I do not grade on a curve. A student turns in the first paper and gets a D or an F, I can't quite remember. The paper is worth 10% of the overall grade. Student disappears for a couple of months. Hasn't turned in a single assignment since the first one, and should have dropped the class. The final exam is all that's left, and it's only worth 20% of the grade.
Student asks, "Can I still pass the class?"
I grade on a strict point system. If you have 600 points, you pass the class. If you have 599 points, you don't pass. Another student is a few points away from a passing grade. Only the final exam is left. I tell her she has 597 points and that 600 is passing.
She asks me if she should take the final.