Calculation of the Percentage Uniform Marks (PUM) | Cambridge International

Many teachers are not aware of the method of calculating the marks of a syllabus in percentage form.

This video will assist you in calculating the Percentage Uniform Marks (PUM)
The PUM is an indication of the candidate's achievement on the grade range.


You may have seen students' result slip from Cambridge (insert image)
A* (91)
A (84)
B (76)
C (67)
The marks in brackets are known as Percentage Uniform Marks or PUM. (Visual)

Calculating the PUM is not as straightforward as you think and this video aims to show you how the PUM is arrived at.




Step 1: Get the Raw Marks
Firstly, a syllabus or subject has at least two components. We will take ICT 0417 as an example.
ICT 0417 has 3 components: Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3.
Total marks for Paper 1: 100 m
Total marks for Paper 2: 80 m
Total marks for Paper 3: 80 m

The marks awarded for each component is known as the RAW MARKS.
Let's say a student scores these results:
Paper 1: 75/100
Paper 2: 36/80
Paper 3: 54/80
So the raw marks are 75, 36 and 54.

Step 2: Find the SYLLABUS COMPONENT WEIGHTING FACTOR
The next step is to find out the SYLLABUS COMPONENT WEIGHTING FACTOR (SCWF) unique to the syllabus.
To find the SCWF for a particular exam series, you can search/google: SYLLABUS COMPONENT WEIGHTING FACTOR June 2019.
Click on the link which will open a pdf document containing all SCWF. In this case, look for the SCWF for ICT 0417. (Insert image)
Paper 1: x1.2
Paper 2: x1.125
Paper 3: x1.125

Step 3: Calculate Final Marks

Take the raw marks for each component and multiply the SCWF.
You can also take the component total and multiply the SCWF to get the actual weightage of the component.
Paper 1
Final mark = 75 X 1.2 = 90
100 X 1.2 = 120

Paper 2
Final mark = 36 X 1.125 = 40.5
80 X 1.125 = 90

Paper 3
Final mark = 54 X 1.125 = 60.75
80 X 1.125 = 90


Step 4: Calculate Syllabus Total
We total up all the final marks to get the SYLLABUS TOTAL.

Syllabus Total = (90 + 40.5 + 60.75) / (120 + 90 + 90)
= 191.25 / 300

Syllabus Total Rounded Off = 191 /300

Do not calculate the percentage by taking 191/300 X 100. This is not how it is to be done. (Drama a bit)


Step 5: Award the Syllabus Grade from Grade Threshold
Now, we need to award the SYLLABUS GRADE by comparing the syllabus total with the grade thresholds.
Search for the grade thresholds (unique to each seating) by searching/googling: ICT 0417 June 2019 Grade Threshold (visual)
Open the document and use the overall grade threshold (insert image)
Let's assume the paper combination is Paper 11, Paper 21, Paper 31.
191/300 will fall under Grade A as it is between A: 184 - 213.
So the candidate is awarded A for ICT.

SYLLABUS GRADE: A


Step 6: Calculate the PUM
The range of the A grade is 184 - 213
(Image: arrow with 191, a bit less than the middle) (VISUAL)
So 191 is towards the lower quarter of the range. (VISUAL)

PUM = (191 - 184) / (213 - 184) X 10 + 80
= (7 / 29) X 10 + 80
= 82 %

A (82)

Formula for PUM calculation:
A* PUM: (Syllabus total - lower limit) / (upper limit - lower limit) X 11 + 90
A PUM: (Syllabus total - lower limit) / (upper limit - lower limit) X 10 + 80
B PUM: (Syllabus total - lower limit) / (upper limit - lower limit) X 10 + 70
C PUM: (Syllabus total - lower limit) / (upper limit - lower limit) X 10 + 60
D PUM: (Syllabus total - lower limit) / (upper limit - lower limit) X 10 + 50
E PUM: (Syllabus total - lower limit) / (upper limit - lower limit) X 10 + 40
F PUM: (Syllabus total - lower limit) / (upper limit - lower limit) X 10 + 30

The End

(Disclaimer: This is AISS' simplified method of calculating the PUM for our own teachers. This by no means the method approved by CAIE nor is this method claiming to be 100% statistically accurate)