1.

Responsibilities of Sub-Boards of Examiners

1.1

The Graduate School Board of Examiners, in consultation with the Graduate Studies Sub-Committee as necessary, shall have the authority to approve variations to this Scheme.

1.2

Each degree programme shall be the responsibility of a Sub-Board of Examiners. Taking into account all information properly presented to it and by exercising its academic judgement, the Sub-Board shall decide if each candidate has satisfactorily completed all elements of assessment as set out in the programme regulations. Where the Sub-Board recommends that an award should be made, it will also determine the classification of the award in accordance with section 5 below.

1.3

Each course shall be the responsibility of a Sub-Board of Examiners. The Sub-Board shall confirm a numerical mark for each candidate taking a course falling within its responsibility.

2.

External Examiners

2.1

Each Sub-Board of Examiners shall include at least one external examiner competent to judge the candidates concerned. External examiners may act as final moderators of assessed work, with the power to adjust marks up or down.

2.2

All elements of assessment for a course shall be marked by internal examiners and, as appropriate, an external examiner.

2.3

No mark or grade shall be assigned for any course or element of assessment for a course without an external examiner having been able to approve it, whether or not s/he attended a meeting of examiners.

3.

Mark and Grade for a Course:

3.1

The examiners for each course will decide a numerical mark for each candidate using the following scale:

Mark	Grade
0 - x%	Bad Fail
(x+1) - 49%	Fail
50-59%	Pass
60-69%	Merit
70% and over	Distinction

Each Department, Institute and Group shall specify the value of x as 19, 29 or 39 for all its courses, and this shall be clearly published in the School Calendar and in departmental student handbooks.

3.2

The grade of Bad Fail will be used internally to indicate when a fail cannot be compensated and, therefore, must be re-attempted. It will not appear on official transcripts.

3.3

Unless they receive written instructions from the Examinations Office to do so, e.g. in the case of dyslexic candidates, examiners shall assess work without referring to medical and/or exceptional circumstances. Such circumstances will be considered by the Sub-Board of Examiners at the meeting where the award of degrees is considered.

4.

Eligibility for Award of Degree

4.1

In order to be considered for a degree, a candidate must have completed all elements of assessment required for the course as listed in the corresponding programme regulations.

4.2

A candidate who is absent for any element of assessment for a course will be considered not to have completed the course. Moreover, the absence will count as one of the attempts allowed for the course unless it is authorised by the Chair of the Sub-Board of Examiners responsible for the programme.

4.3

A candidate will not be recommended for the award of a degree if s/he has failed courses to the value of one or more units, subject to the penalty rules for failed courses in section 5.2 or, in the judgement of the examiners, as a direct result of medical and/or exceptional circumstances.

5.

Calculation of the Award of Degree

5.1

The Sub-Board of examiners can designate a full-unit course (or equivalent) as being critical to assessment for a programme and establish a 'local rule' whereby it will be given special consideration in the awarding of the degree: for example, a degree cannot be awarded unless the designated course has been passed or the award classification cannot be higher than the result awarded in the designated course.¹

5.2

Where a candidate receives a Fail mark in any course, the following penalty rules shall apply:

5.2.1

A Bad Fail mark in any course of any unit value will result in an overall Fail for the degree.

5.2.2

A Fail (but not a Bad Fail) in a course(s) of 1.0 unit value does not require compensation.

5.2.3

A Fail (but not a Bad Fail) in courses to the value of 2.0 units will result in an overall Fail unless compensated either:

(i)

by a mark of at least 60% in courses of an equivalent value. For the avoidance of doubt, a mark of at least 60% is required in each course providing compensation.

(ii)

by a compensation aggregate mark of 330 in the non-failed courses.

If compensated, a Fail shall result in a drop in the overall award classification where a Distinction or Merit would otherwise have been awarded. It shall have no further impact where a Pass is to be awarded.

A Fail (but not a Bad Fail) in a course(s) of more than 2.0 units will result in an overall Fail for the degree.

5.3

The overall classification of an award shall, subject to the penalty rules for failed courses in section 5.2 above, be calculated on the basis of the best marks in courses to the value of 4.0 units from each year of the programme² as follows:

5.3.1

For a Distinction:

(a)

marks of a Distinction grade in courses to the value of 6.0 units or more;

(b)

marks of a Distinction grade in courses to the value of 5.0 units and marks of a Merit grade in courses to the value of 2.0 units.

5.3.2

Either a Distinction (if no failed course) or a Merit according to the 'local rules' of the Sub-Board¹

(c)

marks of a Distinction grade in courses to the value of 5.0 units and a mark of a Merit grade in a course of 1.0 unit value;

(d)

marks of a Distinction grade in courses to the value of 4.0 units and marks of a Merit grade in courses to the value of at least 2.0 units and an overall Distinction aggregate mark of at least 520

5.3.3

For a Merit:

(e)

marks of a Distinction grade in courses to the value of at least 4.0 units;

(f)

marks of a Merit grade (or higher) in courses to the value of 6.0 units or more;

(g)

a mark of a Distinction grade in a course of 1.0 unit value and marks of a Merit grade in courses to the value of 4.0 units.

5.3.4

Either a Merit (if no failed course) or a Pass according to the 'local rules' of the Sub-Board¹

(h)

marks of a Merit grade in courses to the value of 5.0 units;

(i)

marks of a Distinction grade in courses to the value of 2.0 units and marks of a Merit grade in courses to the value of 2.0 units.

5.3.5

For a Pass

(j)

marks of at least a Pass grade in courses to the value of 7.0 units;

(k)

marks of at least a Pass grade in courses to the value of 6.0 units with compensation for the failed unit(s).

6.

Failure to Achieve an Award of Degree

6.1

If a candidate has not been awarded a degree, s/he shall normally be entitled to re-sit the failed courses only (on one occasion) and at the next normal opportunity. Results obtained at re-sit shall always supersede any previous attempt.

6.2

If a candidate has met the requirements for the award of a degree having re-sat failed courses, s/he can only be recommended for the award of a Pass degree unless, in the judgement of the examiners, the initial failure(s) was at least in part a direct result of medical and/or exceptional circumstances.

7.

Appeals and Offences

Appeals against decisions of Sub-Board of Examiners will be handled according to the Appeals Regulations. Assessment offences will be handled according to the Regulations on assessment offences: plagiarism or Regulations on assessment offences: offences other than plagiarism. All School Regulations are published in the School Calendar.

8.

General Proviso

It is also open to a Sub-Board of Examiners to recommend to the Graduate School Board of Examiners any departure from this Scheme and/or from its 'local rules' if, in their judgement, this would be equitable for any individual candidate or any group of candidates as a direct result of medical and/or exceptional circumstances. Such circumstances would need to be extraneous to the normal assessment process and would apply to that candidate or group of candidates only. The following conditions also apply:

8.1

That the student is very close to the next higher classification boundary (within 3 marks in a single paper or 5 marks on aggregate);

8.2

that the student has marks in the higher classification range;

8.3

that the student has demonstrated that the examination or set of examinations were significantly and negatively affected by exceptional circumstances that were unforeseen and beyond his/her control;

8.4

that the student has demonstrated that his/her performance in the affected examination(s) was significantly out of line with his/her performance in other, unaffected examination(s).