Grading style refers to the regularities and variations in the judging habits of instructors. To test the contention that grading is a communication act and ought to be related to other communication variables like instructor responsiveness, a study examined data collected from 15 teaching assistants and 2 faculty members. In addition, it reviewed grades from their 1,578 students. The communication responsiveness of each instructor was measured by the Conversation Self Report Inventory (CSRI), which taps three modes of responsiveness--mastery (an assertive mode), flexibility (a supportive/adaptive mode), and neutrality (a communication-avoidance mode). Discriminant analysis revealed a respectable relationship between grading style and communicative responsiveness of instructor. It showed that neutral responsives exhibited more lenient grading patterns than other instructors, but that they became more severe in their grading toward the end of the course. Overall, the results provide an empirical base for grading scale construct and demonstrate its relevance to the communicologist. (FL)