I’m sure many of you have come across the acronyms GPA , FGPA, CPA and other terms related to academia or your university, whether in Ghana or abroad.
These are all terms pertaining to grading systems and used to attain a final assessment of a completed course in the university.
A lot of students in the University of Ghana and similar universities outside the country find it difficult understanding these terms and even calculating the results based on the correct grading system of their school. Today we want to explain further giving you the knowledge on ;
- Understanding What GPA, FGPA, CGPA and other terms mean.
- Calculating GPA, FGPA and grades.
UNDERSTANDING GPA, FGPA ,CGPA
Terminologies
1.GPT- Grade Point is the resulting score for a grade. where A=4.0, B+=3.5, B=3.0, C+=2.5, C=2.0, D+=1.5, D=1, E=0.5 and F=0. Multiplying the Credit hours by Grade point gives you the GPT Grade point for a semester. e.g 3×4.0 =12 .
2.CCT-Cumulative Credits Taken; the sum of all credit hours in courses and is usually based on course codes and not course titles and you calculate this once.
3.CCP- Cumulative Credits Passed; As simple as it sounds, this is the sum of all credit hours of passed courses where passed grades do not include grades E and F.Only from A to D.
4.GPA Grade Point average is simply a score calculated by the average result of all grades achieved throughout your course for a particular semester. Formula to attain this score according to University of Ghana is GPA= Total GPT/Total Credit Hours.
5.CGPA is the average of Grade Points obtained for all courses completed up to a specified or given number of academic semesters. This is for the total semesters a student has taken examinations in the university. And all levels carry equal weight. CGPA= Total GPTs of all courses taken/Total No of Credits of all courses taken
6.The FGPA is the final GPA for all courses attained at the end of your academic programme and measured with a formula according to institution and here GPAs for the various levels are recalculated. All courses are calculated under their correct levels. Every re-sit course is calculated the number of times it is taken.
Computation of Final Grade Point Averages (FGPA) determines your Class of Bachelor’s degree.
The GPAs from Levels 100 to 400 shall be weighted as follows: 1:1:2:2 as at the time of writing this article.
OTHER TERMS
Audit:
The University awards a Grade AUDI to a student for attendance at lectures where no examination is taken, or where an examination is taken, but no mark can be returned with a good reason. The University does not take this grade into account in the calculation of the FGPA.
Grade I and X (Non-Completion of Course):
The University awards a grade I to a student who is unable to complete a course for reasons adjudged by the Board of Examiners as satisfactory and such a student has to complete the course the very next time the course is available.
Where as a student gets a grade X if he is unable to complete a course for reasons adjudged by the Board of Examiners as unsatisfactory.
Grade Z (Disqualification):
The University awards a grade Z to a candidate which denotes Disqualification from an examination. For reasons such Examination Malpractice, whether in a Principal subject or an Ancillary or any other paper. The University can disbar a candidate from taking a University Examination for a stated period, or indefinitely, or can also expel such a culprit from the University altogether. A grade Z is awarded only by the Board of Examiners.
CALCULATION OF GPA, CGPA AND FGPA
GPA= Total GPT/Total Credit.
Here is an example:
COD 101. 3. A. (4.0) 12.00
COD 103. 3. B. (3.0)9.00
COD 105. 3. B+. (3.5) 10.50
COD 107. 3. A. (4.0)12.00
COD 109. 3. A. (4.0) 12.00
Total GPT= 55.50
Total Credit Hours = 15
GPA= 55.50/15
GPA= 3.70
Calculating CGPA
CGPA= the average of the GPA for a number of semesters.
example (3.7 +3.5) / 2 = 3.6
Calculating FGPA
Here, the CGPAs acquired at various levels are collated using a weighting scale of 1:1:2:2
Using the 4-year degree level as an example with the weighting scale:
Level 100 = 1, Level 200 = 1 , Level 300 = 2 and Level 400 = 2.
L100 = CGPA of 3.60
L200 = CGPA of 3.75
L300 = CGPA of 2.75
L400 = CGPA of 3.50
The FGPA will be:
L100 = 3.60 × 1/6= 0.60
L200 = 3.75 × 1/6= 0.62
L300 = 3.75 × 2/6= 1.24
L400 = 3.50 × 2/6= 1.16
FGPA= 0.60 + 0.62 + 1.24 + 1.16 = 3.62 classified as First Class Honours.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CGPA AND FGPA
What most people don’t know is that there is a huge difference between CGPA and FGPA. Some assume their CGPA will be their final grade and get disappointed in the end. Ignorance shouldn’t get you disappointed here
CGPA is calculated over time as you complete each semester till your final year but this doesn’t consider the weighting scale of 1 1 2 2 for the corresponding years. Where as the FGPA involves the use of the weighting scale to compute the final result. So if you want to attain your FGPA you have to use the weighted scale of 1-1-2-2 which may differ for other universities.