Dear University of Canterbury,

I would like to request under the Official Information Act some information relating to student grades by course subject code. I woud like to request a statistical breakdown of the average grade distribution by course subject code for the last three years. For example: 7% of students got an A+ in POLS papers, 2% got an A+ in LAWS, 5% got an A+ in PHIL, etc.

For courses which operate using a pass/fail grading mechanism, can I please request a breakdown of this also, again by course subject code.

If possible can this data please be sent in a machine readable format, so ideally in a spreadsheet format, rather than inside a PDF?

Although not required by the Official Information Act, I understand it is often useful to know what the purpose of a request is. The purpose of my request is to try to gain an understanding of how "easy" or "hard" different subjects mark, as I have heard rumors that different subjects are known to grade easier than other subjects. I am also asking for the last three years so I can see how this has changed over time, in particular if the earthquake had an effect on grading at all.

Feel free to contact me if you want me to clarify my request.

Yours faithfully,

Joshua Grainger

Dear University of Canterbury,

I would just like to check on the status of my Official Information Act request. I am aware that the legal deadline for my request hasn't been met yet, that is the 2nd of April (Monday). However, I just recall that that last time I sent a request using the FYI.org.nz website to UC I got an email back confirming receipt of my request from Information and Records Management (http://fyi.org.nz/requests/74-chch101-gr...), so I am worried my request has not been received.

Yours faithfully,

Joshua Grainger

Dear Information and Records Management,

Thank you very much for your helpful response. Although it didn't go into as much detail as requested, the ADG report was very helpful, containing pretty much what I needed. Although it was a pity that my initial request was missed, professionalism that my request was dealt with: certainly better than a lot of Government departments, who I imagine would receive a lot more requests than the University of Canterbury.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Grainger