Display precision is not a grading policy
A calculator often shows two decimal places so a result fits comfortably on screen. That presentation choice need not change the underlying percentage. A score of 17.999 out of 20 is exactly 89.995%. Displayed to two decimal places using half-up rounding, it becomes 90.00%.
If A begins at 90% and the grading rule uses the unrounded percentage, this score is still below A. The toolkit flags a result when display rounding crosses a cutoff so the percentage and letter grade are not silently confusing.
Choose when rounding should apply
By default, the tools calculate with decimal arithmetic and compare the unrounded percentage against the grading scale. If your course policy says to round before assigning the grade, turn on that setting and choose zero, one or two decimal places.
Half-up means a value exactly halfway between two displayed increments rounds upward for these non-negative scores. At zero decimal places, 89.5 becomes 90. At one decimal place, 89.95 becomes 90.0. These examples explain the calculation; they do not establish what policy your course should use.
| Unrounded percentage | Displayed value | Grade before rounding | Grade after rounding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89.994% | 89.99% | B | B |
| 89.995% | 90.00% | B | A |
| 90.000% | 90.00% | A | A |
Check for double rounding
Rounding twice can change the result. An exact 89.949% rounds directly to 89.9% at one decimal place. Rounding first to two decimals gives 89.95%, which then rounds to 90.0% at one decimal place. These are different operations.
Keep the original points or full-precision percentage while calculating. Set the required display precision once, and apply a rounding-before-grade policy only if the course requires it. When exporting to a spreadsheet or gradebook, check whether that system applies another rounding step.
Avoid rounding intermediate results
For a course total, retain the original earned and possible points. Rounding every assessment percentage and then combining those rounded figures can shift the final result. The weighted calculator combines category points and applies weights before display rounding.
The same applies to a batch: classification uses each row’s underlying percentage, while its CSV display follows the selected precision. Exported metadata records whether rounding before grading was enabled.
Required final scores are a special case
A required score is a minimum target. If the exact requirement is 96.666…%, showing 96.66% could suggest a score that falls slightly short. The final calculator rounds the required score upward, so it displays 96.67% at two decimal places.
Before recording an official result, compare the toolkit’s settings with the published course policy. Save a named scale and workspace to reuse the same settings on the next marking session.
These examples explain the tools. Your course policy determines how grades should be recorded. See the calculation methodology.