In each area of grading, the marks for teachers to choose from range from 1 to 5. Every grade starts at 3 - 3 is what a child doing just fine is expected to be given. It can be expected that 60% or 6 out of 10 children will score a 3 in any area. 3 is a good score. There is generally no cause for concern for a child scoring at 3.
A child who is finding an area difficult or is performing below average is moved to a grade 2. It can be expected that 15% of children will score a 2 in any area. A child who is experiencing significant difficulty and requiring significant differentiation of work is moved to a grade 1. It can be expected that 5%, or 1 out of 20 children, will score a 1 in any area.
Likewise, children performing above average, experiencing comfort and ease in an area, is moved to a grade of 4 and 15% of children are expected to score a grade of 4. And then a child accessing that area of the curriculum with great ease and requiring differentiation in the direction of more difficult and challenging work to keep them engaged would be moved to a grade 5. 5%, or 1 out of 20 children, can be expected to score a 5 in any area.