School of Geography
Three Year Bachelors Single and Combined Honours Awards

Assessment Regulations
Undergraduate Students commencing on or after 1 October 2004

1. Examinations and Assessment: General

This programme is assessed through a combination of written and practical assignments and a dissertation.

1.1 Timing of Examinations
Unless otherwise agreed by the School Board, where there is a formal written examination for a unit, this will be held at the end of the semester in which it is given.

Double units will normally be examined at the end of Semester 2.
1.2 Practical and Coursework Assessments
It is open to the Schools and Boards of Studies to examine the practical component of units, either by continuous assessment or by a set practical examination. The latter is held either at the end of the semester or within the time allocated in the timetable to the unit concerned.

When the assessment of a unit results from both a written examination and marks awarded for practical and/or coursework, the balance between these components is subject to the formal approval of the School Board. With the agreement of the School Board, units may be assessed solely by the marks from practical and/or coursework.
1.3 Length of Examinations
The written examination for a 15 credit point unit normally lasts for two hours; the written examination for a 30 credit point unit lasts three hours.
1.4 Marking System
  1. There are common ranges and class boundaries for:

    1. the marks for individual answers;
    2. the marks for whole written papers;
    3. the marks for units where practical or coursework forms part or whole of the assessment.

  2. The class ranges are as follows:

    First Class 70% or above
    Upper Second Class 60% - 69%
    Lower Second Class 50% - 59%
    Third Class 40% - 49%
    Fail 0% - 39%

  3. All pieces of asessment must be marked against the University's standard 0 - 100 scale using the School's criterion-referenced marking scheme for individual answers.

  4. A second marker should be nominated to check/moderate a minimum of all Firsts/Fails and a 5% sample of the remainder for each unit. For those units with very small numbers, a sample greater than 5% should be used to cover all classifications awarded. In the case of presentation/performance assignments, either a sample of second marking at the time of these events should be operated OR the plan of the presentation, together with the marking sheet and criteria, should be moderated and checked.

  5. All research projects will be blind double-marked with differences of 10% or less being resolved between the two markers. Cases where marks differ by more than 10% should be passed to a third marker.

  6. For final year students, examining Schools should communicate full information about the marking of individual papers to parent Schools and Boards of Studies, including marks for individual answers, by the deadlines set by the University.
1.5 Aggregation of Marks for Assesment
  1. The marks for each unit are returned separately and may not be combined to secure a pass or fail.

  2. All marks returned for individual units will be out of 100.

  3. The maximum mark for a total of 120 credit points is 800, the contribution of the mark for each unit being weighted by x/15, where x is the credit point value.
1.6 Disclosure of Results and Assessment Procedures
  1. Students will be given the marks they obtain in each individual unit of study only after they have been agreed by the examiners. These marks will be made available according to the agreed procedures. In certain cases, especially for Semester 1 examinations, such marks at the time of release may be provisional only and subject to change by a subsequent Board of Examiners. It will be made clear when are provisonal.

  2. All marks relating to exam papers will be released as follows:

    Semester 1 by the end of week 4 of Semester 2
    Semester 2 finalists by the last day of the semester
    Semester 2 continuing students by the end of the first vacation week

    All marks for continuously assessed work will be made available by the School within 5 working weeks of the submission deadline, although they will usually be provisional and subject to change by a Board of Examiners.

  3. Students may approach the School to seek more detailed information, such as marks for individual components within examination papers. Any such information which is held by the School will be released to the student concerned.
1.7 Failure to Satisfy Coursework Requirements
Students must be made aware of any requirements relating to attendance at laboratory classes and field courses, and to the submission of assessed work. Failure without good reason to comply with such requirements may result in no marks being awarded for that part of the course. The Board of Examiners may subsequently require the work in question to be undertaken satisfactorily.

Students who fail to achieve a satisfactory standard in practical and/or coursework may be required to undertake additional work and/or an examination to remedy the deficiency.
1.8 Return of Assessed Work
The School may permit the return to students of any work submitted for examination purposes, other than examination scripts, provided that it is clear that the material is required to assist in further studies or employment, and provided that the students concerned accept responsibility for ensuring that, in case of need, it remains available to the University until the end of the session following the announcement of the final examination result for the programme concerned. A detailed record of performance shall, in any case, be retained by the School.

2. Progression Rules: First and Second Years
  1. A candidate achieving the module pass mark (40%) or more in every module may progress to the next Part of the programme.

  2. A candidate achieving 45% or more on aggregate, but failing to achieve the module pass mark in non-core modules totalling 15 credit points or less, may progress to the next Part of the programmme.

  3. A candidate achieving 50% or more on aggregate, but failing to achieve the module pass mark in non-core modules totalling 30 credit points or less, may progress to the next Part of the programme.

  4. A candidate achieving 40% or more on aggregate, but failing core modules or failing more modules in total than allowed under (2) and (3) above, may take referrals in (a) all failed core modules, and (b) such other failed modules as the candidate shall, after counselling by the School, choose. The module pass mark at referral shall be the same as at first attempt. A referral candidate may progress if (a) all core modules are passed, and (b) substituting the referral marks (where greater than the first attempt marks) into the original marks grid allows progressed in (1) to (3) above.

  5. A candidate failing at first attempt and not satisfying criteria (1) to (4) above, or failing at referral, and who has not previously been allowed a resit, may take a resit examination. The modules to be taken at resit shall be as determined by the Board of Examiners within the range allowed by the Programme Specification. The marks for the resit modules, where higher, will be substituted into the examination grid in place of the first attempt marks. The same rules (1) to (3) will then be applied. No referral or further resit will be available.

3. Examination Procedures

3.1 Absence from Written Examination
Students who are absent from a written examination are considered as special cases at the end of session meeting of School representatives who make a recommendation to the Board of Examiners on the course of action to be taken (normally involving examinations in the Supplementary Examination period).
3.2 Referral Examinations
  1. Referral examinations are normally taken in the Supplementary Examination period following the academic year in which the module was failed, but may be taken at other times by agreement with the School. Such students will be registered as external candidates and will not attend the University until they satisfy the requirements to proceed.

  2. When a referral examination involves an option assessed wholly by practical or coursework, special re-examination arrangements will be made. Details of the re-examination arrangements for the students concerned must be conveyed by the unit convenor in writing to the Examinations Officer before the Board of Examiners meeting that confirms the results.

  3. Where a referral examination involves a unit assessed by up to one third by practical or coursework, the original mark obtained for the practical or coursework will normally be used when determining the result of the re-examination. If a student failed to submit any coursework for a unit in which they are referred, and there are no documented mitigating circumstances, a mark of zero for that coursework will normally be carried forward to the referral examination.

  4. When a referral examination involves a unit assessed by more than one third by practical or coursework, special re-examination arrangements may be made by the unit convenor. These arrangements must be conveyed in writing to the Examinations Officer before the Board of Examiners meeting that confirms the results.
3.3 Resits
  1. The number and type of assessments to be re-taken are defined in the programme specification. A candidate's registration is suspended until the resit has been successfully completed. University regulations only allow one resit during the whole duration of a student's programme.

  2. If there are special circumstances, the Board of Examiners may allow a candidate to repeat as an alternative to resitting. In the absence of special circumstances, an internal resit may be permitted if this is considered to be in that candidate's best interests. In either of these cases, normal fees are payable.
3.4 Repeat
A repeat is the taking of an academic year for the second time. This is normally only permitted when there are special circumstances which precluded the candidate from successfully completing it at the first attempt. Any assessments from the first attempt are set aside and (in contrast to an internal resit) any resit right is not affected. Normal fees are payable.
4. Assessment of Final Degree
Regulations for the assessment of the final degree will follow in due course.
5. Ordinary Degree Programme
Regulations for the ordinary degree programme will follow in due course.
6. Exit Awards
Any candidate successfully completing Part I or Part II of a programme, but failing for any reason to complete Part II or Part III (respectively) may be awarded a Certificate or Diploma (respectively) of Higher Education.
General Degree Programme Regulations

The complete University General Degree Programme Regulations can be found in Section IV of the University Calendar.

Appeal Procedures

The full text governing reviews and appeals by students on taught courses can be found in Section IV of the University Calendar: Regulations Governing Reviews and Appeals by Students on Taught Courses.