The final mark
In general education in the youth sector, the comprehensive final mark is determined in different ways. Here are two examples in which the student’s mark on the ministerial uniform examination counts for 50% of the final mark.
An example from History of Québec and Canada
Chloe, Lili and Thomas are all in Secondary IV but attend different schools. They all wrote a ministerial examination in History of Québec and Canada, but at different times. Chloe and Thomas wrote theirs in June, while Lili wrote hers in January. They just received their achievement records.
Chloe obtained 64% in the course while Thomas and Lili each obtained 70%.
The final mark for each was determined in a way that takes into account four marks:
- The raw school mark: This is the final mark on the student’s report card, as issued by the school.
- The moderated school mark: This is the school mark after the Ministère has applied the statistical procedure known as moderation. This mark is used in determining the final mark.
- The ministerial examination mark: This is the mark the student obtained on the ministerial uniform examination.
- The converted ministerial examination mark: This is the mark the student obtained on the ministerial uniform examination, after conversion.
Chloe obtained 71% on her school report card and 60% on the ministerial examination. After moderation by the Ministère, her school mark dropped to 68%. However, her mark on the ministerial examination was still 60% because it was not converted. Her achievement record shows that she obtained 64% in the History of Québec and Canada course.
Comprehensive final mark for Chloe: (50% of 68) + (50% of 60) = 64%
Thomas, for his part, obtained 62% on his school report card and 70% on the ministerial examination. After moderation by the Ministère, his school mark rose to 64%. However, his mark on the ministerial examination was still 70% because it was not converted. His achievement record shows that he obtained 70% in the History of Québec and Canada course.
Comprehensive final mark for Thomas: (50% of 64) + (50% of 70) = 67%. However, since the final mark cannot be lower than the mark obtained on the ministerial examination, Thomas’s final mark is equal to the one he obtained on the ministerial examination, or 70%.
Finally, Lili obtained 80% on her school report card and 61% on the ministerial examination. After moderation by the Ministère, her school mark dropped to 76%. Then, after conversion, her mark on the ministerial examination rose to 63%. Her achievement record shows that she obtained 70% in the History of Québec and Canada course.
Comprehensive final mark for Lili: (50% of 76) + (50% of 63) = 69.5%. However, her comprehensive final mark in the subject was rounded off to the nearest unit, giving her 70% on her achievement record.
Chart of the History of Québec and Canada course
| Student | Raw school mark | Moderated school mark | Ministerial examination mark | Converted ministerial examination mark | Mark on the Ministère’s achievement record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chloe | 71 % | 68 % | 60 % | 60 % | 64 % |
| Thomas | 62 % | 64 % | 70 % | 70 % | 70 % |
| Lili | 80 % | 76 % | 61 % | 63 % | 70 % |
An example from Science and Technology (a course with two components)
The comprehensive final mark for some courses is based on components. The Secondary IV Science and Technology course (555 444) is one example. The comprehensive final mark in this course is made up of the weighted final mark of each component:
- The theoretical component (555 410) counts for 60%. The student’s performance in this component is evaluated by the teacher and through the administration of a ministerial examination.
- The practical component (555 420) counts for 40%. The student’s performance in this component is evaluated exclusively by the teacher.
Here are a few examples of how the comprehensive final mark is determined in the case of a course made up of different components.
In the theoretical component, Chloe obtained 80% on her school report card and 61% on the ministerial examination. After moderation by the Ministère, her school mark dropped to 72%. Then, after conversion, her exam mark rose to 64%. Her final mark for this component was, therefore, 68%.
In the practical component, Chloe obtained a school mark of 90%, which was her final mark for this component.
Her achievement record shows that she obtained 77% in the Science and Technology course.
Comprehensive final mark for Chloe:
- Theoretical component: 60% of 68% = 40.8%
- Practical component: 40% of 90% = 36%
- Final mark: 40.8% + 36% = 76.8%. However, Chloe’s comprehensive final mark in the subject was rounded off to the nearest unit, giving her 77% on her achievement record.
| Science and Technology | Raw school mark | Moderated school mark | Ministerial examination mark | Converted ministerial examination mark | Final mark for the component
| Weighting of the component | Mark on the Ministère’s achievement record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theoretical component | 80% | 72% | 61% | 64% | 68% | 40.8% | 77% |
| Practical component | 90% | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 90% | 36% |
In the theoretical component, Thomas obtained 68% on his school report card and 75% on the ministerial examination. After moderation by the Ministère, his school mark rose to 70%. Then, after conversion, his mark on the ministerial examination rose to 76%. However, since the final mark cannot be lower than the mark obtained on the ministerial examination, Thomas’s final mark was 76%.
In the practical component, Thomas obtained a school mark of 72%, which was his final mark for this component. His achievement record shows that he obtained 74% in the Science and Technology course.
Comprehensive final mark for Thomas:
- Theoretical component: 60% of 76% = 45.6%
- Practical component: 40% of 72% = 28.8%
- Final mark: 45.6% + 28.8% = 74.4% However, Thomas’s comprehensive final mark in the subject was rounded off to the nearest unit, giving him 74% on his achievement record.
| Science and Technology | Raw school mark | Moderated school mark | Ministerial examination mark | Converted ministerial examination mark | Final mark for the component
| Weighting of the component | Mark on the Ministère’s achievement record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theoretical component | 68% | 70% | 75% | 76% | 76% | 45.6% | 74% |
| Practical component | 72% | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 72% | 28.8% |
Finally, in the theoretical component, Lili obtained 76% on her school report card and 72% on the ministerial examination. After moderation by the Ministère, her school mark dropped to 74%. However, her mark on the ministerial examination was still 72%, since it was not converted. Her final mark for this component was therefore 73%.
In the practical component, Lili obtained a school mark of 61%, which was her final mark for this component.
Her achievement record shows that she obtained 68% in the Science and Technology course.
Comprehensive final mark for Lili:
- Theoretical component: 60% of 73% = 43.8%
- Practical component: 40% of 61% = 24.4%
- Final mark: 43.8% + 24.4% = 68.2%. However, Lili’s comprehensive final mark in the subject was rounded off to the nearest unit, giving her 68% on her achievement record
| Science and Technology | Raw school mark | Moderated school mark | Ministerial examination mark | Converted ministerial examination mark | Final mark for the component
| Weighting of the component | Mark on the Ministère’s achievement record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theoretical component | 76% | 74% | 72% | 72% | 73% | 43.8% | 68% |
| Practical component | 61% | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 61% | 24.4% |