Cut-off score (beta) – Ans

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This feature is in closed beta. If you do not see the Cut-off score option in your mark calculation settings, contact your administrator. They can request to have this enabled.

The cut-off score is a mark calculation method which allows you to set the score required to pass an assignment. Instead of using a formula, you define a cut-off point: students who score at or above this point receive a passing mark, and students who score below it receive a failing mark. The marks are distributed linearly across both ranges, giving you a clear and predictable marks distribution.

To set up the cut-off score for your assignment, follow the steps below.

Click School name in the menu on the left.
Click menu_book Courses in the menu at the top.
Select your course or use the search bar.
Select your assignment or use the search bar.
Click settings Settings in the menu at the top.
Click Mark calculation in the menu on the left.
Click the Cut-off score tab.

You can now configure the cut-off score parameters. The mark calculation can be set before the assignment is taken and adjusted afterward, if necessary. When you update the cut-off score settings, all existing marks are automatically recalculated.

Parameters

The cut-off score uses six parameters to calculate marks. These are divided into two groups: mark settings and point settings.

Mark settings

Parameter	Description
Minimum mark	The lowest possible mark a student can receive (e.g. 1).
Maximum mark	The highest possible mark a student can receive (e.g. 10).
Pass mark	The minimum mark required to pass (e.g. 5.5). Students scoring at or above the cut-off point receive at least this mark.

Point settings

Parameter	Description
Minimum points	The point value at which students receive the minimum mark. Students scoring at or below this value receive the minimum mark. This is often set to 0.
Maximum points	The point value at which students receive the maximum mark. This does not have to equal the total points of the assignment. For example, you can use the Cohen-Schotanus method (see below) to set this to a percentile of student scores.
Cut-off score	The percentage of maximum points that a student needs to achieve to pass. Students scoring at or above this percentage receive a passing mark, while students scoring below it receive a failing mark.

How it works

The cut-off score divides the marks into two linear ranges:

Below the cut-off — Marks are distributed linearly between the minimum mark and the pass mark, across the range from the minimum points to the cut-off point. These marks are displayed in red in the graph and table.
At or above the cut-off — Marks are distributed linearly between the pass mark and the maximum mark, across the range from the cut-off point to the maximum points. These marks are displayed in green in the graph and table.

When you adjust the parameters, the graph and table update in real-time, allowing you to preview the marks distribution before saving. The changes will not be applied until you click on update in the form.

Graph and table

After configuring the parameters, a graph and a table are displayed below the form.

Graph

The graph shows the relationship between points (horizontal axis) and marks (vertical axis). A dashed vertical line indicates the cut-off point. Marks below the cut-off are shown in red, and marks at or above the cut-off are shown in green. There is a legend at the bottom of the graph which explains what each color, symbol and line represents.

Graph cut off score

A chip will appear next to the Marks distribution if you make changes to the form without updating. This indicates that the graph shows unsaved input, and allows you to get a preview of your mark calculation. Once you click on Update, the chip will disappear and the changes will be directly applied.

Table

The table lists the minimum points required for each mark. Failing marks are displayed in red and passing marks in green, making it easy to find the corresponding mark for any point value.

A chip will appear next to the Points per mark if you make changes to the form without updating. This indicates that the table shows unsaved input, and allows you to get a preview of your mark calculation. Once you click on Update, the chip will disappear and the changes will be directly applied.

Cohen-Schotanus method

The Cohen-Schotanus method is a commonly used approach in educational assessment to set the maximum points parameter. Instead of using the total points of the assignment, you set the maximum points to a high percentile of student scores (e.g. the 90th or 95th percentile).

When results are available for your assignment, Ans displays the P90 and P95 values as suggestions next to the maximum points field. You can click a suggestion to apply it. This adjusts the marks distribution so that the highest-scoring students receive the maximum mark, while accounting for the difficulty of the assignment.

Flooring

Marks are floored according to the flooring setting configured for the assignment. The following flooring options are available:

Two decimal — Marks are floored to two decimal places (e.g. 6.47).
One decimal — Marks are floored to one decimal place (e.g. 6.5).
Half — Marks are floored to the nearest half (e.g. 6.0 or 6.5).
Whole — Marks are floored to the nearest whole number (e.g. 6 or 7).

Due to flooring, failings marks are always rounded in a way that prevents them from reaching the pass mark. For example, if the pass mark is 5.5 and a student's calculated mark is 5.47, it will not round up to 5.5.

Default settings

Your school administrator can configure default cut-off score parameters at the school level. When you create a new assignment, the cut-off score settings are pre-filled with these defaults. You can adjust the parameters for each individual assignment as needed.

lightbulb_outline School-level defaults use percentages for the point settings, since the total points vary per assignment. At the assignment level, these are automatically converted to point values based on the total points of your assignment.

Good to know

The cut-off score is available for all assignment types, including digital tests, written tests, hand-in assignments, appraisals, and bubble sheets.
The assignment must have exercises with points before you can configure the cut-off score. If the assignment does not have points yet, add exercises with points first.
When you update the cut-off score settings, all existing marks are automatically recalculated in the background. You do not need to recalculate marks manually.
The cut-off score works with assignments where students may have different total points (e.g. when using sections). The default value used is the lowest amount of maximum points that any student has received.
You can switch between calculation methods (formula, cut-off score, table, or none) at any time. Marks are recalculated when you switch.
The maximum points parameter does not need to equal the total points of the assignment. Setting it lower (e.g. using the Cohen-Schotanus method) means that students who score above the maximum points still receive the maximum mark.

What's next
Learn more about the different mark calculation options in the Calculate a mark article, or see specific calculation examples in the Examples of mark calculations article.