine
any other portions of the assessment.
(c) Breach of Academic Integrity
Students reported to have breached the Academic Integrity will be given the status of I
pending the outcome of enquiries. If found guilty, the grade F will be given for the
subject. (See Examination Rules and Regulations)
9. ACADEMIC STANDING
(1) Students academic performance and standing are evaluated using the GPA.
(2) The term Good Standing (GS) is given to students with GPA 2.00 and
Probational Standing (PS) is for students with GPA < 2.00

CHAPTER FOUR
COLLATIONS AND COMPUTATIONS OF CUMULATIVE GRADE POINTS
AVERAGE (CGPA)
EXPLANATION OF SOME TERMS INVOLVED IN THE COMPUTATION
OF RESULTS
1. Credit Unit: This is a number assigned to each course to determine the content
coverage, the number of hours per course per week, number of questions to be set by
the lecturer and to be answered by the students and the time required by the students to
answer the questions. Example: SED 101 is a 3 credit course; content- covers wide
topics; time table 3 hours per week; number of questions 6 questions to answer 4 in
3 hours.

2. Score: Refers to unnormalized or transformed raw score obtained by each student

and is expressed in percentage.
3. Grades: Refer to the key alphabets used to weight the raw score obtained by each
student. Example: 70-100 = A, 60 69 = B, 50 = C, 40 49 = D, 30-39 = E and 229
= F.
4. Points: Refers to key numbers used to weight the grades. Examples: A = B, = 4, C =
3, D = 2, E = 1 and F = 0.
5. Total Credit Carried (TCC): This is the total credits registered by each student in
each semester. Example Courses 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 TCC 19
Credits - 3 2 3 4 1 2 2 2
6. Credit Earned (CE): Refers to the actual credits obtained minus the ones he failed.
For example, in No. 5 above, if a student fails course 101 or 3 credits, this particular
student has earned 19-3 = 16 credits. Therefore, the credits earned are 16.
7. Total Points Earned (TPE): Credit units x key points. Example: A student who
scored 7C would earn A and 5 points. The points earned = 3 x 5 = 15. This will be
entered under course 101 as A.
8. Total Point Earned: Total point earned means summation of points earned by each
student in each course in a semester.
9. Grade Point Average (GPA): Grade point average means total points earned (TPE)
divided by total credit carried (TCC)
GPA = Total Points Earned (TPE) for each
Total Credit Carried (TCC) semester
COMPUTATION OF CGPA (200 LEVEL)
This exercise is carried out semester by semester.
Example: First semester 200 level
10. Cumulative Credit Carried (CCC): is obtained by adding the previous year
cumulative credit carried (CCC) to the first semester total credit carried (TCC)

of the current year. Example CCC (year one) + TCC (1st semester of 200 level).
11. Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA): Is obtained by dividing the credit point
earned (CPE) of first semester by the cumulative credit carried (CCC) of the first
semester.
CGPA = CPE
CCC
Note: The CCC, CCE, and CPE of the previous year for instance 100 level, are the
ones calculated at the end of second semester vis--vis end of the session of that year.
SECOND SEMESTER AND END OF SESSION COMPUTATION
The computation of second semester commenced with total credits carried, credits
earned, points earned, total points earned, and grade point average.
The cumulative credit carried for the session is obtained by adding cumulative credit
carried (CCC) of first semester 200 level to total credit carried of second semester 200
level.
The cumulative credit earned (CCE) for the session is obtained by adding cumulative
credit earned (CCE) of first semester 200 level to credit earned (CE) of second
semester 200 level .
The cumulative point earned (CPE) for the session is obtained by adding cumulative
points earned (CPE) in the first semester 200 level to total points earned (TPE) in the
second semester of 200 level. That is CPE (end of 1st semester) + TPE (2nd semester).
The final cumulative grade point average is obtained by dividing cumulative point
earned for the session by cumulative credit carried for that same session.
Example = CGPA = CPE
CCC
EX 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 TC CE TP GP
C
E
A
A
MP
LE
OF
CO
MP
UT
AT
IO
N
FO
R
TH
E
FI
RS
T
SE
M
ES
TE
R

Co
urs
es
Cred 3
2
its
Gra F
B
des/
Gra
de
Unit
s
CCC
CCC previous
Yr + 19

3
C

4
C

1
A

CCE
CCE previous
Yr + 16

2
D

2
E

2
B

19
48

16

2.53 i.e.
48
19

CPE
CGPA
CPE previous Yr CPE previous Yr
+ 48
+ 48
CCC previous
Yr + 19

Example
Point Weighing
This is the number equivalent to letter grades. As illustrated above.
Credit Hours: may be defined as the contact hours assigned to each course per
semester.
Below is extracted from the school of science and technology, NOUN
.
Five Year Degree Program
Year one
1ST SEMESTER
COURSE
CODE
GST 101
GST 102
GST 103
PGY 111
PSC 111
SOS 111
SOC 111
SOC 112
MAC 131
LAW 101

COURSES TITLE

CREDIT

Use of English 1
Nigerian Peoples and Culture
Introduction to logic and philosophy
Introduction to Psychology 1
Introduction to Political Science
Introduction to Sociology 1
Elements of Scientific Thought 1
Introduction to Anthropology
ELECTIVES: (CHOOSE ONE)
Introduction to Mass Comm. 1
Introduction to Nigerian Law 1

2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

Grade Point (GP): This is the product of the point weighing and the credit
hour(s) for a/any given course. See example below. GP = PW x CH Note: PW = point
weighing, CH = credit hours.

Grade Point Average: It is the sum of grade point divided by the sum of
credit hour (workload), which is the average performance GPA - TPG
TCH
Cumulate Grade Point Average: This is the average, GPA for the two
semester in a session.
GPA = 1st Semester GPA + 2nd Semester GPA
2
Core Course
These are courses that must be offered and passed by all students in any undergraduate
programme.
Elective Course
These are course which can be registered only under the advice of the academic
adviser as require courses, and must be passed by a student in order to graduate.
Work Load
A student is normally in any one academic year allowed to register for at least 30
credits and at most 48 credits depending on your institutions. You cant be credited
more than 48 credits (or the maximum credits) at the session. Consequent to this,
students carry over courses cannot be allowed to register more that approved
maximum number or unit for the session. Without prejudice to the above, a graduating
student may register for only the number of credit he/she requires to graduate.
Class of Degree
Universities
FC GPA
4.50 5.00
3.50 4.49
2.50 3.49
1.50 -2.49
1.00 1.49
0. - 0.99

CLASS
DEGREE
st
1 Class
2nd Class Upper
2.1
2nd Class
Lower 2.2
3rd class
Pass
Fail

College of Education
FC GPA
4.50 5.00
3.50 4.49
2.50 3.49
1.00 -2.49

CLASS
DEGREE
Distinction
Credit
Merit
Pass

0. - 0.99

Fail

1st Semester First year university students GPA

Course
Credit Letter Point
Grade
code
hour grade weight
Point
GST 101
2
A
5
2X5 =
GST 102
2
B
4
10
GST 103
2
C
3
2X4 =
BIO 101
3
B
4
8
PHY 101
3
A
5
2X3 =
ICH 101
3
A
5
6
MAT 101
3
B
4
3X4 =
CEE 111
3
D
2
12
3X5 =
15
3X5 =
15
3X4 =
12
3X2 =
6
Total =
Total =
21
84
nd
2
Semester
GST 107
2
B
4
2X4 =
GST 104
2
B
4
8
ICH 102
3
A
5
2X4 =
PHY 102
3
A
5
8
BIO 102
3
A
5
3X5 =
CEE 112
3
C
3
15
MAT 102
3
D
2
3X5 =
15
3X5 =
15
3X3 =
9
3 X 2
=6
TOTAL
TOTAL
= 19
= 76
First semester
GPA - 84 = 4.00
21
Second semester
GPA = 76/19 = 4.00
CGPA = 1ST GPA + 2ND GPA

2
4.00 + 4.00 = 4.00
2

Case of carry over/missing script

The course that is carried over to the following year will be entered along side with
other causes in that very year/Level, and the treated like other courses.
UNIVERSITY
2ND YEAR
1st Semester
Cour Cr Le Poi Gra
se
ed tte nt de
Code it r
Wei poin
H Gr ghin t
ou ad
g
r
e
FEG 2 C
3 2X3
204
=8
HE
2 A
5 2X5
M
=10
210
FEG 3 E
1 3X1
213
=3
MEC 2 B
4 2X4
H
=8
210
CHE 2 E
1 2X1
M
=2
251
CVE 2 D
2 2X2
201
=4
CVE 3 A
5 3X5
213
=15
GST 2 A
5 2X5
202
=10
EEE 3 B
4 3X4
203
=12
CEE 1 C
3 1X3
211
=3

T
O
T
A
L
22

TO
TA
L
73

2ND Semester
Cours Cr Le
e
ed tte
Code it r
H Gr
ou ad
r
e
FEG
2 B
204
CHE
2 C
M
212
EEE
3 A
214
MEC 2 B
H
212
MEC 2 E
H
252
CVE
2 D
202
CVE
3 B
214
EEE
3 C
202
EEE
1 C
242
Carry 2 A
over
ICH
112
T
O
T
A
L
22

Gra
de
Poi
nt

2x4
=8
2x3
=6
2x5
=15
2x4
=8
2x1
=2
2x2
=4
3x4
=12
3x3
=9
1x3
=3
2x5
=10

TO
TA
L
77

1st SEM. GPA = 73 = 3.32

22
2nd Sem. GPA = 77 = 3.50
22
2nd Year CGPA =

3.32 + 3.50
2
2

= 6.82
= 3.41

To calculate the FCGPA, add all the CGPA and divided by the numbers of years if a
student of a university has the following CGPA: 4.00, 3.85, 5.0, 4.50, then the FCGPA
will be calculated as follows
FCGPA = 4.00 + 3.85 + 5.00 + 4.50
4
=
17.35
= 4.33
4
For a University student this grade is Second Class Upper Division. (See page
for polytechnic and College of Education) Note for Polytechnic and College of
Education will be divided by two for ND and HND and by three for NCE.
Direct Entry Students
A University direct entry student is either three or four years as the case may be. Thus
the calculation for FCGPA for a direct entry student will be according to the numbers
of years. Example
3 years
4.00 + 3.85 + 5.00
3
=

4.283

4 years
5.00 + 4.00 + 4.00 + 5.00
4
=
4.50

Now design your sheet as the form below

STUDENT RESULT DATA SHEET
Academic Year:.
Year of study..
Semester..
s/n
Course
Credit Letter
Point HODs sign Lecturers
Code/Course
Hour
Grade Grade
& date i.e
Name

Title

Date Result
was
released

A GUIDE FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN NIGERIA

The Grade point
(You will be examined at the end of each semester, usually after 12-15 weeks of
course work (lectures, practical, field trips etc), examinations are usually written,
though in certain situations oral tests are conducted to confirm if you have attained the
minimum standard expected in a course for promotion) use for examination.
Generally, the minimum pass mark at the university is 40%, though in some cases it
may be a little higher.
Credits are awarded as follows:
Marks Grade Points/Credits
70 & above A 5
60-69 B 4
50-59 C 3
45-49 D 2
40-44 E 1
0-39 F 0
The Grade Point Average (G.P.A)
Results obtained in each course offered during each semester will be cumulatively
added together and averaged specially, using the Grade Point Average(GPA) also
called G.P which is calculated for the semester in which examination is taken and then
for the entire duration of your University career as your Cumulative Grade Point
Average (CGPA) which eventually determines the class of degree you will be awarded
at the end of studies.
The GPA and CGPA are calculated thus:
Step 1(move to study related)
The grade points obtained in each course are multiplied by the units (weights) attached
to the course and a sum of these values is obtained for all the courses taken in a
semester or session.
Step 2
the sum obtained above is divided by the sum of units allotted to the courses taken.
An Example
A student obtained the following results:
Course Score -Grade units (weights)
PHY 101 - 67 B4 4
PHY 103 - 72 A5 4
PHY 105 - 80 A5 4
PHY 155 - 39 F0 2
MAT 160 - 80 A5 2
CHM 101 - 76 A5 1

BIO 107 - 74 A5 2
The GP will be calculated thus
Total number of units offered = 4+4+4+2+2+1+2 = 19 units
Total points obtained =
Phy 101 = 4 units x 4 points = 16
Phy 103 = 4 units x 5 points = 20
Phy 105 = 4 units x 5 points = 20
Phy 155 = 2 units x 0 points = 0
Chm 101 = 1 unit x 5 point = 5
Bio 107 = 2 units x 5 points = 5
76
G. P. = 76/19 = 4. 0
For the second semester the same student obtained the following results
Course Score Grade Units
PHY 102 52 C3 4
PHY 104 61 B2 2
PHY 156 47 D2 2
CHM 102 38 F0 2
BIO 104 78 A5 3
The GP calculated as outlined above is : 2.69
The CGPA will be calculated thus:
Total points obtained for both semesters /total units taken for both semesters,
First semester Second semester Total
Total units offered 19 13 32
Total points obtained 76 35 111
CGPA = 111 / 32
= 3.47
It is wrong to calculate the CGPA by adding the GPAs together and finding their
average.
The CGPA and The class of degree
0.0 0.99 = failed
1.00 1.49 = passed
1.50 2.39 = 3rd class
2.40 3.49 = 2nd class (lower division)
3.50-4.49 = 2nd class (upper division)
4.50-5.00 = First class
NOTE: Examination procedures and regulations will be issued by each faculty and/or
department, and the provisions contained in them must be strictly adhered to.
Here at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, all forms of examination malpractice are
frowned at and may lead to expulsion from the university.

THE
SEMESTER'S
GRADING
SYSTEM
If
you
are
reading
this
write-up
for
the
first
time,
you
are
advised
to
avail
yourself
of
the
previous
parts(1,2,3
&
4)
released
some
days
ago.
LATEST INFORMATION This is to advise NOUITES to be more
positive
about
their
studies
considering
the

fact
that
Distance
and
E-learning
pedagogy
is
becoming
the
vogue
in
the
continent
of
Africa.
On August 20, 2013, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai
(now
sacked)
signed
the
African
Virtual
University(AVU)
charter
which
makes
Nigeria
the
18th
member
country
to
sign
the
charter.
The African Virtual University(AVU) which is an international Distance Learning
institution
established
in
1997
has
trained
over
43,000
students
and
built
the
largest
network
of
Distance
and
E-learning
institutions
in
over
30
African
countries
using
Information
and
Communication
Technologies(ICT)
Also,
do
you
know
that
a
student
of
NOUN
is
currently
representing
Africa
in
China?
NOUN
has
just
added
this
to
its
good
reputations
this
month.
You
should
remember that not too long ago, in Mach this year, NOUN law students defeated all
universities
in
Nigeria
by
winning
the
2013
moot
court
competition
in
Nigeria
and
represented
the
country
in
USA
in
April
this
year
where they competed with over 80 countries across the world.
You
should
not
also
forget
in
a
hurry
that
NOUN's
VC
submitted
the
Law
Report
of
the
Law
Factulty
in
July
this
same
year
making
National
Open
University
of
Nigeria
the first institution in the country to publish a Law report.
So,
you
should
be
more
positive
about
your
programmes
in
the
institution.
We
wish
all
students
every
success
as
they
prepare
for
their
fast
approaching
examinations.
BUSINESS
OF
THE
DAY
THE
SEMESTER'S
GRADING
SYSTEM
In
part
4
of
this
work,
we
briefly
discussed
the
grading
of
a
course.
Let
us
now
move
forward
to
the
grading
of
a
number
of
courses, such as those registered by a student in a semester.
GPA
AND
CGPA
GPA
denotes
grade
point
average
while
CGPA
denotes
cumulative
grade
point
average
The difference between the two lies in the fact that GPA is the standard of your
academic
performance
in
a
particular
semester
while
CGPA
is
the
standard
of
your
academic
performance
from
the
commencement
of
your
programme
till
date.
CALCULATION
OF
GPA
AND
CGPA
I
will
use
three
courses
to
illustrate
the

technique
in
order
to
make
it
easier
for
you
to
understand.
After
your
TMAs
and
exams,
your
academic
performance in all the courses you took in a particular semester is called GPA
calculated
thus:
Course
1:
Code.
CSS
132
Grade.
60/100
Points.
4
points
Units.
3
units
GP=3*4=12
Course
2:
Code.
LAW
111
Grade.
70/100
Points.
5
points
Units.
2
units
GP=5*2=10
Course
3:
Code.
CSS
111
Grade.
50/100
Points.
3
points
Units.
3
units
GP=3*3=9
GPA:
GP
for
CSS
132=12,
GP
for
LAW
111=10
,
GP
for
CSS
111=9
GPA=total
GP/total
credit
units=12+10+9/3+2+3=31/8=3.88
If
in
the
next
semester,
you
obtain
a
GPA
of
30/7,
for
instance,
your
CGPA
at
that
time
will
be
31+30/8+7=61/15=4.07
CLASSES
OF
DEGREE
First Class(70-100) CGPA (4.5-5) Second Class Upper(60-69) CGPA
(3.5-4.49)
Second
Class
Lower(50-59)
CGPA
(2.4-3.49)
Third Class(45-49) CGPA(1.5-2.39)