The auslss's guide to australian law school grading system ed 2, 2014

AUSLSS'S GUIDE TO AUSTRALIAN LAW SCHOOL GRADING SYSTEM

Prepared by: Australian Singapore Law Students Society

•

CONTENTS Australian Singapore Law Sh1dents Society

Introduction 02

Global Comparative University Ranking 03

Australian National University (ANU) 04-06

Unjversity ofWestern Australia (UWA) 07-09

University of Tasmania (UTas) 10- II

Monash University 12 -13

Comparison of Grading Systems 14- 15

Murdoch University 16-18

University of Melbourne 19

Flinders University 20-21

University of Queensland 22-23

University of Sydney (UniSyd) 24-25

University of New South Wales (UNSW) 26-27

Do Let Us Know How AUSLSS Could Help 28

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01

INTRODUCTION Australian Singapore Law Students Society

As Singapore sets her eyes on becoming Asia's legal hub with the plans on setting up an international commercial court1 this is but testament of a Singapore legal industry that is thriving and this has since demanded for an increase in the supply of lawyers. 2 Despite the legal fraternity's goals, the Fourth Committee acknowledges that Singapore is still facing the shortage of lawyers. As you source for more talent, the Australian Singapore Law Student Society (AUSLSS) would like to encourage you to consider our members m your search

•

Annually, there are approximately a hundred Singaporeans with Australian Law degrees returning with the intention of meeting this demand in the legal industry. Whilst we are small in numbers, a trend in recent years has shown an increasing number of Singaporean students choosing to study law in Australia. As firms make their profession's pay packages more attractive and the demand for lawyers is made known to more students, we believe that this number will further increase. 3

Singapore's legal industry might have little understanding of our grading systems since we are a relatively new source of lawyers. AUSLSS seeks to neutralise any doubts and queries that you may have when deciding employment from our pool of candidates. We believe that it is an appropriate time to share some valuable information regarding our grading systems; with the sole purpose of enabling you to better understand the resumes received from an Australian law graduate.

We have dedicated this publication to help you better understand our grading and honours systems because it varies significantly from the universities in Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Hence, we pray that this publication will bring clarity to Singapore's legal industry and will open a new pool of talent for you to consider.

Mr Jeremy Sim President 2014/2015 Australian Singapore Law Students Society EXCO

I. http: I I asia.! egalbusinessonline. com/news/breaking -news/ singapore-to-reinvent-itself-as-asias-legal-hubl113 344

02 2. http://www.mlaw.gov.sg/content/dam/minlaw/corp/News/4th%20Committee%20Report.pdf 3. http://www.stjobs.sg/career-resources/money-matters/young-lawyers-get-pay-hike-with-caveat/ail27687

QS rank

7

8

12

13

14

15

16

19

20

32

34

38

GLOBAL UNIVERSITY RANKING (LAW) 2013/2014

University Country

London School of Economics and UK Political Science (LSE)

University of Melbourne Australia

UCL (University College London) UK

University of Sydney Australia

University of New South Wales Australia

Australian National University Australia

Monash University Australia

National University of Singapore (NUS) Singapore

King's College London (KCL) UK

University of Edinburgh UK

University of Notthingham UK

University of Warwick UK

SOURCE: http://www.topuniversities.comfuniversity-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2013flaw-and-legal-studies (Dated 25/l/2014)

03

Australian National University

The Australian National University (ANU) College of Law is the national law school and is proudly part of one of Austral ia's top-ranked universities located in the heart of Canberra, the M national capital. ANU's teaching and research P endeavours span the local, national and international contexts. AND's strengths lies in the fields of international, public and environmental law, but also in areas that are critical to understanding the role and rule of law.

Students are encouraged to look beyond ' the law in the books' and to consider the impact- both good and bad- of the law in practice. ANU believes that the purpose of studying, researching and practicing law is not simply to know what the law is, but to understand why it operates as it does, and how it can be improved. ANU also places a particular emphasis on the themes ofl aw reform and social justice as core components of any understanding of the law.

SOURCE: htlp:j/www.anulss.com/educalion/grading-al-lhe-anu/ htlps://slude.nls.anu.edu.au/aep/assessmenl/rading.php htlp:j/)aw.anu.edu.atl/sil:es/<lll/files,lprc•~ramsiHartbo•oklll

04

Australian Singapore ~ Law Students Society ~

The ANU College of Law grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system alongside with the Honours Scale system

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) Grade

High Distinction 80 (HD)

Distinction (D) 70

Credit (C) 60

Pass (P) 50

Fail (F) <50

Honours Scale Course Result(%)

0-49

50-52

53-56

57-59

60-62

63-66

67-69

70-72

73-76

77-79

80-100

Class ranking

Top2-5%

10-20%

30-50%

-NA-

-NA-

Honours Mark (0-10)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

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05

Q Australian ~ National ~ University

A student will qualify for a degree with honours if he: 1. Completes 14 courses (84 units) or more in eligible Jaw courses; 2. Submits a form signed by a supervisor and couter-signed by the convenor of

Honours Thesis, indicating that the supervisor has approved to supervise the student;

3. Completes the Requirements for admission to the degree in a period of one year or less as a full-time student; and

4. Has an Honours mark of 4.5 in tJ1e eligible law courses completed, disregarding three courses the candidate has scored the lowest.

How the marks for final honours examination is calculated There are 2 parts to a degree of Bachelor of Law with Honours: l. Part A: Derived by applying Honours scale to eligible law courses. Results

for Pru1 A makes up 70% of the mark for the final honours exrunination. 2. Part B : Derived by applying the Honours scale to candidate's result in

Honours Thesis. Result for Part B makes up 30% of the mark for the final honours examination.

Grade of Honours • 1st Class Honours: Honours mru·k of~ 4.25 in Part A and 2:4.00 in Part B

and ~7.25 in final honours examination 2nd Class Honours (division A): Honours mark of2: 4.25 in Part A.and ~ 4.00 in Part Band Honours mru·k of 5.75 ~x < 7.25 in the final honours exrunination. 2nd Class Honours {division B): Honours mark of~ 4.25 in Part A and ~ 4.00 in Part Band Honours mark of 4.25 ~ x < 5.75 provided the student has an Honours mark of2: 4.25 and marginal shortfall in Part is compensated by the result of part B

A student will qualify for a degree with honours if he: 1. Completes 14 courses (84 units) or more in eligible Jaw courses 2. Submits a form signed by a supervisor and couter-signed by the convenor of

Honours Thesis, indicating that the supervisor has approved to supervise the student.

3. Completes the Requirements for admission to the degree in a period of one year or less as a full-time student

4. 06

Has an Honours mark of 4.5 in tJ1e eligible law courses completed, disre-

THE UNIVERSITY Of WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Since 1928, the University of Western Australia Faculty of Law has achieved an outstanding record of excellence in all aspects of teaching and research. One of Australia's best and most prestigious universities, UWA is highly ranked internationally • in various publications; the 2011 QS World University Rankings placed UWA at 79th internationally. To date, UWA has produced 99 Rhodes Scholars and a Nobel Prize winner. UWA recently joined the Matariki Network of Universities as the youngest member, the only one established during the 20th century.

In 2013 we launched a new graduate law degree, the Juris Doctor, which replaces the Bachelor of Laws degree as the pathway to admission to legal practice. We also offer postgraduate and research opportunities and continuing professional development activities.

The UWA Faculty of Law has a long tradition of providing high-quality legal education and undertaking progressive, high-impact research. The core research business of its Faculty is analysis, advice and the development of reform proposals in the field of law and legal policy. Their centres also have staff killed in data collection, data analysis and program evaluation.

07

THE UNIVERS ITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

UWA Law Faculty grades its students using the Honours Average Mark system alongside with the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system.

A student is awarded a degree of Bachelor of Laws with Honours taking into ccount the following:

1. Honours Average Mark

08

Range of honours average marks corresponding with different grades of honours vary yearly, depending on the impact of scaling of marks and quality of honours dissertations in the cohort.

Calculating Honours Average Mark Honours Grade I Weighted

average mark

H1 (First-class honours)

H2A (Second-class honours, level A)

77.5%

73.5%

Table below provides for the Weighted Average Mark System in considering the Honours Grade.

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) Grade I Marks

required


Distinction (D) 70

Credit (C) 60

Pass (P) 50

Fail (F) <50

Class ranking

Top2-5%

10-20%

30-50%

-NA-

-NA-


a. Discard lowest marks out of a possible I 00 marks in eligible coursework units b . Obtain average mark of the remaining marks in eligible coursework units

("coursework average"). The coursework average must be calculated on marks obtained out of a possible score of not less than l 000 marks.

c. Add the mark scored for Supervised Research 2 dissertation to four times the coursework average to obtain '' honours aggregate,

d. Divide "honours aggregate" by 5.

2. Percentile Guideline • Honours invitations are limited to 20% of the graduating cohort • 6-9% of the graduating cohort are expected to achieve First Class Honours • 12-18% of the graduating cohort are expected to achieve either First or 2A

Honours • In application of the percentile guideline, natural breaks between honours

average marks achieved by eligible candidates is considered.

SOURCE: hllp:/fwww.law.uwa.edu.au/sludentsjllb/honours,'faqs hllp:ffwww.law.uwa.edn.au/sludentsjllbf?a=ll9419 hllp:/fwww.law.uwa.edu.aujsludenlsjllbfhonours,'faqs (Dated 25/l/2f11 4)

09

JBt UNIVERSITY ~ OFTASMANIA

The University of Tasmania is the fourth-oldest university in Australia. It is highly regarded internationally as a teaching and research institution.

The Faculty of Law was founded in 1893 and is situated on the Hobart campus. Generations of dedicated staff have ensured that, over one hundred years later, the Law School has built an enviable reputation for academic achievement and excellence in legal teaching.

A natural outcome of being a small faculty is that the students and staff fonn a supportive community with many lasting friendships. New students are welcomed into this network.

One of the hallmarks of the University of Tasmania Faculty of Law has been the achievement of its graduates. Many graduates have become significant figures not only in the legal profession but also at the highest levels in state and federal politics and in many other areas of public life. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars and University medallists, eminent legal professionals, Australian State and Federal politicians, international legal officers and Professors of Law.

UTAS Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system alongside with the Honors Points system.

SOURCE: http://www.utas.edu.auj_ datafassetsjpdf_fiJej0016j314620/ 1egend_results.pdf

htlp://www.ulas.edu.auj_ dalafasselsjpdf_fiJejOOllf288839/ Law-Handbook-2012.pdf (Dale 25/1/2014)

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Australian Singapore Law Students Society

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) Grade 1111 High Distinction (HD) 80

Distinction (ON) 70

Credit (CR) 60

Pass (PP) 50

Fail (NN) <50

Class ranking

Top 2-12%

10-35%

-NA-

-NA-

-NA-

A student will qualify for a degree with honours when: 1. Credited w1th honours points:

1. The method for calculating honours points is that Contract Law, Criminal Law and Property Law receive 6 points for an HD, and 4 points for a DN, with 4 points deducted for each failure in these units. Those points are halved for all other units.

n . Only Law units are counted for honours points with the exception of LAW121 Introduction to Law and LAW122 Legal Systems.

iii . A minimum of8 honours points must come from the core units of the Law Program.

iv. Eligibility for First Class Honours: Student must complete a unit of Supervised Research Paper and another unity with research compoent to a total weight of 25%.

v. Eligibility for Second Class Honours: Student must complete units with a research component to a total weight of 25%.

2. Obtained minimum qualifications:

Honours Class

First Class

Second Class Honours - Upper Division

Second Class Honours - Lower Division

Requirements

42 points including 6HDs and ON for Research component of the Course

32 points and CR for Research component of the Course

24 points and CR for Research component of the Course 11

MONASH University

Monash Law School is one of the largest and most prestigious law schools in Australia and is currently ranked 13th in the QS World University rankings. Monash has a broad teaching base, strong international links and an excellent reputation offering a range of Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Research Degrees.

Each year Monash provides legal education and training to over 3500 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Monash Law School has established itself as one of Australia's leading law schools and is the first choice for a significant number of outstanding students.

Monash is a member of the prestigious Group of Eight universities, recognised for excellence in research, teaching and scholarship, and prides itself on offering real legal experience, international study, a positive student experience and equipping our students with practical, transferable skills.

Monash University Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system alongside with the Grade Point Average (GPA) System.

Calculating Grade Point Average (GPA) Grade Grade Value

High Distinction (HD) 4.0

Distinction (D) 3.0

Credit (C) 2.0

Pass (P) 1.0

Near pass 0.7

Fail (U) 0.3

Withdrawn fail 0

12

Grade Marks

High Distinction (HD)

Distinction (D)

Credit (C)

required

80

70

60

Pass (P) 50

Fail (U) <50

5%

10%

25%

Australian Singapore Law Students Society

AM)

10%

20%

35%

Students studying in Monash University are awarded a LLB degree with Honours based on their Weighted Average Mark as shown in the table below.

Honours Grade

HI (1 51 Class)

HilA (2nd Upper)

HI l iB (2nd Lower)

Hill (3rd Class)

Weighted average mark

73

71

69

67

It is possible for students to qualify for the degree with honours without undertaking a Honours Research Unit but students who undertake this unit will receive a 20% added to the grade achieved in the Honours Research Unit. To be eligible for this Unit, student must have: 1. An average of 72% or better across law units; and 2. No more than 74 credit points remaining to complete the law requirements of the

degree. (1 fuJI semester unit is equivalent to 12 credit points)

The award of a degree with honours on this basis will no longer be applicable to students commencing from 2015.

SOURCE: hllp:ffwww.law.monash.edu.aufcurrenl-studenlsfenrolmenlsfhonotus/ hllp:ffwww .monash.edu.a u/exams/gpa. hlm] (Dated 2Sfl/2014) 13

GLOBAL RANK (QS RANKING)

AUSTRALIAN RANK

NON-GRADED PASS (NGP)

HIGH DISTINCTION (HD)

DISTINCTION (DN)

H2B (SECOJ.\'D CLASS HONOURS LEVEL B)

CREDIT (CR)

PASS (P)

LOW PASS

FAIL (F)

LOW FAIL

14

UNIVERSITY GRADING COMPARISON CHART

15 151-200 51-100

3 7

13 8 51-1 00

5 6

Marked According to Professional Legal Industry Standards and Acceptability

80 80 80 80 80 80 85 85

70 70 70 70 70 75 75 75

70

60 6 60 60 60 65 65 65

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

47

< 50 < 50 < 50 < 50 < 50 < 50 < 50 25

13 14

2 4

85 85

75 75

65 65

50 50

< 50 < 50

15

H Murdoch ..... UNIVERSITY PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Murdoch Law School is Western Australia's premier law school, with a world-class leatning environment and a resolute commitment to excellence in legal education. • The School is home to over 1, 700 students, participating in 11 degrees (five postgraduate), who learn about the practice of law in a $3.7 million purpose built facility.

The building houses a 150-seat lecture theatre, two tutorial rooms, two computer labs and the state-of-the-art Freehills Electronic Moot Cowt, a mock cowi where hypothetical cases are tried for the training of law students. The Freehills Electronic Moot Comt also educates students in the application of new technologies in the cowtroom.

Proud in tradition, the School produced a Rhodes Scholar, a Fulbright Scholm·, a Lionel Murphy Scholar and several winners of the Rotaty Graduate Fellowship in its first five graduating classes.

Murdoch Law School enjoys strong ties to the West Australian legal and business community, with a number of organisations supporting the School's drive to provide a rigorous and intellectually challenging legal education to its students.

16


Murdoch Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Grade Point Average (WGPA) alongside with the Weighted Average Mark system.

Calculating WGPA • For 3 point or 4 point units, score 4 for each High Distinction, 3 for each

Distinction, 2 for each Credit, I for each Pass, and 0 for each FaiJ (double these scores for each 6 point or 8 point unit).

• Divide the total score by the number of units involved.

Calculating The Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

Grade I Marks required -High Distinction 80 Top2-

(HD) 12%

Distinction (D) 70 10-35%

Credit (C) 60 -NA-

Pass (P) 50 -NA-

Fail (F) <50 -NA-

Eligibility for admission to Honours Programme • The application period for Honours in Law (referred to as "Embedded

Honours") is at the commencement of the final 24 points of study. • Students may enrol in Honours during the Application Period if they have a

WGPA of2.60 or higher, calculated over all designated law units other than LAW120 Research and Writing and LAW150 Australian Legal System.

• Structure of Embedded Honours: i) LLB580 Honours Thesis in Law. ii) LAW582 Legal Research Methods for Honours.

SOURCE: hllp:/fwww .cal d.as n.au/docs/grades.pd f hllp:/jhandbook.m urdoch.edu.a ujs htdy/#collapse-sludyO (Dated 25/1/2014)

17

f1 Murdoch ..... UNIVERSITY PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Award of Honours Degree

The award of Honours for the embedded Honours option will be calculated using the following method:

1. 50% Thesis mark; 2. 16.7% Honoms Research Methods unit mark; and 3. 33.3% petformance in all Part 2 core units calculated on the basis of the

average mark received for all Patt II core law units.

First Class Honours: awarded to students who achieve a mark of 80% or higher based upon the embedded Honoms method of calculating the Honoms mark

Second Class Honours Division A: awarded to students who achieve a mark of 75-79% inclusive based upon the embedded Honoms method of calculating the Honours mark

Second Class Honours Division B: awarded to students who achieve a mark of 70-74% inclusive, based upon the embedded Honours method of calculating the Honours mark

18

THE UNIVERSITY OF

Australia's first Jaw school opened at the University ofMelbourne in 1857. It combined scholarly teaching of the principles of law with preparation for legal practice. Soon, Victoria became one of the first places in the common-law world where all lawyers had to do part of their training at university.

Since 1857, the Melbourne Law School has educated judges and prime ministers, practising lawyers and academics. Its former students are found in varied occupations throughout Australia and the world.

University of Melbourne Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system.

Grading System Honours Grade I Weighted

average mark

H1 (First-class honours)

H2A (Second-class honours, level A)

H2B (Second-class honours, level B)

H3 (Third class honours)

Pass

Fail

80%-100%

75%-79%

70%-74%

65%-69%

50%-64%

0%-49%

SOURCE: www.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/dmfile/ student-achievement-grading. pdf (Dated 25/1/2014)

19

Flinders Law School was established to help meet an overwhelming demand for University places in Law. Since 1992 both the intake size and the choices available to students have increased dramatically.

" Most significantly, in 1999 the new Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (LLB/ LP) programme commenced. This gives Flinders students the option of not just obtaining a Law degree, but also the Practical Legal Training (PLT) needed to gain admission to practise Law as a barrister or solicitor. By integrating this into the undergraduate degree, students can become qualified to practise without having to pay the upfront fees for the final part of their training, unlike their counterparts at many other Law Schools.

One thing that has changed little is the success of the Flinders Law programme. Flinders Law School teaching staff and programmes win national awards, and are rated highly in accreditation reviews and course evaluations and graduates have fantastic things to say about their experience.

Their aim is to give all of their students every possible advantage to progress through to be a top-ranking graduate and become a highly valued commodity in the marketplace. This is demonstrated by external assessment, not just their own benchmarks.

The Law School's academic staff are active researchers, many with national or international reputations in their fields . They are involved in a range of external activities that regularly bring them into contact with the profession and the broader community. The Law School prides itself on its friendly, relaxed atmosphere and committment to high quality teaching scholarship.

20


Flinders University Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system alongside with the Grade Point Average (GPA).

A student will qualify to be awarded a degree with honours if: 1) Students must attain a sufficiently high GPA; and 2) Students enrols in the 9-unit elective LLAW4042 Legal Research paper

and obtain a sufficiently high Honours score calculated by weighting the grade points obtained in that topic at 33 113% and the student's Honours GPA at 66 213%; whichever higher.

Calculation of Honours Honours Class

'

Honours I

Honours 2A 5.80-6.09

Honours 28 5.50-5.79

Grading System and Values to Grades Classification Percentage

High Distinction (HD) 85%

Distinction (ON) 75%

Credit (CR) 65%

Pass (P) 50%

Fail (F) <49%

Withdraw Fail (W/F)

SOURCE: hltp://www.W nde.rs.ed u.au/ medicinejsite.!¥'course-admin istralionfhonoursfsu bm issions.cfm (Dated 25/1/2014)

Grade Points

7

6

5

4

0

0

21

THE UNIVERSITY

The TC Beirne School ofLaw was founded in 1936 and is the premier law school in Queensland. The Law School is committed to providing its students with undergraduate and postgraduate programs of the highest quality that reflect the research strengths of the teaching staff. The teaching curriculum is under constant review to ensure currency.

The Law School's research is internationally recognised, with particular strengths in the areas of Corporate/Commercial Law, Intellectual Property Law, Public, International and Comparative Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, and Marine and Shipping Law. The School's PhD program also attracts students from around the world.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) regularly win some of the most coveted scholarships in the world. Numerous Rhodes Scholarships were awarded in recent years to graduates of the School. Some notable graduates includes former Chief Justices of Australia the Rt Hon Sir Harry Gibbs, the Hon Sir Gerard Brennan and the Hon Ian Callinan, the current Chief Justice of Queensland Hon Paul de Jersey, The current Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce, AC and a number of notable politicians.

Students of the Law School have access to world class UQ facilities, including Queensland's largest law library, the Walter Harrison Law Library with its collection of top online legal databases, and the Sir Harry Gibbs Moot Court, 24/7 quiet study facilities, and campus-wide wireless computer network.

22


• University of Queensland Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system alongside with the Grade Point Average (GPA) System. Honours is awarded based on the calculation ofGPA for the first attempts in all Law.

Grading System and GPA Grade of:

High Distinction (HD) 85% 7

Distinction (ON) 75% 6

Credit (CR) 65% 5

Pass (P) 50% 4

Low pass 47% 3

Fail (F) 25% 2

Low fail 1% 1

Calculation ofHonours Honours Class

Class I

Class IIA 5.500-5.999

Class liB 5.000-5.499

SOURCE: hl'tp://www.Jaw.uq.edu.au/law-Ub-honours http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/explanalion-of-grades 0 (Dated 25(1/2014)

4-7%

13-16%

27-32%

35-40%

23

The first Law School to be established in Australia, Sydney Law School's strong history is matched by its innovative approach to education and professional practice. Its many features are underpinned by its commitment to excellence in legal education.

• This innovation is reflected in the reputation of its undergraduate programs and the extensive range of postgraduate programs. The Law School places special emphasis on international and comparative law, maintains a strong profile in taxation, corporate and criminal law, and delivers programs in specialist areas such as environmental and health law.

The Sydney Law School moved into its new state-of-the-art building in February 2009. The new Law School is a flagship building, creating a new gateway to the University from the city via Victoria Park and representing a new era for law teaching at The University of Sydney. It provides prestigious and well-equipped accommodation as befits one of Australia's leading law schools and offers the highest quality teaching and learning and research facilities for students and staff.

SOURCE: www.sydney.edu.au/fulure-studenlsj sludy-abroad-exchange/inlernalional-s luden sludy-at-sydney.shlml

www.sydney.edu.auflawfcsl'udenlfundergrad/ honours_program.shlm

24


The University of Sydney Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system alongside with the Honours Grading system.

A student will be awarded Honours if be/she: 1) Completes a minimum of 90 credit points at University of Sydney; 2) Completes a total of 144 credit points; 3) Minimum WAM of75; 4) Dissertation; and 5) Non-assessed Research Workshop.

The Honours Program is limi ted to 20% of the graduating cohort.

Calculation of Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

Grade Marks required


Distinction (D) 75

Credit (C) 65

Pass (P) 50

Fail (U) <50

Calculation ofHonours Honours Grade

Honours Class I

Honours Class II (Division 1)


~80

75-79

Class ranking

Top 3-5%

Next 15%

Next 30%

Next 35%

-NA-

25

I UNSW ~ THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WAlES

UNSW is one of Australia's leading international universities, attracting outstanding scholars and students from around the world. Ranked in the top 30 Jaw schools globally, UNSW Law attracts students from over 130 different countries. UNSW's intemational students have featured as an essential part of university life for over 40 years.

UNSW Law is in the vety top tier of Australian Law Schools. Its purpose-built law building provides world-class facilities for our law students and is specifically designed to promote interaction between staff and students.

The Law School is internationally acknowledged as a leader in tertiary legal education in Australia. UNSW's prominence as an educational institution is attributable to our commitment to high quality support for students and our excellence in research and teaching. The School's reputation is built on its outstanding teaching staff, adjunct faculty, professional practitioners and international visitors.

26


UNSW Law Faculty grades its students using the Weighted Average Mark (WAM) system alongside with the Honours Grading system.

There are four critieria relevant for UNSW to award Honours to a student: 1. Completetion of all degree requirements of the Dual Law or Graduate

Law or JD .Program; 2. Attain a Honours WAM in law;

Calculation of Honours (60% X WAM of Core courses)+ (40% ofWAM of Elective courses)

I

Honours Grade

Honours Class 1

Honours Class 2, Division 1

Honours Class 2, Division 2


-80.36%

-77.94%

-76.40%

Class ranking

10%

Next 10%

Next 10%

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) Grade Marks required Class ranking

High Distinction 85 Top3-5% (HD)

Distinction (ON) 75 Next 15%

Credit (CR) 65 Next 30%

Pass (PS) 50 Next 35%

Fail (FL) <50 -NA-

3. Sufficient performance of research-based assessment tasks (One long substantial piece or 3 shorter substantial pieces of research essays that is awarded 65% or more); and

4. Not been found guilty of plagiarism or serious misconduct and not more than one failure in the law program.

SOURCE: http://www.law.unsw.edu.aufcurrent-studenlsfmy-academic-lifejhonours (Dated 25/l/2014) 27

Do Let Us Know How Could ,

Help You to Know Us Better!!! We hope the information in this Guide has been helpful. The AUSLSS Exco will be updating thjs booklet on an annual basis. If there is any other infmmation that you may need to help you make a better assessment, please feel free to let us know and the Exco will look into having it incorporated.

We value your feedback as we continue to grow the Australian Singapore Law Students Society

Thank You!

Mr Jeremy Sim President

Mr Paul Louis Liew Vice - President AUSLSS Exco 2014/2015 AUSLSS Exco 2014/2015

Email: [email protected] Mobile: +65 8183 6981 (Sing)

+61 431 410 232 (Aust)

28

Email: [email protected] Mobile: +65 9672 5582 (Sing)

+61 434 486 935 (Aust)

" Australian Singapore Law Students Society

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The auslss's guide to australian law school grading system ed 2, 2014