So far, we have been using the Gradebook with number grades (apart from choosing to view these as letter grades). However, courses can also use scales, which are often words used for grading instead of numbers. In Chapter 2, Customizing Grades we set up a word scale for Not yet complete, Pass, Merit, and Distinction. When marking as assignment, we pick one of these words as the grade.

Remember that scales have a simple scoring system based on the number of items in the scale rather than true numbers. Therefore, they are not always the best option for complex calculations. However, let's use some scales in the Gradebook to see the calculations in action.

For this example, there are five tasks within the course, and each one is graded on the PMD scale set up in Chapter 2, Customizing Grades (with these options for grading: Not yet complete, Pass, Merit, and Distinction).

You can see how these have been graded so far in the following screenshot:

The course aggregation...