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Examinations and Coursework
Formal Examinations
Formal examinations are held at the end of each teaching semester (usually in mid January and
May/June). Examination schedules are arranged by the University and Examination Timetables are
published four weeks in advance of the examination periods. You will automatically be entered for
any examinations associated with the modules on which you are registered. Examining Boards are
held shortly after each of these exam periods and the marks and module results you obtain will be
published by the University at a stated time some weeks after the exams; marks are NOT released by
the School, so please do not ask for these within the School. You will be notified by posts on the
School’s web sites of important dates to do with examinations, dates of Examining Boards and
publication of results. The Examining Boards will also determine your progression from year to year
and the classification of your degree in your final year of study. If you fail modules there are usually
opportunities to resit these in a summer resit examination period, which is usually scheduled in mid
August and whose timetable is published two weeks in advance of the resit period. The outcome of
resit examinations is usually determined by the resit examination only (i.e. the resit examination
mark is not combined with any coursework work), though this may not apply if you have extenuating
circumstances. In the absence of extenuating circumstances resits are capped at 40% and you
cannot resit modules which you have passed to improve your marks.
Extenuating Circumstances and Examinations – Examining Board Remedies
If you have unexpected and exceptional problems close to examinations which prevent you from
taking examinations or which prevent you from preparing properly for examinations you should
submit extenuating circumstances for consideration by the Examining Board as an Examining Board
Remedy. Ensure that you read carefully the guidance notes on submitting documentation to support
your extenuating circumstances and ensure that you submit your form prior to the School’s
deadlines; late submissions will not be accepted (and your only recourse would then be to submit an
Appeal to the University). Extenuating circumstances requesting Examining Board Remedies are
considered by the Extenuating Circumstances Panel, which reports directly to the Exam Board. If
your extenuating circumstances are accepted you would be allowed to resit any failed modules as if
for the first time (i.e. not capped) or in the case of modules which you have passed the module can
be identified as one which, if advantageous, can be “discounted” from the calculations undertaken to
determine the degree classification. (The rules covering what can and cannot count towards
discounting are explained in the University Academic Regulations.)
Continual Assessment
Most modules are assessed partly through examinations and partly through continual assessment. A
few modules (especially laboratories) may be assessed 100% through continual assessment.
Continual assessment takes various forms, e.g. numerical exercises, problem solving, laboratory
diaries, reports, dissertations and oral presentations. You will be informed at the start of each
module when coursework will be distributed and what are the submission dates (and times); these
deadlines are final and late submission will be awarded zero marks without exception. Coursework
is submitted in a variety of ways, but usually either through the “post boxes” near the General Office
or electronically through Learning Central. Major pieces of writing (e.g. formal laboratory reports,
project reports and dissertations) are usually submitted electronically to Turnitin, an electronic
system which helps identify plagiarism.
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When you submit
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coursework there is an implicit agreement between you and the University that,
unless stated to the contrary, any work you submit is exclusively your own work and that no part
of the work has previously been submitted for assessment.
When submitting work electronically, you are advised to submit the work in good time just in case of
last-minute Internet or computing failures. You will not be able to submit work beyond the deadline
set by the Module Organiser.
Extenuating Circumstances and Continual Assessment – Extensions to Deadlines
If circumstances are such that you will not be able to meet deadlines for submission of coursework or
attend a scheduled laboratory class, you should submit documented extenuating circumstances
requesting an extension. You should always try to make this application prior to the deadline (even
if it means submitting documentary proof after the event). You are again advised to read carefully
the guidance notes on extenuating circumstances to ensure that that your requests and
documentary proof are likely to be accepted. Note that requests for extensions resulting from poor
time-management, computing problems or requests to attend sporting or cultural events or for
holidays or travel etc. will not be accepted.
Requests for extensions to coursework are “fast-tracked” by a delegated member of the Extenuating
Circumstances Panel. You will be informed by email usually within one working day of submission of
your form of the outcome. We are normally able to offer extensions of one week beyond the
published deadline but only rarely will longer extensions be granted. If you miss a scheduled
laboratory session through legitimate extenuating circumstances, we can usually arrange for you to
attend another session or additional sessions at the end of the semester. These schemes ensure that
all students have the opportunity to engage in and submit all coursework; the School does not create
“average marks” to cover absences. If requests for extensions are submitted more than one week
after the published deadline for coursework submission these will normally be rejected and you
will be awarded zero marks for that piece of work.
Unfair Practice
Unfair practice is a sanitised phrase for “cheating”. Taking notes into an exam or copying coursework
from another student are clear cases of “cheating”. However, you may fall foul of unfair practice
through carelessness. Ensure that you read carefully the University information on conduct in
examinations. A set of notes in your back pocket in an exam is unfair practice even if you had
forgotten they were there and there was no intention of using them. An unattributed quotation in
written work is unfair practice (plagiarism). Unfair practice carries some heavy penalties.
We encourage students to help each other with their coursework, but there is sometimes a fine
dividing line between helping each other and working so closely together that you copy from each
other. By all means offer assistance to each other (and ask for help from staff), but ensure that when
you come to completing your final draft that this is your own work. We give advice about the
avoidance of plagiarism in this Handbook (see Appendix 2) and there is also considerable help and
advice on Learning Central and the University web site. Module Organisers may also enforce the
rigours required in academic writing – make sure you understand the full meaning of unfair practice
and plagiarism and avoid these at all costs.
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“Submission” is defined as presenting work for assessment in any form, including paper-based written work,
electronic documents or words/images used in oral presentations.