Final Grade Calculator
Tell it your current grade, how much your final is worth and the result you’re aiming for, and it shows the score you need on exam day — instantly, with the maths shown and an honest verdict when a target is already secured or out of reach.
Your average so far (%)
How much the final counts (%)
What you want overall (%)
How this is worked out
Your current grade covers the 70% of the course already assessed. The final makes up the remaining 30%. We solve for the score on the final that lifts the weighted total to your target.
What you'd need for each grade
A (90%)
✕
B (80%)
85%
C (70%)
51%
Pass (50%)
✓
Pass (40%)
✓
✓ already secured · ✕ not reachable even at 100%
Score needed on the final
51.3%
AchievableYou need 51.33 on the remaining 30 weight to reach your 70 target.
Best possible
84.6%
if you ace the final
Guaranteed floor
54.6%
even scoring 0
Where your grade comes from
How the maths works
No magic — just a weighted average solved backwards. Here's the exact formula, shown honestly.
final = (banked + needed × wᵣ) ÷ 100
needed = (target × 100 − banked) ÷ wᵣ
‘banked’ is your current grade × the weight already assessed; ‘wᵣ’ is the weight still to come (your final). Solve the weighted-average equation for the one unknown — the score you need.
78% so far · final worth 30% · want 70%
needed = (70 × 100 − 78 × 70) ÷ 30
= (7000 − 5460) ÷ 30 = 51.3%
A 51.3% on the final lands you exactly on 70% overall — anything higher beats your target.
A worked example, start to finish
Worked example
You're sitting on 78% going into finals. Your final exam is worth 30% of the module and you want to finish with a 2:1-equivalent 70% overall. What do you actually need on exam day?
- 1Your 78% covers the 70% of the module already assessed, so you’ve banked 78 × 0.70 = 54.6 points toward the 100-point total.
- 2To finish on 70 overall you need 70 points in total, so 70 − 54.6 = 15.4 points must come from the final.
- 3The final is worth 30 points, so the score you need is 15.4 ÷ 0.30 = 51.3%.
- 4Cross-check the ceiling: even a perfect 100 on the final only gives 54.6 + 30 = 84.6% overall — comfortably above 70, so the target is achievable.
Score 51.3% or more on the final and you finish at or above 70%. The calculator does this the instant you type — and flags it in red if your target needs more than 100%.
Reading the result honestly
A grade tool that hides bad news is worse than useless. Here's what each verdict means.
| Verdict | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Achievable | The required score sits between 0 and 100 — it’s within reach. | Aim a few points above the number for a safety margin. |
| Already secured | Even scoring zero on what’s left keeps you at or above target. | You’ve done the hard part — protect the result, don’t coast to a fail. |
| Out of reach | Even a perfect score on what remains can’t get you there. | Reset the target to what’s actually possible, or ask about resits / capped marks. |
The ‘best possible’ and ‘guaranteed floor’ stats show the full range your final grade can land in, so there are no surprises.
When students get this wrong
Treating the final’s weight as its share of marks left
If your final is worth 30% of the module, it’s 30% of the whole grade — not 30% of what’s “remaining”. Enter the module weight, not a leftover percentage.
Confusing “current grade” with “marks so far”
Current grade is your weighted average across assessed work, expressed as a percentage. It is not the raw points you’ve collected toward 100.
Forgetting weights must add up
In components mode, if your assessment weights don’t total 100%, your “grade so far” is still a fair weighted average of what’s graded — but your target maths assumes the rest fills the gap. The weight check flags this.
Rounding too early
Round only the final answer. This tool computes at full precision and rounds at the very end, which is why its number can differ by 0.1 from one you worked by hand with rounded steps.
Make the number work for you
Before the exam
- Add a 3–5 point buffer to the required score — exams rarely go exactly to plan.
- Use the what-if grid to see the gap between a pass and a higher classification; sometimes it’s smaller than you think.
- If the verdict is “secured”, confirm there’s no minimum-mark rule on the final you still have to clear.
If the target is out of reach
- Lower the target to the best grade still achievable — the “best possible” stat shows your ceiling.
- Check whether your institution caps or condones a failed component before assuming the worst.
- Shift effort to modules where a few marks change your classification more.
How it works
- 1
Enter where you stand
Type your current grade, the weight of your final, and the overall grade you’re targeting.
- 2
Read the score you need
See the exact mark required on the final, plus your best-possible and guaranteed-floor results.
- 3
Plan with the ladder
The what-if grid shows the score needed for every grade boundary, so you can pick a realistic target.
Final Grade Calculator — questions
How do you work out what I need on the final?+
Your final result is a weighted average of everything that counts. The calculator banks your current grade over the weight already assessed, then solves the weighted-average equation for the one unknown — the score on your final — that reaches your target.
What does “out of reach” mean?+
It means even a perfect score on your final can’t lift you to the target you entered. Rather than show an impossible number above 100%, the calculator says so plainly and shows the best grade still achievable.
My final is worth 30% — is that 30% of the marks left?+
No. Enter the final’s weight as its share of the whole module (30%), not a leftover percentage. Your current grade covers the other 70% that’s already been assessed.
Can I use it with individual coursework and exam weights?+
Yes. Switch to “Grade from components”, list every assessment with its weight and score, and leave the score blank for anything you haven’t taken. It shows your grade so far and what you need on the rest.
Why is its answer slightly different from mine?+
It computes at full precision and rounds only the final number. If you rounded at each step by hand, your answer can differ by around 0.1 — the calculator’s value is the more accurate one.
Does “already secured” mean I can skip the final?+
It means your target is safe even scoring zero on what’s left — but many modules require a minimum mark on the final regardless, so check your assessment rules before easing off.
Related tools
Grade Calculator
Add up every point you've earned across all your marked work to see your true overall grade — and exactly what you need on what's left.
GPA Calculator
Work out your credit-weighted GPA from your module grades and credits, on the 4.0, 4.0 (+/−) or 4.3 scale, with letter or percentage entry.
Semester GPA Calculator
Work out each term's GPA and your credit-weighted GPA across every semester in one place.
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