Form of Assessment
The arrangements for the assessment of every course of study shall be the responsibility of the teacher of that course, guided by various statements of purpose and policies in this Handbook. Assessment must be at a level appropriate to the program of study. For the Diploma in Theology and Bachelor of Divinity Programme all assessed work must be in English. The assessment method for each course is to be reported to the Board of Studies for approval. Such methods may include written examination, term papers, seminars, other assessed works, or a combination of all of these.
Assessment Level
The level of each course of study is indicated by the prefix in the course code. Assessment is to be progressive between the various levels of our programs. All courses' grading will be out of a total of 100% and will be in line with the following scheme.
Year 1 Tongan Programme = 1500 words
Year 2 Tongan Programme = 2000 words
Year 3 Tongan Programme = 2500 words
Certificate with Honours = 8000-10000 words
Year 1 Diploma Programme = 2000 words
Year 2 Diploma Programme = 2500 words
Year 3 Diploma Programme = 3000 words
Year 1 BD. Programme = 2500 words
Year 2 BD. Programme = 3000 words
Year 3 BD. Programme = 3500 words
Research Project =10000-12000 words
BD Honours' thesis = 30000-40000 words
The above method of assessment is applicable to all students who are studying either on a part time basis or on distant education.
Grade Point System
The grade awarded for each course is based on either an end-of-semester examination and/or coursework. The standards for each course and the allocation of marks are set by lecturer/tutor concerned.
The College has a GPA system which is used at the end of the semester (a) to determine the eligibility of students to continue their studies and (b) to determine the eligibility of students at the Certificate level to undertake Certificate with Honours courses, and for the Diploma programmes to undertake the BD courses. Below are the numerical equivalence of letter grades used in calculating GPA.
| Percent |
Grade |
Grade Point |
Classication |
| 90+ |
A+ |
5.0 |
Excellent |
| 85+ |
A |
4.5 |
Very Outstanding |
| 80+ |
A- |
4.0 |
Very Good |
| 75+ |
B+ |
3.5 |
Outstanding |
| 70+ |
B |
3.0 |
Work of Merit |
| 65+ |
B- |
2.5 |
Good |
| 60+ |
C+ |
2.0 |
Above Average |
| 55+ |
C |
1.5 |
Average (for BD) |
| 50+ |
C- |
1.0 |
Poor (below average) |
| 45+ |
D |
0.5 |
Not a Pass (must be raised) |
| Below 45 |
F |
0.0 |
Fail (must be redone) |
| |
I |
0.0 |
Incomplete (completiondue) |
| Other Grades |
| S |
Satisfctory |
| U |
Unsatisfactory |
| AUD |
Audit |
| Comp |
Compassionate Pass |
Note that other grades (S, U, AUD, Comp) are ignored in calculating the GPA. |
Home Study in STC. Academic Grades 