The January 2026 IITM BS Grading Change Explained

From the January 2026 term, weekly graded assignments (GAA) in IITM BS Data Science foundation courses carry a weight of 0 in your course score. Questions based on those assignments, worth 10 marks, are now asked in the quizzes and the end term instead. Diploma courses keep a GAA weight of 5. There are also new bonus marks: up to 2 for mock tests and up to 3 for extra activities, added only after you pass.

These rules come from the January 2026 grading document shared with students (the student version). A new grading document is issued each term, so open the current one on the student portal before you plan.

What changed, side by side

The handbook itself says the assignment rules may change from course to course, and it points to the grading document for the details. So when the two differ, follow the grading document.

Assignments still decide if you can write the end term

A weight of 0 does not make the assignments optional. Your best 5 scores out of the first 7 weekly assignments must still average 40 or more, and you must attend at least one quiz. Miss either condition and you cannot write the end term.

Two quick examples for a foundation course:

• Your best 5 assignments average 38. You get no hall ticket for the end term, and you must repeat the course.
• Your best 5 average 95. You can write the end term. Those 95s add nothing directly to your Total Course Score (T). But questions based on the same assignments carry 10 marks in your quizzes and end term.

So at the foundation level, assignments are now a gate and a practice tool, not a direct source of marks.

How the diploma weight of 5 works

At the diploma level, graded assignments can add at most 5 marks out of 100 to T. If those marks scale with your average, an average of 80 would add 4 marks. The summary we have gives this weight, not the full formula, so check each course's grading document for the rest of the split.

How the bonus marks work

• Up to 2 bonus marks if your average across the mock tests is 40 or more.
• Up to 3 bonus marks for extra activities. The summary we have does not list which activities count.
• The bonus is added only after you pass the course. It cannot turn a fail into a pass.

The examples below use the handbook's grade bands and its pass line of 40 out of 100. The DS academics page gives 50 as the pass line instead, which we explain in is the pass mark 40 or 50.

The step from E to D is worth 2 grade points, not 1. More in IITM BS mock tests and bonus marks.

How this fits the handbook formulas

The handbook does not print one fixed formula. It says T is the sum of all the assessment parts set in that term's grading document, and that the end term score is 50% of T. The DS academics page shows a simpler formula: T equals your average quiz score out of 50 plus your end term score out of 50, with no assignment part.

The January 2026 document sits between the two: at foundation level, assignments gate the end term but add no marks. Our guide to the IITM BS grading system shows how T becomes a letter grade.

Make-up exams follow the old formula

The handbook says a make-up end term is graded with the formula of the term in which you did the course work, not the term in which you write the make-up. Say you did a foundation course in September 2025, missed its end term, and wrote the make-up in January 2026. The September 2025 weights would apply to you, not the new ones. See IITM BS make-up exams.

What to do this term

1. Download the grading document for each course in week 1 and note the weights.
2. Solve every weekly assignment properly. It keeps you eligible and prepares you for the 10 marks of assignment-based questions.
3. Take the mock tests if your course offers them, and aim for an average of 40 or more.

Common questions

Do I still need to submit weekly assignments in foundation courses?

Yes. Your best 5 of the first 7 assignments must average 40 or more, or you cannot write the end term. The weight of 0 only means they add no marks directly to T.

Does this change apply to Electronic Systems students?

The document described here is the BS Data Science grading document. Electronic Systems courses have their own grading documents, so ES students should read those.

Can bonus marks save me from failing a course?

No. The grading document says bonus marks are added only after you pass. If your total is below the pass line, the bonus is not used.

Are degree level courses affected?

The summary we have covers the foundation and diploma weights only. For a degree level course, read that course's grading document before the term starts.