Two paragraphs on grading system and GPA

[victor_amelkin]

Hello,

Could you please take a look at the following two paragraphs and say whether they contain any serious errors, especially with articles usage?

"Russian institutions of higher education use a four-point grading scale. (Some sources may refer to a five-point Russian grading scale that includes the fifth grade of "Poor" or "F" with its numerical representation of 0.0. However, Russian universities do not use this grade, and poor academic performance is graded as "Unsatisfactory".) Some courses are graded on a "Passed/Not passed" basis, and the rest are graded on a four-point scale. The "Passed/Not passed" grades do not have any official numerical representation and are not used for GPA calculation. Students can graduate only if they pass each curriculum course, among which there are no electives.

GPA represents the cumulative grade point average for courses graded on a numerical four-point scale. There are two types of GPA. The first is a simple GPA that is calculated as the average of the grades' numerical values: {formula} where Grade{i} is the grade for the i-th course, and N is the number of courses. The second is a weighted GPA, which takes into account the number of hours each graded course has lasted: {formula}, where N is the number of graded courses, Grade{i} is the grade for the i-th course, Hours{i} is the number of hours the i-th course has lasted, and Hours is the total number of hours for all courses taken into account. Additionally, GPA may be calculated taking into account either all the courses graded on the four-point grading scale ("GPA") or only those courses related to a student's major ("GPAmaj"). The following table includes different GPAs calculated based on my transcripts: {table}"

Thanks in advance.

--
Victor

 

[Raymott]

Hello,

Could you please take a look at the following two paragraphs and say whether they contain any serious errors, especially with articles usage?

"Russian institutions of higher education use a four-point grading scale. (Some sources may refer to a five-point Russian grading scale that includes the fifth grade of "Poor" or "F" with its numerical representation of 0.0. However, Russian universities do not use this grade, and poor academic performance is graded as "Unsatisfactory".) Some courses are graded on a "Passed/Not passed" basis, and the rest are graded on a four-point scale. The "Passed/Not passed" grades do not have any official numerical representation and are not used for GPA calculation. Students can graduate only if they pass each curriculum course, among which there are no electives.

GPA represents the cumulative grade point average for courses graded on a numerical four-point scale. There are two types of GPA. The first is a simple GPA that is calculated as the average of the grades' numerical values: {formula} where Grade{i} is the grade for the i-th course, and N is the number of courses. The second is a weighted GPA, which takes into account the number of hours each graded course has lasted: {formula}, where N is the number of graded courses, Grade{i} is the grade for the i-th course, Hours{i} is the number of hours the i-th course has lasted, and Hours is the total number of hours for all courses taken into account. Additionally, GPA may be calculated taking into account either all the courses graded on the four-point grading scale ("GPA") or only those courses related to a student's major ("GPAmaj"). The following table includes different GPAs calculated based on my transcripts: {table}"

Thanks in advance.

--
Victor

The article use is perfect.

My only concern would be this sentence:
Students can graduate only if they pass each curriculum course, among which there are no electives.
I think that, by definition, curriculum courses don't include electives. Do you mean, "Students can graduate only if they pass each curriculum course, regardless of their results in electives"?
(or "all curriculum courses")

 

[victor_amelkin]

Hi Raymott,

Thank you for the comment.

The article use is perfect.

My only concern would be this sentence:
Students can graduate only if they pass each curriculum course, among which there are no electives.
I think that, by definition, curriculum courses don't include electives. Do you mean, "Students can graduate only if they pass each curriculum course, regardless of their results in electives"?
(or "all curriculum courses")

According to Wikipedia, "an elective ... chosen by a student means that it is an optional subject or course in a curriculum."

--
Victor

 

[Raymott]

Hi Raymott,

Thank you for the comment.



According to Wikipedia, "an elective ... chosen by a student means that it is an optional subject or course in a curriculum."

--
Victor

Yes, the way you've phrase it seems to suggest that "curriculum courses" are mandatory courses that a student has to pass. The student would also be expected to study some electives, but they do not count among the curriculum courses.
Wikipedia uses the term a little differently. In your case, an elective is not a curriculum course, For Wikipedia, it is. It is an optional subject or course in a curriculum."
Of course it doesn't matter which definitions you use as long as your students understand the rules.
Is your paragraph suggesting that these students should not study electives?

 

[victor_amelkin]

Is your paragraph suggesting that these students should not study electives?

The intended meaning was that foreign curricula include some electives along with some mandatory courses, while all courses in Russian curricula are mandatory. In other words, there are no electives in Russian universities' curricula.

 

[Raymott]

The intended meaning was that foreign curricula include some electives along with some mandatory courses, while all courses in Russian curricula are mandatory. In other words, there are no electives in Russian universities' curricula.

Ah, well that explains why there are no electives among the curriculum courses.
As you say, that's rare elsewhere. If your paragraph is intended for a foreign audience, you could probably clarify that point. I understand it now. A non-Russian would probably read it as I did - that a student can study electives, but not include them among his curricular subjects, all of which he must pass.