Student Guide to Assessment

This guide is designed to help you understand the processes we use to deliver and manage assessment-related processes, what support is available to you and how we agree and approve your results. It also provides you with an explanation of the codes we use when we issue results and transcripts.

1.1 When we design and approve our curriculum, we agree what assessment method is best suited to measure the learning outcomes in each unit you study. We also consider how the assessment type we use will help you to acquire skills, knowledge and experience that will help you gain graduate level employment when you complete your course.

1.2 We have three types of assessment at unit level:

Formative assessment: This is designed to help you monitor and assess your performance so that you can see what support you may need to improve it. You will receive feedback on your performance but it will not contribute to your marks for the unit. We advise every student to take the opportunity to complete any formative assessment as we know it will help you achieve better overall marks.

Diagnostic assessment: This is designed to help us see if you need any additional support and if necessary, refer you to one of our specialist support teams. Any assessment undertaken will not contribute to a unit result.

Summative assessment: Designed to enable you to demonstrate you have met the learning outcome of the unit. You will be given a mark for each assessment or in some cases, a pass/fail grade. All the marks will contribute to your overall mark for the unit.

1.3 Each assessment element will have a weighting which tell you how much it will contribute to your overall unit level grade. Some units will require you to pass every assessment in order to pass the unit overall whilst in others, you must achieve a pass grade on an aggregate of all the marks from the assessment you have taken.

1.4 We provide information about assessment on each unit’s unit information form (UIF). You can find all the UIFs for the units you are registered on, via BREO, along with assessment briefs which provide with detailed information on each assessment you will take.

1.5 Your assessment brief will also tell you when your assessment deadline is and how to submit your work

2.1 We know that, from time to time, there may be issues such as illness that mean that you cannot submit your assessment by its due date. Sometimes these will be serious issues and may impact beyond just submitting assessment. We have processes in place to support you, should you find yourself in either of these situations. We group these processes together to form our mitigating circumstances or additional considerations policy. You can find the policy here

The Student Engagement & Mitigation team processes a large volume of queries and applications, especially during examination board periods. You should continue to work on your assessment whilst you wait for an outcome of any claim you make, and submit your work as soon as possible.

2.2 We have three principles that we take into account and they are that the circumstances are:

• Unforeseen and outside of your control

• Supported by appropriate information and/ or evidence

• Have had an impact on the your ability to complete an assessment

Extensions

2.3 We realise that it can be difficult to get medical appointments for short illnesses or minor ailments and if we ask for evidence, this may put undue pressure on health services. Our Student Engagement and Mitigation (SEAM) team will allow short-term extensions on the basis of self-certification but within certain parameters and up to 7 calendar days.

2.4 There are other options that can be applied if you need more than a 7 calendar day and you should review the policy (see 2.1) for information on all the options available.

2.5 There are some assessment types for which you cannot claim mitigation for and again, you can find these are details in the mitigation policy.

2.6 You should let your unit co-ordinator know if you are applying for mitigation (including an extension) so you can find out how to submit your work if your application is approved.

2.7 We can’t give an extension for any resits you have. However, if approved, we can offer you the opportunity of taking your resit(s) the next time they are scheduled. The timing of any rescheduled resit(s) may affect when you can move to the next level in your studies or even when you graduate.

2.8 We can’t approve extensions for practical pieces of work such as presentations, placements, group assignments or exams. We can only award a resit opportunity if your application is approved. The impact may be the same as detailed in 2.7 above.

Evidence

2.9 We will ask you for evidence to support your mitigation claim and the table below are some of the examples of circumstances and the types of evidence we would normally accept. This is not an exhaustive list and you can email mitigation@beds.ac.uk for further guidance on types of evidence you could provide to us

Circumstance	Acceptable evidence
1. Serious or extended illness or injury	Medical certificate or GP note signed during the illness or incident with a stated period of refrain. Needs to bear Surgery Stamp
2. Injury of a close relative or dependent	Medical certificate or GP note signed and clearly stating the refrain period or support given to the other person(s). This must be during or around the hand in date. Needs to bear Surgery Stamp
3. Bereavement	Copy of a Death Certificate or dated Order of Service Official letter from a person with whom you have a professional relationship, such as a Counsellor, Faith Leader or GP confirming the impact on you
4. Domestic and/or Personal Problems	Medical certificate or note signed confirming the problem and impact. Needs to bear Surgery Stamp Official letter from a person with whom you have a professional relationship (see above
5. Court Attendance e.g. jury service	Official correspondence from the Court, Tribunal Authority or letter from Solicitor.
6. Work Commitment Only students studying part-time can apply concerning work commitment issues.	Official letter on headed paper signed by your line manager, or senior stating the increased work pressures, the reasons behind this and the likely duration. We can also accept emails from an official email address sent directly to mitigation@beds.ac.uk from the line manager – we cannot accept forwarded messages
7. Representing County or Country at Sport	Official letter from the appropriate sporting association or authority that explains the event your involvement.
8. Religious Observance	Confirmation from the University Chaplain or a Faith Leader that the religious observance is a reasonable one for a member of the faith.
9. Active Exercise of Citizenship e.g. Reserve Forces	Letter from the appropriate association or authority that explains the absence and dates.
10. Victim of Crime	Official Police or other investigating authority letter confirming the reported crime and where appropriate, a list of items stolen, such as a laptop or computer. Medical certificate or GP note signed confirming the incident and impact on you. Needs to bear Surgery Stamp
11. Childbirth or complications during pregnancy	Copy of a birth certificate Medical certificate or note signed confirming complications were affecting the student. Needs to bear Surgery Stamp
12. Other Other mitigating circumstances that do not fall under any of the criteria defined above	Please contact mitigation@beds.ac.uk as soon as possible so that a member of the team can discuss if your reason for applying can be considered. Appropriate types of evidence will be communicated to you.

3.1 What is moderation?

Once your assessment has been marked, usually by the academic staff who taught you on your unit, we undertake a process called Moderation. It is the process we use to ensure that academic standards and assessment criteria are consistently applied. It makes sure that every piece of assessment submitted is marked to the same standard and marks are fair.

3.2 What types of marking are there?

We use two types of marking to ensure fairness and objectivity in the assessment process. These are double marking and second marking.

· In ‘double marking’ a second marker reviews students’ scripts and is unaware of the mark awarded by the first marker.

· In ‘second marking’ a second marker reviews students’ scripts aware of the mark and comments made by the first marker.

3.3 How do you decide which type of marking to use?

The type of marking used depends on the level (4, 5, 6, 7 etc.) and weighting of the assessment. For lower level and lower weighted assessments, we usually use second marking, and for higher level and higher weighted assessment, we generally use double marking.

Occasionally, how experienced the markers are has an impact too on which method we use. For example, second marking might be used rather than double marking, if one of the markers is less familiar with the assessment or less experienced.

The table gives a fuller range of examples.

Context	Process
Level 4	sample second marking
Levels 4, 5 and 6 for assessments weighted 30% or less for an assessment of a unit	sample second marking
Levels 4, 5 and 6 for assessments weighted 30%of the total assessment load (with exception of projects and dissertations)	sample double marking
Projects and dissertations at level 6 and 7	complete double marking

3.4 Which work is moderated?

We moderate all summative assessments (see 1.2). In some cases a ‘sample’ is moderated, and in other cases, all work is moderated. If we take a sample of assessed work to moderate, this sample will be randomly picked and the number of

3.5 What happens when the markers disagree?

Occasionally, markers will disagree about the marks given. Using the moderation process, we ask first and second markers to reach a consensus about the mark to be awarded. If consensus is not possible, but there is close agreement (typically within 9%), the script(s) will be reviewed and the marks awarded after moderation by another experienced member of staff.

In the event of a serious disagreement (typically more than a classification i.e. 10% difference), the entire set of scripts are double-marked by another internal marker. These steps help prevent erroneous marks being awarded by a single academic.

In other cases, we compare the average mark and standard deviation of all markers in a unit/assessment to ensure that there is broad equivalence. If the marking of any individual marker is inconsistent, we undertake further moderation of all of the assessments marked by that marker. We give particular attention if:

the average marks of one marker are 7% or more higher or lower than those of the average for the unit;
If the standard deviation indicates that a marker may not be using the full grading scale.

3.6 External Examiners

We assign an External Examiner(s) to each course and unit. External examiners are experienced subject-specialist academic staff from other universities. They are appointed by the External Examiner Committee following a nomination process.

Their role is to take an independent view in assuring and maintaining academic standards and verify that academic standards are appropriate to national subject benchmark statements, the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, University course information forms and other relevant information.

Their duties include:

To be given the opportunity to comment on the intended assessment methods and Academic Regulations which directly affect students on the course;
To review all draft examination papers and assessment briefs for units for which the external examiner is contracted (including units at level 4);
To consider a sample of graded scripts from each unit to which the external examiner is contracted, to confirm that the scripts have been graded in accordance with the criteria stated, to the proper standard, fairly and accurately.

External examiners can’t change marks for individual pieces of assessment. However, they can ask that:

unit teams give consideration to future marking (typically at threshold or outstanding levels);
all the work of a particular assessor is re-marked by an independent assessor;
an amended marking scheme is applied to all students’ work submitted for a particular assessment task

4.1 Once all the marking and moderation processes are complete, we hold Portfolio Examination Boards. These Boards consider and formally approve your results. Portfolio Examination Boards approve your results and whether you can progress to the next level of study. The Portfolio Examination Board also confirms the final outcome on awards. Each Board is chaired by a senior academic or member of University staff and they are attended by senior academic colleagues representing each of the courses of the University.

4.2 What does my Examination board outcome mean?

We will send you official confirmation of when your Examination Board has met and reviewed your academic profile. Each Examination Board must follow our Academic Regulations in making decisions on results and academic profiles.

4.3 Your end of year results will be published on e:Vision, and we will send you an email to confirm that your Examination Board outcome is available to view.

4.4 Your results and latest Examination Board outcome will be displayed on e:Vision in ‘My Units and Assessments’ which you can find under ‘My Studies’.

4.5 Your award will be displayed under ‘Course & Award Details’.

4.6 We can’t give you details of your results by telephone for security and confidentiality reasons, so make sure you check your e:Vision account

4.7 You can update your contact details on e:Vision to make sure you receive all communications from us and not just about your results.

4.8 You must ensure that you act on any instructions we have included with your results. If you don’t, there may be serious consequences for your continued studies with us. 4.9 If you have any queries about your results, you can contact the Student Information Desk. They may be able to answer your question immediately but if not, they will contact your course team.

The tables below provide you with detailed explanation of the codes we use on your results transcript. We have categorised them for you to help you understand the outcomes the Examination Board has made.

5.1 Codes for Unit level result

Code	Definition
AF	Academic Misconduct: Unit Failed, Retake Capped
AE	Academic Misconduct: Exit
AC	Academic Misconduct: Under investigation
AR	Academic Offence: Unit Failed, Retake uncapped
CR	Compulsory resit
FC	Resit: Failed compulsory element
H	Held unit
IN or WI	Student has not taken assessment due to an interruption
LP	Late Placement
MC	Grade Held: Mitigating Circumstances
NZ	Non-submission and exit
PZ	Compensated unit
Deferred	Unit result has calculated resits required
WD	Student has withdrawn
WT	Student has transferred

5.2 Examination Board Outcomes

Outcome	Explanation
Academic recovery required	Progression not permitted due to outstanding resit(s) and/or retake(s) of failed unit(s)
Pending Exam Board Outcome
Suspended
Exited due to academic failure
Exited due to academic misconduct
Registration terminated
Exited due to non-submission of assessments
Retake(s) required	Progression not permitted due to retake(s) of failed unit(s)
Resit(s) and retake(s) required	Continuation of studies with outstanding resit(s) and retake of failed unit(s).
Retake(s) required	Continuation of studies alongside retake of failed unit(s).
Continue studies	Continuation of studies despite failed unit(s). Retake of the failed unit(s) may be required in future.
Resit(s) required
Continue with resit(s)	Continuation of studies alongside resit(s).
Continue with compensation and resit(s) required	Continuation of studies with compensation of failed unit(s). Resit(s) are not permitted on compensated unit(s). Resit(s) are required on non-compensated unit(s).
Continue with compensation	Continuation of studies with compensation of failed unit(s). Resit(s) are not permitted on compensated unit(s).
Progress with compensation	Progression of studies with compensation of failed unit(s). Resit(s) are not permitted on compensated unit(s).
Progress with unit(s) to retake	Progression of studies alongside retake of failed unit(s).
Progress with resit(s)	Progression of studies alongside resit(s).
Completed with compensation	Resit(s) are not permitted on compensated unit(s).
Completed
Continue studies
Progress
Interruption in studies
Transfer agreed by Exam Board
Student Transferred to a Different Course
Withdrawn

6.1 After the Examination Board has approved your award, you will receive notification that you will be sent a transcript and an award letter. These will be sent by post to your home address. The transcript is your formal record of study with us.

Your transcript will include:

your name
your student reference number
date of birth
programme of study
awarding institution
place of study
language
course title
unit and assessment results in ascending order by academic year
total credits passed per year
total credits passed overall and your approved award and classification (if applicable)

On the back page(s) of the transcript, there will be detailed explanation covering:

explanation of unit results
outline of the University’s credit system
Minimum number of credits required each award
Outline of the University’s grading system
Calculation and enhancements of Postgraduate a
Calculation for Integrated Masters
Calculation for Undergraduate honours awards
GPA equivalence table

6.2 If you have any questions about your final transcript, contact either your course administrators or our Student Information Desk

If you are unhappy about your results or the outcome of your Examination Board, you have two options available to you. You can make an academic appeal or make a complaint. We have provided some details below so you can decide the most appropriate route, but you should check each webpage for full details before making either an appeal or a complaint. The Students’ Union advice service can also offer support and guidance to you. The Students’ Union can be contacted by emailing help@bedssu.co.uk

7.1 Academic Appeals web page

An academic appeal is a request for review of an Examination Board decision related to assessment results, academic progression and/or award. Where a complaint is specified as having an impact on assessment results, academic progression and/or award, it must be treated as an academic appeal. No mark or grade will be awarded without evidence that a student has met the associated learning outcomes. Academic Appeals may not, therefore, result in changes of grade (other than as required to permit a further opportunity) or breaches of University academic regulations.

Academic Judgement cannot be challenged by a student. This is defined by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator as ‘a judgment that is made about a matter where the opinion of an academic expert is essential. So for example a judgment about marks awarded, degree classification, research methodology, whether feedback is correct or adequate, and the content or outcomes of a course will normally involve academic judgment’.

7.2 Student Complaints web page

A Complaint is defined as the expression of a specific concern about the provision of an academic or related service by the University. Your complaint could be about your teaching and learning experience, for example about the quality of teaching or resources in the Library or about the provision of other services such as student support or course administration.

The webpage provides you more information and details about how to make your complaint.