The Bell Curve: How it affects more than just your grade

While studying at NUS I have been surprised with how different both the teaching style and class/lecture can be compared to UCL. I believe that this is partly due to my choice to study Mandarin and Media Writing; two subjects that realistically cannot be compared to Geography. However, after discussions with friends who are also on exchange here, I began to realise that this different atmosphere is something that many of us felt.

At home it is not uncommon to discuss coursework and assignments with friends, it is even normal to review readings together and share lecture notes. Despite grades being a slightly taboo subject matter, it is never of great concern to me how my grades may differ to my friends. We each put in as much work as we deem appropriate and our grades reflect our effort, intellect and insight, regardless of how other students in the module have fared.

At NUS most grades are calculated using the Gaussian function, which is informally known as the bell curve. This means that your overall score is dependent on how others in your module performed. In a blog post written in 2012 by NUS’ provost, it was explained that the need to modify grades is partly due to the varied backgrounds of the examiners. Therefore the moderation “helps to achieve consistency in assessment grading across all modules” (NUS Provost’s Office 2012). Although I understand that this may contribute to a fairer grading system, there are still aspects of the grading process that I do not consider to be very just. For example, the university does not adopt anonymous marking. On a more positive note, it would appear that the bell curve makes it quite difficult for a student to fail a module. However, it also makes it much more difficult to achieve a high grade, as approximately 68% of students will fall within the average range (1 standard deviation from the mean), even if the calibre of each student’s work is impressive.

Aside from the effect that the bell curve may have on students’ grades, it is clear that this system is the root cause of the competitive atmosphere felt in classes. At NUS it is more common to be assigned group work, and I’ve noticed that in modules where we are not given group tasks students are not inclined to support one another. What’s more, the lack of anonymous marking means that students are always more eager to befriend the tutors and lecturers. Therefore, at times class discussions can feel like a competition over who can voice their opinion the loudest. Class debates become a little forced and occasionally it seems that less thought is put into people’s responses, as the main concern is simply to be heard. This may also be due to being awarded marks for class participation. Altogether, I find the assessment system here to be much less objective than UCL’s. Although I never expected my academic experience at NUS to mirror the past two years, I did not anticipate that I would find the atmosphere so different. Put simply: I will be glad to return to the friendly and collaborative Geography Department at UCL.

Provost Office (2012) 'The Bell Curve', 20 January, The NUS provost contemplates, [Online], [Accessed 8 November 2014], Available from: http://blog.nus.edu.sg/provost/2012/01/20/the-bell-curve/