What Mark Do I Need in My Exam? Calculator
Your module mark is a weighted average of coursework and the exam — which means you can work out exactly what you need in the exam before you sit it. Enter your coursework mark and how much the coursework is worth, choose your target, and this calculator does the maths instantly.
The exam is worth the rest: 60%. Common targets: 40 = pass, 50 = 2:2 level, 60 = 2:1 level, 70 = First level.
The formula
Module mark = (coursework mark × coursework weight) + (exam mark × exam weight). Working backwards: exam mark needed = (target − coursework mark × coursework weight) ÷ exam weight. Example: coursework worth 40% with a mark of 55% contributes 22 marks. For a 60% module mark you need 38 more marks from an exam worth 60%, so 38 ÷ 0.6 = 63.3% in the exam.
What the result means
If the number is under 40%, your coursework has done the heavy lifting and a solid pass in the exam protects the module. Between 40% and 70% it is a realistic revision target. Above 70% the exam has to be one of your best performances — possible, but it needs a plan, not hope. And if the calculator says over 100%, that target is mathematically gone for this module: the smart move is to protect the highest band that is reachable and put the saved effort into other modules. Your overall classification is an average across modules — check it with our degree classification calculator.
Turn the number into a plan
Knowing you need 63% is step one; step two is triage: past papers first, mark schemes second, and revision time weighted to the topics that carry the marks. If the exam is a take-home or open-book format, our take-home exam help page explains how we support preparation; if it is a resit, see resit exam help. For coursework still to come, our specialists can help from £20 per 1,000 words — prices here, or message us on WhatsApp.
Already Failed a Module?
If you are heading for a resit, the capped mark changes your degree maths completely. Our free Resit Impact Calculator shows what the cap does to your classification — and what you need elsewhere to recover it.
How the required-mark maths works
The calculation is a weighted average run in reverse, using the same weighting your module handbook publishes. Your coursework contribution is locked in the moment coursework is marked: a coursework mark of 55% on a component worth 40% of the module has already banked 22 of the module's 100 marks, and no exam performance can change that. Whatever your target module mark still needs must therefore come entirely from the exam's share. So the calculator subtracts the banked coursework marks from your target and divides what remains by the exam's weight: needing 38 more marks from an exam worth 60% means scoring 38 ÷ 0.6, which is 63.3% in the exam itself. The comparison table repeats that arithmetic for the four standard targets — 40, 50, 60 and 70 — because the most useful question is rarely "what do I need for 60?" but "which band is genuinely within reach, and what does each one demand?" The final line of the result shows the ceiling as well: your coursework mark combined with a perfect exam, plus the module mark a bare exam pass would leave you with, so you can see the whole range your revision can actually move.
Read the result as an estimate, not a guarantee
A quick honesty note about what this tool cannot see. It assumes your module really is two components combined by simple weighting — but some modules add hurdles the arithmetic cannot capture: a minimum exam mark you must reach regardless of the average, a requirement to pass every component separately, or marks that are scaled or moderated after the exam board meets. A few universities also round module marks before classifying them, which can move a borderline result by a mark either way. So use the number here to build your revision plan and to choose your target band, then confirm the component rules in your module handbook — especially any "must pass the exam" clause — because those regulations, not this page, decide your final mark.
Frequently asked questions
What if the calculator says I need more than 100%?
Then that target band is mathematically out of reach for this module, whatever you do in the exam — the coursework marks already banked are too low, relative to the target, for the exam's weighting to close the gap. That is useful information, not a disaster: drop to the highest band the table shows as reachable, aim your revision there, and protect your average through your other modules instead.
My exam and coursework weightings are not 40/60. Does it still work?
Yes. Enter whatever your coursework is worth — 20%, 50%, 70% — and the tool treats the exam as worth the remainder, updating the split as you type. The only case it cannot model is a module with several coursework components at different weights; for that, combine them into one weighted coursework mark first, then enter it.
What if I have not got my coursework mark yet?
Run the calculator with your best honest estimate, then run it again a few marks either side. You will get a range for the exam score you need rather than a single figure, which is actually the better way to revise: plan for the pessimistic end and treat anything better as breathing room.
Is a pass in the exam always 40%?
For undergraduate modules at most UK universities, yes — 40% is the standard pass mark, rising to 50% for postgraduate modules. But check whether your module also requires you to pass the exam component itself: under a simple weighted average a very strong coursework mark could carry a failed exam, while a hurdle rule would fail the module regardless. Your handbook states which model applies.
How should I revise differently if I need over 70%?
A target that high changes the strategy from coverage to precision. Work from past papers and mark schemes rather than re-reading notes, because at First level the marks sit in applying and evaluating, not in describing. Weight your time towards the topics that carry the most marks, and practise writing under timed conditions — most students who need 70-plus lose the marks to unfinished answers, not to wrong ones.
Keep the whole degree in view
One exam feels enormous in isolation; in classification terms it is one weighted piece of a much bigger sum. The tools below show the bigger sums — or find them all together on the free student tools hub.
Marks and classification
- Degree classification calculator — places this module in your overall average and projects your final classification.
- Resit impact calculator — if this exam becomes a resit, see exactly what the capped mark would cost you.
Deadlines and planning
- Assignment deadline planner — for the coursework side of your modules: a daily word target that fits your real hours.
- Dissertation chapter word count calculator — proportional word targets for every chapter of a dissertation.
- Late submission penalty calculator — what handing coursework in late actually deducts under five UK policy models.
- Extension request email generator — writes a proper extension request when coursework needs more time.
Referencing
- Harvard referencing generator — correct Cite Them Right entries for the coursework half of your modules.
- APA referencing generator — the APA 7 equivalent, with DOIs formatted as links.
Costs
- Assignment price calculator — instant pricing if coursework support would free up your revision time.
See all free tools — all ten tools, one page.