Weighted Grading

Last updated on October 21, 2026

There are many advantages to using a weighted grading scheme. For example, you don’t need to manipulate points to make your total points work out to a nice even number (like 1000), and you don’t need to shuffle points around when you add, remove, or change an assignment. Also, you can easily ensure that major assignments, like essays or exams, will be worth more than multiple small assignments, such as a series of homework assignments or participation points, without worrying about the math.

This spotlight covers how to use Assignment Groups to create a weighted grading scheme. To learn more about Assignment Groups, view our spotlight, Grading in Canvas – How Assignment Groups Impact the Canvas Gradebook.

For guidance on setting rules for your assignment groups, view our tutorial, Drop Low and High Grades.

How Does Weighted Grading Work?

In a weighted grading scheme, assignment groups are created to categorize different assignment types, and each group is set to make up a certain percentage of the total grade. For example, as shown in the pie chart below, the homework category could be weighted at 15%, discussions at 20%, quizzes at 25%, and exams at 40%, adding up to a total of 100%.

To determine a student’s overall grade, Canvas would automatically perform the following calculation:

Final Grade (%) = (0.15 × Homework %) + (0.20 × Discussions %) + (0.25 × Quizzes %) + (0.40 × Exams %)

The point value for assignments matters within an assignment group but not between groups. For example, in the grading scheme above, a 20-point homework assignment would affect the Homework grade twice as much as a 10-point one. However, the total point value or number of assignments in an assignment group doesn’t change its weight when calculating the students’ total grade. For example, if the Homework group were to have a total of 500 points and the Exams group had only 100 points, Exams would still count for 40% of the students’ final grade and Homework for only 15%.

Best practices

• Thoroughly explain the grading system to your students since a weighted grading system is less common than a points-based system.
• Weight important assignment groups more heavily than less important assignment groups. For example, exams and projects might have more weight than homework assignments or weekly quizzes.
• Make sure all assignment groups add up to 100% (unless you have an extra credit category).
  • Allow for extra credit by creating an extra assignment group worth a small percentage that brings the total percentage to more than 100%. For example, in the grading scheme above, you could add an Extra Credit assignment group worth 5% of the grade, bringing the total percentage to 105%.
• Make each individual assignment/assessment worth the number of points that naturally makes sense, considering the number of questions or criteria you are using to grade the assignment. For example, an exam with 50 questions could be worth 50 points, or an essay with 6 rubric criteria and 4 rating levels for each could be worth 24 points.
  • Remember that points are still relevant within each assignment group. For example, a 20 point homework assignment will impact the final grade more than a 10 point homework assignment.

Let’s walk through it together

[Length 5:52, CC Available]

Set Up Assignment Groups

1. Log in to your Canvas account.
2. Select the course you’d like to work in.
3. Click Assignments on the left-hand course navigation menu.
4. Click the +Group button at the top right of the page to add a new assignment group.
5. Type the name of the assignment group (e.g., “Discussions” or “Participation”).
6. Click Save at the bottom right of the pop-up window.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 as needed until you have created all of your desired groups.
   • To rename an assignment group, click the three dots to the right of the assignment group, and select Edit from the drop-down menu.
   • To delete an assignment group, click the three dots to the right of the assignment group, select Delete from the drop-down menu, choose Move its assignments to, select an assignment group to move it’s assignments to, and click Delete Group.
8. Click and drag the 8-dot array to the left of an assignments name to move it into a different assignment group.
   • Alternatively, you can click the three dots to the right of the assignment name, select Move to from the drop-down menu, then select the group you want to move the assignment to.

Create a Weighted Grading Scheme

1. Click Assignments on the left-hand course navigation menu.
2. Click the three dots (More Options menu) next to the blue +Assignments button at the top right of the page.
3. Select Assignment Groups Weight from the drop-down menu.
4. Check the box next to Weight final grade based on assignment groups.
5. Enter the percentage of total grade each group is worth in the text fields to the right of each assignment group.
   • Note: If you have an assignment group you do not want to count toward the students’ final grade, enter zero as the percentage of total grade.
6. Click Save at the bottom right of the pop-up window.

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