The Policy on Fair Assessment and Fair Outcomes (”Fair Assessment Policy”),created in collaboration with the Guild and implemented this session, requires Boards of Examiners to carefully consider each student’s marks profile to ensure that students achieve an appropriate degree classification. We have made provision for Boards of Examiners processes that will carefully consider each student’s marks profile (alongside any recommendations from the Extenuating Circumstances Panel) to reach an informed decision about your result.
Note that the policy covers awards for the graduating cohort this year and is different from the Emergency Assessment Framework (EAF) applied to students last year. This is because students have been able to complete 120 credits of assessments this year (20/21) whereas last year (19/20) they were not able to do so. The circumstances are different and therefore it is appropriate to apply the Fair Assessment Policy this year. The Fair Assessment Policy recognises that study in 19/20 was impacted for the 20/21 graduating cohort and therefore we can discount the 19/20 modules from the calculation of the Weighted Mean Mark (WMM) if this advantages students. However, other years of study (e.g. 18/19) were not disrupted and are therefore not discounted from the WMM.
Also note that the range of marks considered for profiling under the Fair Assessment Policy is widened from 68.0-69.49 to 67.0-69.49 (and similarly to 57.0, 47.0). There is a requirement in the Fair Assessment Policy that the Examination Board considers each student. This gives discretion for the Boards to reach fair outcomes where necessary e.g. if a student’s overall mark falls below the profiling range but, based on the marks profile, an award is made ‘Notwithstanding Regulations’ (as long as the External Examiner is supportive).
Therefore, awarding decisions for Examination Boards under the Fair Assessment Policy involve:
- Consideration of whether the WMM is above the threshold (e.g. 70% for a first class degree) for award.
- Consideration of whether a student with a WMM of 67/57/47 or higher has the appropriate profile of marks.
- Consideration of whether a student merits uplift based on the full profile of module marks and circumstances of the case.