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- Academic Partnerships Handbook
- Approval and Revision of Taught Modules and Programmes Handbook
- Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook
- 1 - Introduction
- 2 - Setting and submission of assessments
- 3 - Examinations
- 4 - Assessing students with disabilities
- 5 - Marking
- 6 - Feedback
- 7 - Assessment, progression and awarding committees
- 8 - Progression
- 9 - Classification of awards
- 10 - Mitigation: Deadline extensions and deferrals
- 11 - Consequence of failure in assessment
- 12 - Academic conduct and practice
- 13 - Review and publication of degree outcomes
- Annex A - Examination papers and rubrics
- Annex B - Examination major incident procedures
- Annex C - Programme / discipline committee
- Annex D - Faculty assessment, progression and awarding committee
- Annex E - University assessment, progression and awarding committee
- Annex F - Mitigation
- Annex G - Scaling Guidance
- Annex H - Template for reporting on the internal review of degree classifications
- Annex I - Template for preparation of the annual external Degree Outcomes Statement
- Annex J - Generalised timeline for annual internal review of degree outcomes and preparation of external Degree Outcomes Statement
- Annex K - Sharing of Examination Papers or Questions Investigation Guidance
- Annex L - Viva Voce Process
- Credit and Qualifications Framework
- Exceptional Circumstances Handbook
- External Examining Handbook
- Learning and Teaching Support Handbook
- Postgraduate Research Handbook
- Quality Review & Enhancement Framework
- Student Cases Handbook
- Special Provisions for Online Programmes (including those offered in partnership with Keypath Education)
- Special Provisions for Healthcare Programmes
- Special Provisions for Degree Apprenticeships
- Special Provisions for Programmes with Accreditation Licenced by the Engineering Council
Teaching Quality Assurance Manual
9 - Classification of awards
9.1 Pre-undergraduate, Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Programmes Awarding Principles
9.2 Pre-undergraduate and Undergraduate Programme Stage Weighting
9.3 Taught Postgraduate Programme Stage Weighting
9.4 Rules for Classification
9.5 Unclassified Undergraduate Awards
9.6 Unclassified Taught Postgraduate Awards
9.7 Aegrotat Pass and Aegrotat Awards for Taught Programmes of Study
- Classification of Awards
- Pre-undergraduate, Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Programmes Awarding Principles
- This section must be read in conjunction with the University’s Credit and Qualifications Framework (CQF). The Faculty Assessment, Progression and Awarding Committee (APAC) will recommend that Senate grant the award and classify that award in accordance with the following principles:
- The award of a degree of the University is dependent on the successful completion of a programme which complies with the credit requirements detailed in the CQF.
- Awards are determined by the Faculty APAC based on the overall level of performance as indicated by the marks submitted to the Committee.
- All students must be treated equitably in the calculation of marks and classification and awards.
- Overall module marks will be calculated in SITS as integers; the average credit-weighted marks (ACWM) for the award will be calculated in SITS to two decimal places (rounding of the ACWM must not occur). Awards are then classified based on the rules set out in the tables below.
- Following the principles of condonement set out in 8.1, condonement should only be implemented where the credits are contributing towards an award.
- As an alternative to referral, or as a consequence of failure in referral, a lesser award can be made. To award a lesser award the following conditions must be met:
- This must be in accordance with the level and credit requirements of awards as specified in the CQF. In relation to this, the condonement rules of the lesser award should apply.
- The student must have completed any compulsory modules for the lesser award.
- This section must be read in conjunction with the University’s Credit and Qualifications Framework (CQF). The Faculty Assessment, Progression and Awarding Committee (APAC) will recommend that Senate grant the award and classify that award in accordance with the following principles:
- Pre-undergraduate and Undergraduate Programme Stage Weighting
- The weighting of stages must contribute to the final weighted mark as follows:
One-year Bachelor's programmes, Graduate Diplomas, Graduate Certificates and Foundation Certificates The credit-weighted mean of the stage Two-year Foundation Degree programmes The credit-weighted mean of Stages 1 and 2 weighted in the ratio 1:1 Two-year Bachelor's programmes The credit-weighted mean of Stages 1 and 2 weighted in the ratio 1:2 Three-year Bachelor's programmes The credit-weighted mean Stages 2 and 3 weighted in the ratio 1:2 Undergraduate part-time Bachelor's Degree Apprenticeship programmes The credit-weighted mean of modules at RQF Levels 5 and 6 weighted in the ratio 1:2 Four-year undergraduate Bachelor's programmes with year out in stage 2 * The credit-weighted mean of Stages 2,3 and 4 weighted in the ratio 1:4:8 Four-year undergraduate Bachelor's programmes with year out in stage 3 * The credit-weighted mean of Stages 2,3 and 4 weighted in the ratio 2:1:4 Four-year undergraduate Bachelor's programmes with year out in stage 4 * The credit-weighted mean of Stages 2,3 and 4 weighted 2:4:1 Four-year integrated Master's programmes The credit-weighted mean of Stages 2,3 and 4 weighted in the ratio 2:3:4 Five-year integrated Master's programmes with year out in stage 3 * The credit-weighted mean of Stages 2,3,4 and 5 weighted in the ratio 2:1:4:6 - * The term “year out” here includes a year abroad and other forms of study outside the University, such as industrial placements.
- The weighting of stages must contribute to the final weighted mark as follows:
- Taught Postgraduate Programme Stage Weighting
- The weighting of all stages must contribute to the final weighted mark as follows:
-
One-Stage taught postgraduate programmes The credit-weighted mean of the stage Two-stage taught postgraduate programme (Master of Fine Arts) The credit-weighted mean of all modules.
- Rules for Classification of Awards
- Non-Honours Direct Entry Undergraduate Awards offered as direct entry, rather than as exit awards, including the Ordinary Degree and INTO CertHE. Exit awards are those qualifications which may be awarded on completion of an intermediate point of studies in a longer programme of study (when a student leaves the programme) but for which the student has not registered at the outset.
- Awards: Distinction, Merit, Pass.
- Bachelor’s and Integrated Master’s Degrees
- Awards: First Class Honours, Upper Second Class Honours, Lower Second Class Honours, Third Class Honours.
- Foundation Certificates and Foundations Degrees:
- Awards: Distinction, Merit, Pass.
- Graduate Awardsof Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Ordinary Degrees for direct entry
- Awards: Distinction, Merit, Pass.
Qualifies for: Description Distinction/First Class Honours A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 69.50%
or
A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 68.00% and modules to the value of at least 50% with a module mark greater than or equal to 70%
Merit / Upper Second Class Honours A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 59.50% or
A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 58.00% and modules to the value of at least 50% with a module mark greater than or equal to 60%
Lower Second Class Honours A final weighted mark greater than or equal to 49.50% or
A final weighted mark greater than or equal to 48.00% and modules to the value of at least 50% of stage weighted credits with a module mark greater than or equal to 50%
Pass / Third Class Honours A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 40.00% Pass/Fail threshold for the award The pass/ fail threshold for the award is an average of 40.00%
- Awards: Distinction, Merit, Pass.
- Taught Postgraduate Awards of taught postgraduate degrees of Masters, Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate.
- Awards: Distinction, Merit, Pass.
Qualifies for: Description Distinction A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 69.50% or
A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 68.00% and modules to the value of at least 50% with a module mark greater than or equal to 70%
Merit A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 59.50% or
A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 58.00% and modules to the value of at least 50% with a module mark greater than or equal to 60%
Pass A final credit-weighted mark greater than or equal to 50.00% Pass/Fail threshold The pass/ fail threshold for the programme award is an average of 50.00%
- Awards: Distinction, Merit, Pass.
- Non-Honours Direct Entry Undergraduate Awards offered as direct entry, rather than as exit awards, including the Ordinary Degree and INTO CertHE. Exit awards are those qualifications which may be awarded on completion of an intermediate point of studies in a longer programme of study (when a student leaves the programme) but for which the student has not registered at the outset.
- Unclassified Undergraduate Awards
- The CQF details those undergraduate awards that are unclassified (i.e. those awards that operate on a simple pass/fail basis). The pass/ fail threshold for the programme is an average of 40.00%.
- Unclassified Taught Postgraduate Awards
- Taught postgraduate awards that are unclassified (i.e. those awards that operate on a simple pass/fail basis) are found in the CQF. This includes exit awards for appropriate Professional Doctorate programmes The pass/ fail threshold for the programme is an average of 50.00%.
- Aegrotat Pass and Aegrotat Awards for Taught Programmes of Study
- Where a student is prevented by illness or exceptional personal circumstances from taking a deferred assessment at any stage they may request that an Aegrotat pass or, at the final stage, the award of an unclassified Aegrotat degree may be considered under the terms of Ordinance 16.
- Pre-undergraduate, Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Programmes Awarding Principles
Last updated January 2024
Last reviewed January 2024
