ale ▁University ▁historian ▁George ▁W . ▁Pi erson ▁writes : ▁" Acc ording ▁to ▁tradition ▁the ▁first ▁gr ades ▁issued ▁at ▁Y ale ▁( and ▁possibly ▁the ▁first ▁in ▁the ▁country ) ▁were ▁given ▁out ▁in ▁the ▁year ▁ 1 7 8 5 , ▁when ▁President ▁Ez ra ▁St iles , ▁after ▁exam ining ▁ 5 8 ▁Sen iors , ▁recorded ▁in ▁his ▁di ary ▁that ▁there ▁were ▁' Tw enty ▁Opt imi , ▁six teen ▁second ▁Opt imi , ▁twelve ▁In fer ior es ▁( B oni ), ▁ten ▁Pe j ores .' " ▁Bob ▁Mar lin ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁grad ing ▁students ' ▁work ▁quant it atively ▁was ▁developed ▁by ▁a ▁t utor ▁named ▁William ▁Far ish ▁and ▁first ▁implemented ▁by ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Cambridge ▁in ▁ 1 7 9 2 . ▁That ▁assertion ▁has ▁been ▁question ed ▁by ▁Christopher ▁St ray , ▁who ▁finds ▁the ▁evidence ▁for ▁Far ish ▁as ▁the ▁invent or ▁of ▁the ▁numerical ▁mark ▁to ▁be ▁un pers u as ive . ▁St ray ' s ▁article ▁also ▁explains ▁the ▁complex ▁relationship ▁between ▁the ▁mode ▁of ▁exam ination ▁( oral ▁or ▁written ) ▁and ▁the ▁varying ▁philosoph ies ▁of ▁education ▁these ▁modes ▁imply ▁to ▁both ▁the ▁teacher ▁and ▁the ▁student . ▁As ▁a ▁technology , ▁grad ing ▁both ▁shapes ▁and ▁reflect s ▁many ▁fundamental ▁areas ▁of ▁educational ▁theory ▁and ▁practice . ▁ ▁Gr ading ▁systems ▁by ▁country ▁ ▁Most ▁nations ▁have ▁their ▁own ▁grad ing ▁system , ▁and ▁different ▁institutions ▁in ▁a ▁single ▁nation