Through the use of numerical grades, letter grades, and scales, a teacher can customize their gradebook to ensure it can meet the specific course requirements. Where required, a teacher can also make use of outcomes, which can be used in conjunction with a scale, to demonstrate competency against specific criteria. Each type of grade has its own benefits, but the options you would like for calculating the final grade should be considered before choosing your grade type to ensure it will meet your needs. Remember that the number grades, or grade letters can always be calculated more straightforwardly than word grades (scales). Scales should only be used when no grading or only simple grading is required. However, numerical grades and letter grades can be used for more complex grading requirements.
In the next chapter, we will take a look at how to add these grading options to assignments within Moodle before learning how to grade work.