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I've encountered two stances in the time I have been in college and high school.
1) The grades are "given" stance.
People who think this, tend to believe that teachers will alter the grades of their students depending on whether they like them or not. They believe that in classes with curved grades (i.e. pre-med classes in college, science classes), the teacher wants only a certain percentage of the class to get an A, and they will be like "I want 10% of my class to get an A", so of the top 10%, the lowest grade in that percentile becomes the boundary for an A. In circumstances like this, where a grade is not your raw score out of 100, some believe the grade is "given". Also considering that essays and projects are subjectively interpreted, others say that the grade is given.
2) The grades are "earned" stance.
People who believe this, such as myself, believe that whatever requirements, grading style, or method of interpreting work a teacher sets, you have to meet that standard and you thus earn your grade relative to how well you can do so. Under this point of view, complaining that the grades you receive are "unfair" or "I didn't deserve a C" is ridiculous, since a grade is a reflection of how much you know, how well you meet the teacher's criteria, and the extent of effort or ability you have demonstrated. People who believe this think that even with curved grades for instance, if the teacher decides that only 10% of the class can get an A in say, a competitive pre-med science course in college, if you want to be one of the ones getting an A, you have to work to earn that grade and be within that tenth percentile in the class (I don't know how often this approach is taken but if it is, you have to meet the teacher's standard!)
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