External examiners comments

External examiner A

Reading student essays and dissertations, I have been impressed with the amount of knowledge that students have accumulated. This was particularly apparent in the assessments that asked students to write on two or three different questions. I also really like the 'essay format' of assessment since it tests not just factual knowledge but also the ability to analyse and reason critically and creatively. On the whole, the standard of student performance is high.

External examiner A

This is an excellent course that deploys a variety of assessment methods, and gives students plenty of choices and opportunities to study both traditional and critical approaches to international relations.

External examiner B

​​As an external examiner, I found standards – both in terms of student attainment, assessment methods, and feedback to be very high. In particular, the standard of essay question setting was excellent – I was very impressed at the level of detail and clarity provided to students in how essay questions were articulated and set out. This approach to articulating questions made it clear to students what the subject of each question was and, often, which reading each question pertained to. This did not, of course, preclude students from reading expansively, but provided a transparent and relevant starting point for engagement, analysis, and critique.

External examiner C

Overall, the MSc in International Relations programme in the Department of International Relations at LSE is an outstanding programme. The programme’s assessment methods are rigorous, fair, and efficient. I particularly commend the programme’s outstanding administrative team. The programme might consider finding ways to increase the diversity of assessment methods, particularly in light of the difficulties AI poses to traditional essay-based assessment.

External examiner D

​​Overall, this is an excellent programme, delivered with professionalism and academic integrity. It maintains high standards in teaching, assessment, and student support and continues to represent best practice in postgraduate education in International Relations.

In summary:
Marking is fair, consistent, and robustly moderated.
Feedback quality is generally strong but could be more evenly balanced across markers.
Explicit referencing to marking criteria would be useful to students.
Programme design, assessment, and academic standards are excellent.
 
Congratulations to the programme teams on an outstanding achievement and thank you for the pleasure and honour of working with you this past year.