Note that this section deals with the administrative aspects of marking. For pedagogical aspects of marking, see Teaching and responding to writing.
Recording assignment and test marks
You can record assignment and test marks using LEARN, the University of Waterloo’s learning management system, or you can create your own spreadsheet. If you are a TA in a course that uses LEARN, your course leader will tell you how to record your marks. Final grades are uploaded into Quest, University of Waterloo’s student information system, where students and administrators will be able to view them.
If you are a GI and want to use LEARN to record your marks, you will have to set up a gradebook on your course’s LEARN site before you can enter your marks. For information on how to set up a gradebook and how to enter and manage grades, see Grades on UWaterloo LEARN help. You can also enter feedback and marks on assignments within the Dropbox tool.
Submitting final marks
In general, course coordinators submit final marks on behalf of their TAs, while GIs submit their own final marks. To submit your final marks, complete the following steps:
- If you are using LEARN to record your marks, Calculate your final grades.
- Once you have calculated your final marks on LEARN or on your own spreadsheet, Upload your final grades to QUEST.
Giving a grade of incomplete (INC)
A grade of Incomplete should be given out only under exceptional circumstances. Consult the Registrar's Office page on Incomplete (INC) Grade Processes, and submit an Incomplete Grade Form.
Re-marking assignments
A student who is unsatisfied with or puzzled by a mark on an assignment or test may ask you to consider re-grading their work. Communicate with the student to make sure that they have read and understood your comments on the assignment. If it is warranted, you may agree to have another look at the assignment. Revisiting the assignment, of course, does not guarantee a higher grade.
If you have further questions about re-marking the assignment, see your course coordinator or, if you are a GI, the GI coordinator. If the student is still unsatisfied with the grade, direct her to speak to the undergraduate officer before launching an official challenge.
Changing a final grade
To change a student's final grade for an English course before the official mark submission deadline, simply submit a revised grade file through Quest. You don't need to re-send the entire class's grades; if you create a properly formatted spreadsheet with just the revised grade of the student, only the student's grade will be revised.
To change a student's final grade for an English course after the official mark submission deadline (for instance if there was an INC awarded or you were waiting for resolution of an academic integrity issue), email records.arts@uwaterloo.ca and make a request, giving the following information:
- Student name
- Student number
- Course number (e.g., ENGL 109)
- Course section (e.g., 001, 081, etc.)
- Term and year (e.g., Fall 2026)
- Original and revised grades
Official challenges of marks
In some cases a student may challenge a mark on an assignment or a final mark. The specifics of the process are outlined under Policy 70 – Student Petitions and Grievances. In all cases, the student must first contact you to discuss the mark within one month of the mark being issued. If you are contacted, you must respond within ten days.
If the student is unsatisfied with the results of your discussions, direct them to contact the English department's undergraduate officer prior to launching an official challenge. If an official challenge is launched, it will follow the procedures outlined in Policy 70 – Student Petitions and Grievances.
Petitions
In some cases, after a course is over a student will petition for a special consideration, such as the removal of a course grade from their record, not because they want to challenge the grade but because exceptional factors such as illness or other personal circumstances affected their performance. In such a case you may receive an email from the Examinations & Standings Committee asking you to fill out a form giving them information to see if they should grant the student's petition. The email will contain instructions for filling out the form.