Beyond being interested in the how, you must understand it for yourself so as to follow up closely whenever results show up. This is very crucial because errors of omission have been made in the past as well as other wrong calculations that have passed unnoticed to the detriment of the concerned student(s). In the light of these, every dogged student must be on the watch in his or her own best interest.

On the other hand, knowing how to calculate these vital figures makes you set clear academic goals which are SMART (specific, measurable, accurate, realistic and time-bound). So, follow closely as we take you through this seemingly impenetrable bramble! In a 5-point grading system, A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1 and F=0.

Having the foregoing in mind, another vital information you must have handy is the unit of each course for the semester as well as the total units of all courses taken in the particular semester under review. The units for various courses depend on the department that offers them. Take for instance, a student of a certain department (let’s call the student Tonye) takes five courses of 3 units each in a semester. That brings us to a total of 15 course units for the semester.

If A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1 and F=0 and Tonye scores A, B, C, D and E grades respectively in the five courses for the first semester, this means that Tonye gets 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 as the allocated points for the grades obtained. Each point is multiplied by the designated 3 units for each course and the results are added. That is 5x3=15, 4x3=12, 3x3=9, 2x3=6 and 1x3=3; the total of which is 45 points. In order to determine the resultant GPA for the first semester, therefore, Tonye divides the 45 points by 15 (the total course units). This gives him a total of 3.00 as his first semester GPA.

Furthermore, to determine his CPGA at the end of the academic session, Tonye has to do the same calculation with this second semester grades and total course units as earlier explained.

However, for the second semester, given that A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1 and F=0, Tonye then earns B, C, A, D and A grades respectively in the five courses taken, this means that he gets 4, 3, 5, 2 and 5 respectively as the allocated points for the grades. Each point is multiplied by the designated 3 units for each course and the results are added. That is 4x3=12, 3x3=9, 5x3=15, 2x3=6 and 5x3=15; the total of which is 57 points. In order to determine the resultant GPA for the second semester, therefore, Tonye divides the 57 points by 15 (the total course units). This gives him a total of 3.80 as his second semester GPA.

At the end of the academic year, for Tonye’s CGPA to be determined, he adds the first and second semester GPAs and divides the answer by 2. That means 3.00 + 3.80 = 6.80.

Then, 6.80 / 2 = 3.40 where 3.40 becomes Tonye’s CGPA for the academic year under review.

With this simple formula at each student’s fingertips, just like Tonye, these calculations can be done seamlessly, taking into cognizance all salient factors like the number of courses taken for the semester and the points awarded for each grade obtained, units of each course offered by the department, as well as the total number of units.

How To Fix “Invalid Channel” Error on GOtv

1. While your GOtv decoder is switched on, click on the MENU button on your GOtv remote.

2. Scroll down to INFORMATION CENTRAL.

3. Click OK. 

4. Click on the INFO button on your GOtv remote.

5. Click on number 7 on your GOtv remote. Your TV screen will automatically go blank. Don't be scared.

6. Allow your decoder to reboot.

7. Check the channels that had such error for confirmation afterwards.

8. Enjoy yourself. 

Your half-brother is not your stepbrother. The son of either your biological father or mother is your half-brother, not your stepbrother.

Your stepbrother is not your parents’ son. If, for example, your father gets married to another woman who already has a son outside, that son is your stepbrother, not your half-brother.

In a nutshell, you and your half-brother are related by blood whereas you and your stepbrother are related by marriage. 

If, for example, Messi is the greatest of all time, say: Messi is the GOAT (all in capital letters). This simply means Messi has performed better than anyone else ever.

GOAT is an acronym for Greatest Of All Time. And it used to describe the person who has performed better than anyone else ever, especially in a sport.

While communicating with business people, the language you use must be consistently appropriate in style and tone.

The following are the basic features of formal writing:

1. Write all verbs in full

Do not use contracted forms like don’t or can’t. Do not use abbreviations such as info (for information) and asap (for as soon as possible).

2. Limit the use of passive voice

However, there are some situations where passive verb forms are preferred to active forms. For example, active verb forms used with the first person singular are not considered appropriate in formal or academic writing. 

Write ‘A copy of the document will be mailed to you as soon as possible’ instead of ‘I will mail you a copy of the document asap.’

3. Watch your vocabulary

Certain words are considered informal. Examples are: fix, begin, start, OK, thanks etc. Avoid them in formal writing. Instead use words like repair (for fix), commence (for start/begin), in order/all right (for OK) and thank you (for thanks).

4. Avoid informal intensifiers like really and so

Instead use more sophisticated ones such as extremely, highly, entirely etc.

5. Limit the use of phrasal verbs

As far as possible avoid using them. But if that is not possible, limit their use. It is usually possible to express the same idea using standard verb 

forms.

6. Certain discourse markers are considered informal

Avoid using them. For example, write ‘incidentally’ instead of ‘by the way.’

7. Do not leave out words

Ellipsis is not acceptable in formal writing. Write ‘I hope to see you soon’ instead of ‘Hope to see you soon.’

© Joseph Baidoo

Joseph Baidoo is a Ghanaian and is popularly known on social media as Misty Joe.

If your husband gets you pregnant, you are pregnant BY your husband, not FOR your husband.

Use “PREGNANT FOR” to show time frame, e.g., She has been trying to get pregnant FOR a year now.

2. The total value of your clothes is more than the total value of your bank account.

3. You take loans to buy consumables, not to make investments.

4. In the last year, you never read a book, but you watched multiple movies.

5. You struggled to buy the latest iPhone, but won’t even think of buying a piece of land of equal price.

6. You know the top 10 goal scores in the EPL, but you don’t know the top 10 gainers in the stock exchange.

7. You know the vital statistics of every beautiful girl/handsome guy in your neighbourhood, but you don’t know the vital areas of growth in the economy.

© Reno Omokri