Sahel EDU

How to calculate the term average from sequence marks, step by step

A student’s term average is worked out in two stages: first the average of each subject across the sequences of the term, then the average of those subjects weighted by their coefficients. This guide gives the method, a complete worked example and the mistakes that most often skew the result. It works with a calculator or a spreadsheet, whichever tool you use.

The method in four steps

In Cameroon schools, a term usually holds two sequences, and each sequence carries the same weight as the other. If your school’s internal rules set a different weighting, apply that one, in the same way for every class.

Keep every decimal until the last step. Round only at the end, to the hundredth (two decimal places), which is the usual practice.

Step 1: for each subject, add the marks of the term’s sequences and divide by their number. This is the subject average.
Step 2: multiply that average by the subject’s coefficient. The result is the subject total.
Step 3: add the totals of all subjects, then add the coefficients.
Step 4: divide the sum of the totals by the sum of the coefficients and round to the hundredth. This is the term average.

A complete worked example: a Form 4 student in the first term

The marks and coefficients below are invented for the example. Real coefficients depend on the class and the stream, and are taken from the syllabuses.

The sum of the totals is 191.5 and the sum of the coefficients is 16 (4 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1). The term average is therefore 191.5 ÷ 16 = 11.96875, or 11.97 out of 20.

To check, work it out another way: the overall average of sequence 1 is 186 ÷ 16 = 11.625, that of sequence 2 is 197 ÷ 16 = 12.3125, and the average of those two results is again 11.96875. Both routes agree as long as the coefficients are identical in the two sequences and the sequences carry equal weight.

Mathematics, coefficient 4: sequence 1 = 12, sequence 2 = 15, average 13.50, total 54.00.
French, coefficient 4: 10 and 11, average 10.50, total 42.00.
English, coefficient 3: 14 and 13, average 13.50, total 40.50.
Life and Earth Sciences, coefficient 2: 9 and 12, average 10.50, total 21.00.
History-Geography, coefficient 2: 11 and 8, average 9.50, total 19.00.
Physical Education, coefficient 1: 16 and 14, average 15.00, total 15.00.

Scales, several assessments, a missed sequence

Three situations come back every term. Choose the rule before calculating, and keep it the same for every student in a class.

Mark out of 10, 5 or 100: convert it to a mark out of 20 first (7 out of 10 becomes 14 out of 20), then calculate.
Several assessments in one sequence: average them first, with equal weight unless a rule says otherwise, to get the sequence mark.
Missed sequence: do not write zero by reflex. The school’s rules say how to treat an absence, excused or not.
Subject with no mark all term: decide whether it drops out of the calculation together with its coefficient, and do not count it as zero without a written rule.

The most common mistakes

These mistakes explain most of the differences between two report cards in the same class.

Forgetting the coefficients: the simple average of the six subjects in the example gives 12.08 instead of 11.97.
Dividing by the number of subjects instead of the sum of the coefficients.
Rounding each subject average before going on: the roundings add up and can tip an average over or under 10.
Mixing different scales without converting them first.
Counting a subject twice, or missing one, when the list changes from one class to another.
Copying by hand: a mark shifted by one line spoils the whole report card, especially when it travels from the exercise book to a notebook and then to a spreadsheet.

From the term to the year: annual average and rank

The yearly order that sets the school calendar defines the annual average as the average of the three term averages: (T1 + T2 + T3) ÷ 3. In that formula the terms count, not the sequences one by one.

The rank then follows from the averages: students in the class are listed from highest to lowest, and equal averages share the same rank. The guides on the annual average and on ranking give the detail.

What Sahel EDU calculates for you

In Sahel EDU, teachers enter their sequence marks once, from their phones. The term is then calculated as above: the average of the sequences for each subject, then the coefficients. Those of the general upper cycle are pre-filled; for the other cycles, the head of school sets them and confirms them before publication.

Each mark is brought back to the scale of its assessment (out of 5, 10, 20 or 100), and the average is shown on the scale of the class. A missed sequence follows the absence rule. The report card then shows the marks of each sequence, the average and coefficient of each subject, the ranks and the class statistics.

Frequently asked questions

How many sequences are there in a term?

In common practice, two, which makes six sequences over the year. In Sahel EDU, each sequence is attached to its term.

Can I average the overall averages of the two sequences?

Yes, if the coefficients are the same in both sequences and the sequences carry equal weight: the result matches the example (11.97). Otherwise, redo the calculation subject by subject.

Should I round, and when?

Keep every decimal until the final result, then round to the hundredth. We have not found a national text that fixes rounding: follow your school’s rules, for every student.

What if the marks are not all out of 20?

Convert each mark to a mark out of 20 before calculating, with a simple proportion. Sahel EDU does this for marks out of 5, 10, 20 and 100.

Can I try this calculation on my own classes?

Yes. The free trial lasts 30 days, with no commitment. The price is then negotiated with each school and can be read on the Pricing page.

Try Sahel EDU for free

Try Sahel EDU free for 30 days, no commitment. Afterwards, the price is negotiated with your school and confirmed in writing.

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