Chapter 3 - Examinations

  1. Examinations
    1. Failure to Attend an Examination
      1. Failure to attend an examination should be accompanied by an application for mitigation with supporting evidence, in accordance with Chapter 10 - Mitigation: Deadline extensions and deferrals
      2. For absence from an examination with no reasonable explanation or properly documented evidence, a recommendation may be made by the Faculty Assessment, Progression and Awarding Committee, to the Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of Faculty or nominee to deem the student to have withdrawn from the University.
      3. Students will attend examinations at their campus of study (or at a nearby University campus where this is the location arranged by the University). Exceptionally, students may sit referred and deferred examinations falling during the summer vacation abroad subject to providing evidence of meeting one of the following eligibility criteria:

        i) Medical reasons - where a student is unable to travel to the campus of study (please refer to the Mitigation procedures);
        ii) Further academic study - where further study is being undertaken during the examination period and permission has not been granted by the other host institution to allow the student to return to the University for the examination(s);
        iii) Overseas work placements (credit-bearing) - only where these are part of a credit-bearing University module, and permission has not been granted by the placement provider to allow the student to return to the University for the examination(s);
        iv) Other - exceptional personal circumstances.
    2. Late Arrival
      1. Students arriving late for examinations will be admitted to the examination hall without question during the first half-hour of the examination period, but will not be allowed extra time in which to complete their examination. A note will be made by the invigilator and passed to the relevant Faculty (or delegated School) of any student arriving after this time.
    3. Use of Calculators
      1. Students must seek approval to use their calculator prior to the examination via the appropriate Faculty (or delegated School) office, and this will be signified by the application of a tamper evident label provided by the University Examinations Office.
      2. It is the responsibility of students to bring calculators to the examination hall and to ensure that spare batteries are available.
      3. With the exception of ‘Open Book’ examinations, calculators or electronic devices capable of carrying out the retrieval of stored numerical or textual information must not be used.
      4. Students should be informed that failure to comply with these regulations will result in confiscation of the non-approved calculator or, in extreme cases, exclusion of the student from the examination.
    4. Use of Dictionaries
      1. The use of dictionaries in examinations is not permitted unless specific approval has been given by the students’ Faculty (or delegated School). Students for whom English is not their primary language may be permitted to use dictionaries in examination rooms provided they have obtained the relevant authorisation from their Faculty (or delegated School) Office. Electronic dictionaries must not be approved for use in examination rooms. Students should be advised that notes must not be written inside a dictionary, and if any such dictionary is found then it will be confiscated and further action may be taken.
    5. Other Material
      1. Faculties (or delegated Schools) are responsible for publishing in advance advice for students on what is and is not permitted in examinations.
      2. Mobile phones or any other means of sending/ receiving messages are not permitted in any examination. More information can be found in the University's Guidance for Candidates.
    6. Invigilation
      1. Invigilation in all central examination venues during the main examination periods must be carried out by invigilators appointed by the Examinations Office. All invigilators are required to attend a training session prior to their first invigilation session.
    7. Safe Handling of Examination Papers and Examination Scripts
      1. All examination papers must be regarded as confidential documents prior to being taken by students and all appropriate measures taken to safeguard them at all stages. Distribution to colleagues, External Examiners and to the Examinations Office must be via secure means, password protected wherever possible.
      2. Any paper copies of draft or final papers must be kept securely and any sent for disposal should only be done so carefully and confidentially. If a disposal system is unavailable for any reason then copies should be securely retained until it becomes possible or until the examination has been taken.
      3. Any queries with regards to what constitutes secure means should be referred to the Examinations Office, who will also issue the necessary passwords for access to password protected material.
    8. Sharing of Examination Papers or Questions during non-invigilated examinations
      1. Where a department becomes aware that one or more student(s) haves shared an examination paper or question during a non-invigilated examination, this should be reported immediately to the Director of Education and Student Experience (or nominee).
      2. Directors of Education and Student Experience (or nominees) should notify the University Cases Team and the Examinations Co-ordinators team for the incident to be logged.
      3. Directors of Education and Student Experience (or nominees) will then decide if the matter warrants further investigation (guidance is available in Annex K).
      4. Departments should notify students on the module that an examination paper or question has been shared, and inform students of how this will be investigated further (if at all). Students should be informed that the matter could be seen under the Academic Conduct or Disciplinary procedures if there is evidence to support such action.
    9. Contacting Academics during an Examination
      1. Module Convenors/ Leaders must be contactable at all times while the examination is taking place or have appointed a deputy who has full knowledge of the paper content and is able to provide advice and answer queries; this could be the Module Moderator.
      2. This is to deal with any immediate concerns and questions from students.
      3. It is the responsibility of the Faculty (or delegated School) to ensure that required academic contact details (both mobile and office) are known and available in advance of the relevant examination.
    10. Religious Holidays
      1. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the Examinations Office of any religious observance needs by completing the relevant form available on the Examinations Office website and submitting it no later than the published deadline. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate all such requests.
    11. Emergency Procedures
      1. Procedures to be adopted in the case of an emergency or a major incident can be found at Annex B.
    12. Dealing with Suspected Examination Offences
      1. Suspected examination offences must be dealt with under the University’s Academic Misconduct regulations as laid out in the Code of Good Practice on Academic Conduct and Practice.

 

 

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