- University Examinations
The University examinations are listed in the first schedule to these regulations. The following regulations shall not apply to examinations shown in Section A of the First Schedule.
- Responsibility for Organising Examinations
The examinations listed in the First Schedule to these regulations shall be organised centrally by Registry in so far as these examinations involve formal written examination, including computer-assisted assessment (CAA) tests. Other examinations are organised by those Faculties which require them. The Curriculum and Timetabling team will provide dates for practical examinations held by the Centre for Language Study.
The examinations scheduling process will be determined by the following constraints and sequenced as follows:
- Candidates should have no more than 3 consecutive examinations followed by a break.
- Finalists' examinations are given second priority except where advised otherwise by the Faculty Academic Registrar or nominated deputy.
- Examinations which have to be tabled concurrently are given third priority.
- Requests for specific dates/times are then scheduled; these will be met wherever possible.
Whenever it may be necessary for a candidate to take an examination paper in Southampton in other than a centrally-held examination room, or at a different time from centrally organised examinations, the Dean or nominated deputy must detail a member of the academic staff to deliver the question paper, collect the script and make such other arrangements including invigilation as may be necessary.
A candidate required to take referrals or to repeat as an external student, either during the supplementary examination period (August-September) or as an external student in the semester 1 and semester 2 examinations, may opt to sit those examinations off-campus subject to approval from their Dean or nominated deputy and payment of an administration fee (see 'Fees, Charges and Expenses, All Students, paragraphs 9/10'). These examinations must take place at a British Council venue unless there are exceptional circumstances. The candidate will also be required to sign a University confidentiality agreement. Students in normal attendance at the University will not normally be allowed to take semester 1 or semester 2 examinations anywhere other than at the University of Southampton campuses.
- Preparation and Printing of Examination Papers
Each Faculty is required to advise which exams are required for each exam period, via Banner, by a specified deadline advised each year by the Exams, Awards and Graduation Team Leader. Faculties must also provide the team with the name and telephone number of the Author of each paper. Examinations that are administered electronically using the University's central CAA service will be delivered according to the CAA Policy and Procedures documents published by iSolutions.
Faculties must provide the following for those exam papers that are printed and batched by the Exams, Awards and Graduation team: camera-ready copies of exam paper, hand-outs and diagrams. These must be submitted by the deadline published annually by the Exams, Awards and Graduation Team Leader.
If faculties are printing and batching exam papers they must be hand delivered to the Examinations Office by the deadline published by the Team Leader.
Faculties will be responsible for any reprints that may be required.
When multiple-choice question papers form part of an examination paper, they shall be set out on a separate sheet.
The question papers for the following examinations shall be printed, except for papers for supplementary examinations held in August/September:
All University examinations (First Schedule)
A printed copy and an electronic copy (in Word or PDF format where available) of every printed examination paper shall be deposited at the University Library by Faculties. Spare copies will be returned to Faculties at the end of the examination period on request.
Papers that use objective items (eg: multiple-choice questions), including CAA tests, will not be made available as specified above unless this is specifically requested by the School. Faculties shall keep copies of the questions for record purposes; all other unused copies shall be destroyed.
Deans are responsible for ensuring that the law relating to copyright is complied with in the production of examination papers and associated material.
For the purpose of this regulation `printing' includes reproduction by lithography or photocopier.
- Student Entry for Supplementary Examinations
A candidate taking a supplementary examination is liable for a re-examination fee, and may be liable for an administration fee, as set out in the Fees Regulations.
Whenever any candidate for an examination has not satisfied course requirements or other requirements laid down in Ordinances and regulations (see Ordinance 7.3.6), the Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience), or their nominee, shall notify the Examinations Office that this candidate's script may not be marked.
- Responsibility of Members of Academic Staff during the Examination Period
The nominee(s) of the Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience) must be available during the whole of the examination period in case of queries, and must inform the Examinations Office of all relevant telephone numbers. He/she must remain on campus until each day's examinations have been concluded, including those held on Saturdays. The nominee(s) of the Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience) must obtain names and telephone numbers of all paper authors and ensure that they are on campus when their papers are being sat, including Saturdays.
Where this is not possible, the Dean should nominate a suitably qualified member of academic staff to be available for consultation during the relevant part of the examination period.
- Conduct of Examinations Organised Centrally
The Examinations, Awards and Graduation team will appoint exam invigilators for each examination room and issue instructions to them.
The nominee(s) of the Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience) must refer any students with additional examination requirements to Enabling Services for screening and review. Enabling Services will provide up-to-date information via Banner of any specific arrangement to be made for the student. No special arrangements will be made unless the nominee of the Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience) and the Examinations, Awards and Graduation Team is so informed by the given deadline of end of University Teaching week 10 for arrangements for the semester 1 examinations, and end of University teaching week 22 for semester 2 examination arrangements. Teaching weeks are as laid down in the University Almanac.
Before they can access their examination timetable online, candidates are asked to certify that they have read the Instructions to Candidates which explains the conduct required of candidates in the examination room as well as detailing more general instructions for before, during and after an examination.
Candidates may use calculators in the examination room only as specified by the University and as permitted by the rubric of individual examination papers. There are two University approved models: Casio FX-85GT Plus and FX570 which may be purchased from any source and no longer need to carry the University logo.
Candidates may use dictionaries only if the rubric allows. Such dictionaries must be Word to Word dictionaries only and contain no written or pictorial definitions. A candidate's tutor, at his/her discretion, may issue a letter permitting the use of a specified dictionary in special circumstances. The candidate is responsible for showing this letter to the invigilator(s) in each exam.
Normally no candidate will be permitted to enter the examination room more than half an hour after an examination has begun (fifteen minutes in the case of a CAA test) or to leave the room during the first half hour (fifteen minutes in the case of a CAA test), or the last fifteen minutes of the time allowed for the examination.
If it appears that a candidate, through circumstances beyond his/her control, deserves extra time in which to complete a paper, such extra time may be allowed only at the discretion of the Faculty Academic Registrar, Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience) or his/her nominee, or the Exams, Awards and Graduation Manager or Team Leader who will arrange for invigilation during the extra time.
Any candidate using or attempting to use unfair means to gain advantage in an examination, or any candidate suspected of cheating, will be required by the invigilator to hand in all their written work and to resume writing in a new examination answer book. A full report will be submitted to the Dean.
A candidate whom the invigilator believes to be guilty of any other form of misbehaviour, including cheating in a CAA test, may be asked by the invigilator to leave the room at once. The scripts of any such candidate will be sent to the Dean with a full report of the incident of suspected cheating or other form of misbehaviour, which will also be sent to the Academic Registrar.
- Distribution of Scripts of Examinations Organised Centrally
Scripts may be collected by the examiner or by a person authorised by the Faculty Academic Registrar, Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience) or his/her nominee(s), either from the examination room or the Examinations Office. (In the event of industrial action, examination scripts may be collected by an authorised person only from the Examinations Office.) All scripts of a single examination paper must be collected by one person, including papers sat by students with Additional Requirements. The person collecting scripts shall count the number of scripts in the examination envelope and sign a receipt showing the number of scripts collected. During the main examination period scripts will be available during office hours (or later by prior arrangement). In the case of CAA tests that are administered centrally with iSolutions, candidates' answers are sent to a central database electronically and the results are collected electronically by the Faculty.
- Retention of Examination Scripts
This regulation shall apply to the examinations listed in the First Schedule other than sessional examinations:
- The Faculty must ensure that, subject to (b) below, all written work, including examination scripts, essays, laboratory books, etc., submitted for examination shall be kept for at least 28 days after the course ends and the award to which it contributes is made. The results of centrally-run CAA tests should be retained by the Faculty in the same way.
- The Faculty may permit the return of any work other than examination scripts to candidates, provided that the nominee of the Associate Dean (Education and the Student Experience) is satisfied that the material is required to assist in further studies or employment, and provided that the candidates concerned accept responsibility for ensuring that, in case of need, it remains available to the University as required above.
- Examination Records
Detailed records of candidates' performance in examinations shall be kept by Faculties for a minimum of ten years. Faculties shall report to the Senate the names of all candidates who successfully complete an examination leading directly to a University qualification, and of those candidates recommended to be awarded a qualification without having completed the examination. Faculties must report to Senate any recommendation for termination of course following failure of an examination. In order to facilitate successful certification of awards, Faculties shall update the Banner record to reflect the results of final examinations as soon as these are known.
- Publication of Examination Results
Module marks release for Semester 1, Semester 2 and after the supplementary exam period are normally released via Banner Self Service and emails to individual students. Faculties are required to provide details of excluded programmes by a deadline determined by the Exams, Awards and Graduation Manager. For all other marks release, faculties are responsible for informing candidates of examination results, subject to confirmation by Senate in the case of results leading directly to a University qualification. Faculties shall report the results of the September supplementary examinations to the Academic Registrar not later than the Monday of the penultimate week of the vacation.
First Schedule
A. All examinations for the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Surgery and Master of Philosophy.
B. The following examinations for other Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates:
All examinations for module courses in the Faculty
The examinations for the University Certificate
All examinations for the Science, Engineering, Physics and Geophysics Foundation Year
The examinations for the degrees of:
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Engineering
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Medicine
Bachelor of Midwifery
Bachelor of Natural Sciences
Bachelor of Nursing
Bachelor of Nursing (Dual Field)
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science in the Social Sciences
Bachelor of Specialist Nursing Practice
Bachelor of Surgery
Master of Arts
Master of Arts (Education)
Master of Biochemistry
Master of Biomedical Sciences
Master of Business Administration
Master of Chemistry
Master of Computing
Master of Ecology
Master of Economics
Master of Engineering
Master of Environmental Science
Master of Languages
Master of Laws
Master of Mathematics
Master of Medical Sciences
Master of Music
Master of Neuroscience
Master of Natural Sciences
Master of Physics
Master of Science
Master of Science (Education)
Master of Science (Social Sciences)
Master of Research
The examinations for the Certificate of Higher Education and Diploma of Higher Education of the University of Southampton
All examinations for the degrees of Integrated Master of Science degrees
The examinations for the Postgraduate Diploma of the University of Southampton and related Postgraduate Certificates
The examination for taught modules that form part of a postgraduate research degree
The examination for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education
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