masters assignment marking

• Home »
• Advice »
• Masters Study Advice

find your perfect postgrad program Search our Database of 30,000 Courses

Masters degree grades.

A typical masters degree will be graded using four terms:

• Distinction: a final grade of 70% or above
• Merit: a final grade of 60-69%
• Pass: a final grade of 50-59%
• Borderline Pass/Fail: a final grade of 40-49%

In the UK masters degrees are usually graded in a different way to bachelors degrees, with the system being Distinction, Merit and Pass rather than 1st, 2.1, 2.2 and 3rd.

This table illustrates approximately how the two different grading systems can be compared:

However, although masters degree grades are usually different to undergraduate degree grades, this does depends on what masters course you are studying. Here, we’ll look at the most common three:

Integrated masters degree grades

An integrated masters is one that follows directly on from your undergraduate course. This is most common in the sciences , where you apply for a four year course in your chosen subject and then in your second year make a decision on whether to follow the path to a BSc or to an MChem, MPhys, etc.

This is graded like an undergraduate degree in that the classification you receive will be either;

First (1st);

Second class honours upper division (2.1);

Second class honours lower division (2.2);

Third (3rd) or;

In these cases, the later levels of study are weighted more than the earlier.

Standalone masters degree grades

Taught masters degree.

Taught masters degrees require 180 credits worth of work, made of a combination of taught modules, projects and a dissertation. The individual masters modules are usually worth between 10 and 30 credits each, depending on their length and the amount of assessment required. In some cases taught masters are merely graded as a pass or fail, but commonly taught masters degree grades are fail, pass, merit (or credit) and distinction. The boundaries for this are usually 50% for a pass, 60% for a merit and 70% for a distinction as the table illustrates. This masters degree grading system will be covered in greater detail later. 

Masters degree by research

A masters by research (an MPhil or MRes, and sometimes MLitt) is usually graded as pass or fail, with occasional universities offering distinction as a classification as well.

Apply for one of our x5 bursaries worth £2,000

We've launched our new Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries for 2024. Full-time, part-time, online and blended-learning students eligible. 2024 & 2025 January start dates students welcome. Study postgraduate courses in any subject taught anywhere worldwide.

Masters grading system in the UK

 The final masters grade is based on a ‘weighted’ score. For an integrated masters, this means your marks in your final two years are worth more than in your first two. 

On other masters courses , it can depend on which proportion of the mark is made up by taught aspects or research aspects. In general though, as well as having to aim for a certain weighted average, you also need to have marks within a certain range. Generally, this means for a pass, no marks under 40, a merit, none below 50, and for a distinction, none below 60.

If your course involves a dissertation, the mark that you achieve for this will also impact your final masters grade. Often, to achieve a certain classification, you are required to achieve that mark as minimum on your dissertation, for example, for a merit, your dissertation needs to score 60 or above, and for a distinction, 70 or above. If this sounds intimidating, try not to worry, we have plenty of helpful advice for you from writing your dissertation proposal to various ways to avoid dissertation drama .

Whilst these classifications are pretty much standard, they do vary between courses as well as between universities, so do check out your particular university and find out how it works out its masters degree grades. Some universities, whilst sticking to the pass/merit/distinction boundaries for their final grades, may use a variety of ways to mark your work throughout the year – percentages, letter grades (A, B, C, etc), so do make sure you know how it all adds up!

Also, remember that university guidelines, whilst strict, do have an element of leniency. Often there is a boundary (commonly 2% under) that if your final average is in, you may be able to persuade yourself up a class! This is most common if you excelled on your dissertation, but perhaps were let down by an earlier taught module. So don’t be afraid to ask.

Pass, merit and distinction

As an estimate of what quality of work you’re looking for, take a look at some example guidelines below:

Again, these are general guidelines, and looking at your particular university will give you much more specific information on their masters grades. If it all looks a bit much, don’t worry – we have a guide on how to get a first class postgraduate degree here .

You may have noticed that, despite the official classifications being distinction, merit and pass, that there is a tendency towards continuing with undergraduate language. This is because they roughly match up –  a first is roughly a distinction, a second class honours, upper division a merit, and a second class honours, lower division a pass. This can be helpful to bear in mind when thinking about masters degree grades, as, after all by this stage you’ll have a great understanding of how the undergraduate system works!

What if you are failing your masters degree?

1. Retake a module to bring your masters grades up

As previously discussed, a masters degree is divided up into several modules, which are usually are worth between 10 and 30 credits each. If you’ve only failed one or two modules there is likely to be the opportunity to re-sit some assessments within these modules to increase your overall masters grade.

2. Revise your dissertation to improve your grades

 If you fail your dissertation, contact your supervisor to see if you can submit a revised version later in the year. If this is allowed it could be enough to raise your overall masters degree grade.

3. Switch to a Postgrad Certificate or a Postgrad Diploma

If your masters program is going completely wrong and you are almost certainly going to fail, there may still be a chance of you achieving a different postgraduate qualification, for example a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma . These PG qualifications require less credits to complete than a masters degree, and by achieving one of these you can rest assured that your postgraduate studies were not in vain!

4. Re-sit exams or extend deadlines for extenuating circumstances

 If your academic achievement (or lack of it) has been affected by extenuating circumstances – such as illness or bereavement – speak to your supervisor as soon as possible as they may allow you to submit your dissertation at a later date or re-sit some exams before submitting your work to the official examining board.

5. Submit an appeal for a remark

Finally, if you feel that the official examining board’s grade is an unfair reflection of your work, you may be able to submit an appeal for a remark.

Questions about the masters grading system

How are masters degrees graded in the uk.

Everything at masters level is double-blind marked, so two of your lecturers or tutors will mark your work and then agree on the grade between them. It depends on the assignment and how it is presented as a piece of work, as an essay or an exam will be marked differently from a presentation.

Is a masters grade the same around the world?

A masters degree has the same weighting across Europe as European universities have agreed that all university qualifications are worth the same number of credits. This means that the qualifications are transferable all over Europe . Generally, the same can be said for many other countries, especially in the English-speaking world, but if you are planning on continuing your education in another country, you should check with the institution you are planning on attending with regards to the transferability of your qualifications.

Do grades matter at masters level?

At postgraduate level, there is more emphasis on the content of your essays and research rather than on the masters grades you received. If you are planning on moving into a specific field of work after you graduate, then you should ensure that the modules you study and essays you write are all geared towards that field. The only time the grade truly matters is if you are considering a PhD after completing the masters program. However, showing that you have improved your skills across the course is just as important as getting the best grades right from the start.

What else is important?

Once you get into searching for a job you will quickly realise that extra-curricular activities and work experience are just as important as your masters grades, as is trying to meet the right people through networking. Showing you can work efficiently and are a self-reliant person is an important addition to your CV.

How many people have a masters degree in the US?

Here’s a table showing the percentage of adults over the age of 25 with a masters degree in the United States.

Related articles 

MSc Degree Classification

Taught Vs Research Masters

How To Succeed In Your Taught Masters

Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries

Exclusive bursaries Open day alerts Funding advice Application tips Latest PG news

Sign up now!

Take 2 minutes to sign up to PGS student services and reap the benefits…

• The chance to apply for one of our 5 PGS Bursaries worth £2,000 each
• Fantastic scholarship updates

Introduction

The Marking and Feedback theme guides you through the different options available for:

Please read the University Rules and Regulations: Assessment and Awards – Policy for verification of assessment and standardisation and moderation of marking (website) in conjunction with the following guidance: 

Marking assessments

Allocating work.

Allocation of marking relates to the academic’s teaching related duties, which forms part of an academic’s annual work planning hours. Allocation of marking is decided locally within College departments, between the academic and relevant module leader and logged with the appropriate subject group leader. Please refer to the Academic Work Planning Policy (SP site) 

Back to top of section

Methods of marking

Print to Mark – it is recognised that electronic methods of marking may not always suit all. As such, a print to mark service is offered to all staff that allows the printing of student submissions to allow academic markers to still mark on physical scripts.

• TEL Help: how do I use the Print to Mark service (website) – guidance on how to download a zip file of the submissions Blackboard.
• Print Shop (website) – the university’s print service. 

The expectation though is that there is an electronic record of feedback still uploaded for Blackboard for the student. Scanned hand written feedback on scripts is not normally considered an appropriate method because of the issue of legibility.

Online marking is the process of using onscreen tools to comment directly on student work. Students are normally required to submit an electronic version online and the annotated work can then be returned as feedback directly to the student through the Grade Centre in Blackboard. Depending on how the student work has been submitted and in what format can determine how the work can be annotated. The TEL Help website hosts various guidance that covers: 

• Marking Blackboard Tests  
• How do I grade non-auto-marked questions
• How do I correct a mistake in a deployed test  
• Marking work submitted offline  and  physical submission  
• Marking work submitted online  and  online submission .
• How do I mark student work submitted online anonymously – guidance and video . 
• How do I use the inline grading tool (New Box View) for annotating submissions online
• How do I prepare my marks spreadsheet for submission to Academic Administration  
• TEL Help: Threshold Standards
• Case Study – many students don’t understand the approaches we use to mark and moderate their work and sometimes perceive that there are biases depending on who’s marking their work. Here’s a presentation by Sally Freeman, RGN RM MA PGCE FHEA, Senior Midwifery Lecturer, Course Leader for BSc Midwifery, HWLS on  how to explain to students the process of how their work is marked and moderated: March 2018 (PowerPoint). 

Blackboard Annotate is the inline grading tool for annotating and providing feedback on student assignment submissions. Its feature set is a significant improvement on the previous inline grading tool, Box View, including a personal content library that will allow each instructor to keep their own bank of re-usable comments which they can use across assignments on all their Blackboard sites. 

• Digital Learning Team: Blackboard Annotate (website) – guides. 

Storage and system issues

The majority of student work generated electronically can be submitted online through Blackboard. However files that are over 250MB cannot be submitted directly as attachments to Blackboard. There are alternative methods to allow students to submit large or medial files electronically for marking.

• TEL Help:  how do I set up an area for students to submit online (website) – guidance.
• TEL Help:  what options are available for submitting large or media files (website) – guidance.
• TEL Help:  how can I support students in managing file sizes when submitting online (website) – guidance.
• Digital Learning Team: their  Panopto Guides (website) can be used for the submission of popular media file formats.

It is recommended that you do not store any submissions content to local D drives.  Please refer to Digital Technology Service (DTS) guidance on  Cloud Storage (SP site) and staff guidelines on the use of IT Facilities (SP site).

If you require additional storage on your personal drive F (all staff get 500mb), a private area on shared N drive or access to the Q drive, contact DTS via the  Assyst online portal (SP site), who will consider requests for additional space. 

If system unavailability prevents the marking of work, for example due to being unable to access electronically submitted work, an extended period of time equivalent to the duration of system unavailability (up to 48 hours) is to be allowed to complete the marking and provide feedback to students. A standard message will be placed on Blackboard and College will contact students with further details.  If there is to be a delay in providing feedback to students due to system unavailability, either at the time of marking of the time of releasing feedback, the anticipated feedback date will be communicated to students via the Assessment Scheduler, although if staff can still meet the original turnaround times this is to be encouraged.

Originality checking / Turnitin

Refer to Submitting / Sitting: Originality Checking / Turnitin guidance. 

Anonymous marking

Currently, the University operates anonymous marking for examinations only. Anonymity applies to the marking process only. At this stage, the policy has not extended to coursework but a tool is available within Blackboard to assist academics with anonymous marking (within certain constraints). Currently anonymous marking is an option for module leaders but clarity around the approach taken to marking must be published to students at the start of a module.

• TEL Help: how do I bulk upload student papers submitted from Blackboard to Turnitin (website) – guidance. 

Grade-based assessments (GBA) / Categorical marking

Traditionally, when individual pieces of work have been marked, the grade has been expressed as a mark from 0-100%.  For individual assessments these are called Grade-Based Assessments.

Please use these resources in conjunction with Assessment Essentials > Course Design > University Grade Descriptors/Categorical Marking guidance and resources. 

• guidance – reflects an example of  using GBA for first and second year work. Students receive one of eighteen grades, based on final degree classifications. One of the benefits of this approach for students is that they can easily gain an understanding of how well they are doing. For example, if a student is aiming for a first class degree, they can readily see how close they are, based on the grades that they have already received.
• Summary of Staff GBA: July 2014 (PDF).
• Questionnaire A&D July 2014 (PDF).
• GBA risk register and timeline: 2015 (PDF).
• GBA grading descriptors (L4,5 and 6): 2015 (PDF).
• Student info GBA in A&D L4 2014/15 (PDF).
• Student info GBA in A&D L5 2014/15 (PDF). 
• Case study –  introducing grade-based assessment within Art & Design .

Students are responsible for ensuring that all assessment is presented in a legible form.

• Coursework – students are normally expected to submit coursework in a typewritten, word-processed or a legible handwritten format. If a student submits a piece of coursework which is illegible, they are required to transcribe the work prior to it being marked. This must be completed under supervision. The student must be formally warned in writing that it is their responsibility to submit work in a legible form and any subsequent pieces of illegible work will receive a zero mark.
• Examination scripts– likewise students are expected to write examination scripts in a legible form. If an examination script is illegible or difficult to read and the student has not already been formally warned about legibility, the student is required to transcribe the script prior to marking. This must be conducted under supervision. The student must be formally warned in writing that it is their responsibility to submit work in a legible form and any subsequent pieces of illegible work will receive a zero mark.
• Loss of student assessment material– staff are responsible for taking proper care of students’ assessment material. It is recognised that there may be exceptional circumstances in which assessment material is lost or damaged whilst it is in the possession of the University which prevents or impedes the usual assessment process. Information on how to manage these circumstances is available at  Loss of Students’ Assessment Material: January 2017 (PDF).

Each student is provided with an Assessment Statement for each year of their course at the start of the academic year. This states what assessment tasks need to be completed and what the submission deadlines are. It is intended that this helps students to manage their time and plan carefully to meet all assessment submission deadlines.

Coursework submitted within one working day (24 hours) of the deadline date and time without an authorised extension will receive a mark capped at the minimum pass mark. Coursework submitted beyond that time without an authorised extension will receive a zero mark. The assessment task will be referred (if at first submission) or failed (if at referral submission).

Should the student have any concerns about completing their coursework on time or if you suspect in advance that personal circumstances may cause them to miss a deadline, direct them to their  Departmental Student Support Adviser (website). They can request an extension to the coursework submission deadline and will need to complete an extension request form which must  be submitted at least 24 hours before the deadline date together with a copy of any uncompleted work and documentary evidence to support the request.

If students have a general problem with prioritising, working under pressure or require specific areas of development  The Skills Centre (website) can support and provide guidance to help them develop practical ways of managing their time and workload.

Examinations  

Refer to Submitting / Sitting: Examinations for guidance.   

Back to top of page

Feedback on assessments

Feedback enables learning by providing information that can be used to improve and enhance future performance. An electronic record of feedback provides improved clarity, addressing legibility of handwritten feedback. Consistency as well as the security and convenience of the medium also provide benefits to students in addition to having access to all feedback for a course online and in one place.

• Academic Services: Examinations and coursework (SP site): Framework for Feedback on Assessment establishes clarity about how feedback and assessment work to create a rewarding learning experience for students. It is useful to think about this in terms of summative and formative feedback.
• An electronic record of feedback should be uploaded to Blackboard Grade Centre. 

In order to comply with the TEL Help: Threshold Standards (website), you must articulate how, when and in what format students can expect to receive feedback on their work. The Blackboard Calendar should be used to publish feedback return dates to students.

• TEL Help: Start of Semester – publish feedback return dates for summative assessments in Blackboard (website) – guidance.
• How do I use the notifications tools in Blackboard: September 2017 (video).

Exemplars are examples of previous students’ work or examples developed by practitioners that when used in learning activities help students to grasp key concepts, skills, content and assessment standards and criteria. Unlike model answers which are examples of a ‘perfect’ answer, exemplars are examples of varying standards of academic work. 

Case studies:

• Look at the HWLS Nursing and Midwifery department’s LTA Forum (word) overview on developing their methods on feedback based around various feedback articles. More will be added as the forum moves forward. 
• Formative Feedback for level 5 Employability Skills for Financial Services – June 2021  (word) – created by Zoe Newsham and focusses on the use of formative feedback in developing an Employability Portfolio to support students in assessment and achieving their future goals.
• Formal Feedback for Level 5 Electronic Crime (Cybercrime from 2021/22) June 2021 (word) – created by Tony O’Brien and focusses on the use of formative feedback to support students as they prepare for their single individual assignment.
• Applied projects: Working with local businesses – June 2021 (word) – created by Sue Beckingham and focusses on second-year module students working in groups with a local business to help them develop a digital marketing strategy. 
• Formative Feedback Practice – Level 6 strategy – Ethics, Privacy and Social Responsibility – June 2021 (PowerPoint) – created by Rob Baker.
• Formative Feedback Plan: Managing and Developing People – Level 5 – June 2021 (word) – created by Michelle Blackburn, module leader for this 2020/21 delivery.
• Formative Assessment in a HR Module – June 2021 (word) – created by Lynne Booth and Michelle Blackburn and focusses on small changes to boost engagement with formative tasks.
• Incremental Formative Feedback for Success – June 2021 (word) – created by Jo Watts and Marc Duffy and focusses on weekly, scheduled Formative Feedback and Optional Formative Submission.
• Formative Feedback for Level 6 Food Perception and Consumer Behaviour students – June 2021 (word) – created by Jennifer Smith Maguire and focusses on a formative feedback worksheet that students complete in the run-up to their first assignment, which is used as the basis for a formative feedback seminar session.
• Formative Feedback for Level 4 Marketing & Digital Analysis – June 2021 (word) – created by Jeanette Baker & Jayne Revill and focusses on the use of formative feedback to support L4 student assessment preparation for their first summative reflection.  
• Formative Feedback for Level 4 Data Analysis for Business Decisions and Financial Analysis for B – June 2021 (word) – created by Jayne Revill and Tony O’Brien and focusses on the use of formative feedback to support L4 student assessment preparation for their first summative reflection.  
• Approaches to Online Feedback – Dec 2020 (Google) – Presented by Stuart Hepplestone, Digital Learning Solutions Manager and Dave Darwent, Principal Learning Technologist, Digital Learning Team – SETL at the December 2020 Course Leader Fest ‘Engaging and Thriving’.
• Authentic assessment calls for authentic feedback, which can be challenging to maintain within online and hybrid settings. Nhi Nguyen, content specialist at FeedbackFruits, discusses with Advance HE, five dimensions of authentic feedback, and how to optimise each of these in online classes .   
• Flexible working achieved through online assessment – 2015  (PDF) – using online assessment tools to provide effective feedback.
• Introducing online management of assessment in a level 6 module – 2015 (PDF) – improving the student experience through effective feedback.
• A collection of journal articles, book chapters and conference presentations from colleagues at Hallam (word). 

Accessible and inclusive methods

Online feedback is the process of returning feedback to students on their work in electronic format online. It is normally coupled with the process of online submission, although feedback can be given online regardless of the format of the original submission. It requires some form of electronic or onscreen marking that allows tutors to use a variety of tools and techniques to provide comprehensive and faster feedback to students. It is designed to address student, staff and institutional requirements for efficiencies in providing timely and engaging feedback.

Inclusive feedback strategies can provide you with some quick practical tips on giving assessment feedback to disabled students.  Take a look at the Disabled Student Support SharePoint site for a range of guidance on providing feedback to your disabled students. 

The use of the Grade Centre within Blackboard is the recommended way for returning feedback to students online. In addition to returning feedback directly and efficiently to students, further benefits afforded include:

• Enabling students to easily track progress and see how performance on different assessment tasks builds to an overall profile for each of their modules.
• Presenting marks and feedback alongside learning materials with reference made directly back to materials to review. 

Electronic feedback

Examples of electronic feedback that can be produced and return to students online via the Blackboard Grade Centre might include one or more of the following:

Typed comments and annotations

• such as using Commenting, Track Changes or AutoText tools in Microsoft Word, or Digital Learning Team: Blackboard Annotate (website).
• refer to the section above – methods of marking . 
• Case study –  using annotated comments to provide targeted summative feedback online: June 2015 (PDF).
• Case study –  generating consistent feedback using Excel spreadsheets: June 2015 (PDF).
• Case study –  consistent and fast feedback through spreadsheets: June 2015 (PDF).

Speech recognition software

Can be used to generate typed comments and annotations either in the students’ original work or as a separate feedback document. By typing ‘Speech Recognition’ into the Start Menu, this software can be accessed on every University managed desktop pc.

• Case study –   how to uses Speech Recognition software for creating feedback (Google).
• Case study –  providing effective feedback through voice recognition software: June 2015 (PDF).
• Apple support: Setting up Speech Recognition on Mac (enhanced dictation recommended) (website) – guidance.
• Microsoft support: Setting up Speech Recognition in Windows (website) – guidance.

Marking grids and feedback rubrics

Feedback rubrics, also known as marking grids, can usefully show students where and why particular marks were awarded to their assessed work and act as a structure for the provision feedback and feedforward. Similarly, rubric/marking grids can assist the moderation process by providing a record of the standard a marker judged each piece of assessed work demonstrated for each assessment criterion, this enables moderators to see that the criteria have been consistently applied by the marker(s).

Grade descriptors also support staff to provide consistent and meaningful feedback to students about their assessed work. This type of grading practice is called ‘criterion referenced assessment’, i.e. the students work is being judged against precise and explicit criteria that clearly articulate the success criteria, while the degree of achievement is set out in grade descriptors. These can be given to students as rubrics as part of the assessment brief and will be used subsequently in grading using marking schemes.

Module leaders have to make value-based judgements about students work to establish whether a learner has demonstrated their learning outcomes and the level (grade) of the achievement. It is important that all involved in the assessment process share a clear understanding of the basis on which these judgements are made.   TEL Help host a range of guidance on feedback rubrics:

Are systematic methods to produce individual feedback documents that map assessment criteria against comments drawn from pre-defined statement banks, e.g. often designed using an Excel spreadsheet.

• TEL Help: Feedback rubrics (website) – criteria based feedback.
• TEL Help: What is a Feedback Rubric (website) – guidance on this tool that help students understand what is expected to meet the requirements of an assignment and to demonstrate how they meet each criterion.
• TEL Help: How do I create a Feedback Rubric (website) – guidance on creating a feedback rubric at the point of adding or editing an assignment or grade column. 
• TEL Help: external moderation: how do I download and upload completed feedback rubrics for external moderation? (website).
• TEL Help: How do I grade and provide feedback using a Feedback Rubric (website). 
• TEL Help: How do I copy Feedback Rubrics between Blackboard sites (website).

It is important to note that when completing feedback rubrics you will need to be connected to the internet at all times. Where marking grids and feedback rubrics are not the sole format of feedback provided, care should be taken to ensure that the feedback provided on these forms complement, and do not contradict any comments annotated on the students’ original work for instance.

• Case study –  Generating consistent feedback using Excel spreadsheets .
• Case study –  Consistent and fast feedback through spreadsheets .

Audio feedback/recordings  

Using a variety of portable recording devices and an array of easy-to-use software, such as Audacity (website) markers can verbally record and provide students with audio commentary of their work. Audio feedback can be provided on any assignment or assessment task, and it is claimed that more detailed, in-depth and personal feedback can be provided in this way. However it can separate feedback from the task due to the lack of annotations, and therefore care should be taken to ensure comments are referred back to specific points in the students’ work, as well as clarity of voice and length of recording. Audio feedback is a great way for students to record formative discussions about their work (e.g. in lab sessions) that might be later forgotten. Students may need guidance in accessing and storing this type of feedback. Once an audio recording is complete, it can be treated as any other file and so can be uploaded to Blackboard in a common area for all students or attached as feedback to a grade in the Grade Centre.

• TEL Help: how do I record audio and video feedback directly in the Blackboard Grade Centre? (website).
• Case study –  Providing Individual Audio Feedback .
• Case study –  Feeding forward using audio feedback .
• Case study –  Recording individual audio feedback for students .
• Case study –   Creating and distributing audio feedback .
• Case study –  Providing audio summative feedback .

Digitised written feedback  

There are situations where paper is the most suitable medium for the students to submit their work, such as handwritten mathematical solutions, or the most appropriate way to record feedback, such as when there is a requirement to complete a standard printed proforma or rubric. However, it may still be possible to return this feedback to the students electronically. A growing proportion of the photocopiers around the institution are capable of scanning multiple sheets in a batch and emailing the results back to the user as images or PDF files, which could then be returned to the students via Blackboard. Alternatively, it may be sufficient to photograph the written feedback using a smartphone or camera and then upload the resulting image to Blackboard.

Discussion Forums

• using a peer-and-tutor ‘feeding-back-and-forth’ approach to help students develop their research proposals.
• Case study –  using discussion forums to facilitate formative peer feedback at Level 7 .

Photos and Screenshots 

Photographs are an extremely effective way to provide feedback on physical artefacts as they offer the ability to show the specific details that are being commented upon. Similarly, screenshots offer the same capability for digital artefacts, such as website and poster designs or videos. Photos can be taken with a smartphone or dedicated camera and, like screenshots, can be readily annotated in a simple graphics package to further highlight points of interest.

Screencast feedback  

Where work has been submitted in an electronic format, screencast software can be used to highlight specific points or demonstrate specific actions in the student’s original work while providing detailed audio commentary and feedback. When returned, students can see the process that the marker went through in reviewing and discussing their work.

• Screencast feedback – case study 1 (MP4) and screencast feedback – case study 2 (MP4).
• Screencast feedback – case study 3 (website).
• DTS: Screencast-o-matic – online screen casting software (SP site). 
• Digital Learning Team: An Introduction to Screencasting and screencast-o-matic (website) – guidance.
• Case study –  using screencasts as an effective feedback assessment tool .

Video feedback/recordings

Portable video recording devices can be positioned in such a way to capture the marker highlighting specific points or demonstrate specific actions in the student’s original work while providing detailed audio commentary and feedback. When returned, students can see the process that the marker went through in reviewing and discussing their work. Like with audio feedback, video feedback is a useful way of recording formative discussions about their work (e.g. in lab sessions or in practice) that might be later forgotten, or recording students undertaking summative tasks such as presentations, creative or visual tasks that could be used to support the feedback given.

• Case study –  flexible web folios to record personal and professional practice in Health Care .
• Case study –  Using video as a motivational interviewing assessment tool .
• Students have the increased flexibility and convenience of being able to access their feedback at a time and place of their choosing, allowing them to read feedback in private and access it whenever and wherever they are working on future assessments.
• A variety of feedback formats (e.g. annotated scripts, electronic marking sheets, multimedia elements) can be used to provide more detailed and richer feedback that encourages students to engage with the information provided and make use of it in future assessments.
• Online feedback is generally more legible than handwritten feedback and can include links to relevant study skills resources, additional learning resources and further reading. In addition, typed comments on-screen have further advantages of increased accessibility, including the ability to display at various sizes, be read aloud by screen reading software and be searched and sorted.
• It can be quicker to produce more detailed, high-quality feedback as electronic text or recorded audio than writing comments by hand, making it easier to meet the required turnaround times. Feedback can be returned to, and read by, students as soon as marking is complete without the need to carry around and distribute written scripts.
• Lightweight, portable devices, such as lightweight laptops, tablet PC / iPads, and other mobile technologies, make it easier to carry around large numbers of submissions and related feedback.
• Administrative processes around distributing student work between markers, external examiners and the students are streamlined by removing the need to move paper submissions between the various people.
• Paper and ink used in printing feedback sheets, and other costs involved in posting feedback to students is dramatically reduced.
• Feedback and grades entered electronically can be transferred to other systems without the need to re-enter them, reducing the risk of errors being introduced. 

Non-electronic assessment

The return of assignment grades and feedback through Blackboard is valued by students as it gathers this important information into a single, known place. As more written assignments are being created and submitted electronically, the benefits of an electronic process for ‘traditional’ assignments is increasingly clear. However, in many disciplines non-written assignments are a major component of the assessment schedule for students. In addition, technology and cultural changes have encouraged many academics to move away from written essay-type assignments and instead use assessments that encourage student creativity, are more constructively aligned to the module learning outcomes and provide opportunities for the development of skills that will be useful after graduation. Even though these types of assessment have not been submitted electronically, there are still benefits to returning some feedback electronically as an adjunct to other methods.   The following are examples of common non-electronically submitted assignments at Hallam and suggestions on ways that the feedback could be captured for electronic return to the students;

• Observation/Demonstration  – assessed observations and demonstrations are widely used in situations where the students are required to have learned a specific procedure. Occasionally, students are required to submit a recording of themselves demonstrating the procedure, but usually this type of assessment is conducted more like a presentation or performance, with the assessor watching the student while they complete the procedure.
• Potential electronic recording methods   –  rubrics, electronic documents, audio and video.
• Presentations/Performances  – presentations are an increasingly common assessment method and they can provide an opportunity for students to develop skills, confidence and experience in an activity that they may be required to undertake during their career. Similarly, some disciplines use ‘performances’, including role-play, as an assessment method. In both cases, a large portion of the marking process typically takes place during the activity and feedback is often given directly afterwards.
• Potential electronic recording methods  – rubrics, electronic documents, audio, video and photos.
• Physical Artefacts  – for example artwork, models, handwritten exercises, prototypes. In a wide range of disciplines, students are assessed on their production of a physical object or set of objects. Although in some cases there may be related documents that could be submitted electronically (such as design documentation), generally assessment focuses on the physical artefact . While in some cases there may be a presentation element to the assessment, typically the student will submit the work and the assessor will mark and produce feedback on it at a later point in time.
• Potential electronic recording methods  – rubrics, electronic documents, video, audio, photos and digitised handwritten feedback.
• Viva  – typically, a viva will be a combination of a presentation/demonstration with a discussion and oral feedback. While most frequently used for postgraduate assessment, they are increasingly being used with undergraduate, especially dissertations, as they provide a way to explore a student’s understanding through probing questions and so reduce the potential for plagiarism.
• Potential electronic recording methods – rubrics, electronic documents and audio.

Feedback on examinations

Students are requesting a range of feedback options including completed assessment grids and one to one meetings on request. Within the HE sector there are a range of exam feedback practices including generic feedback to class, post-exam open days and individual feedback by the module leader on request.

• Standard Agreed Approach  – the University wishes to ensure that students receive adequate preparation for examinations.
• The minimum expectation for exam feedback is:  to provide one-to-one examination feedback on request by the student.

Module Leaders are responsible for facilitating one-to-one feedback to students on their request. Students are responsible for contacting their Module Leader to request exam feedback (normally within 3 months of sitting an exam). In exceptional cases or where necessary e.g. whole year re-assessment, feedback could be given up to a year of the exam taking place. In addition to the above, module/course teams will also provide one additional type of examination feedback, as appropriate, to fit with teaching practice. This may be one of the following;

• electronic generic feedback (via Blackboard) to a cohort on strengths and weakness of individual questions or the exam in general.
• drop-in post exam session for feed-forward at the end of a semester or at the start of next semester.
• individual electronic feedback – assessment grid for all students.
• individual electronic feedback – written to all students.
• model answers, where applicable/appropriate.

Examination marks are normally given within 3 working weeks (excluding student vacation periods, i.e. Christmas, Easter and summer breaks).

Provisional examination marks should be included in Blackboard Grade Centre and passed to Academic Administration to be processed in SITS and ratified through the Departmental Assessment Boards (DABs). SITS (via My Student Record) is the only place for students to access their  full mark profile  across all modules studied. These marks remain provisional until the DABs have taken place and the marks are confirmed.

• Exam scripts  cannot be retained  by students, but the content of the script and tutor feedback comments can be used to facilitate feedback.
• For final year students in their final semester,  only one-to-one feedback will be given on request , with priority being given to those students undertaking resits.

3 week turnaround

For coursework, f eedback to students is normally given within 3 working weeks of the coursework submission deadline (excluding student vacation periods, i.e. Christmas, Easter and summer breaks). The University recognises that there are exceptional situations in which the 3 week turnaround is not possible due to externally imposed constraints. Exceptions may be made through discussion with College Assistant Deans for Academic Development.

• Feedback to students should be given in time to inform subsequent and related coursework and examination assessments.
• Actively engaging students in the feedback process –  g etting students prepared for receiving feedback is crucial to help students engage with it and understand how feedback can help them with their future assignments.

Storage and system issues  

Refer above to Marking Assessment – storage and system issues for guidance.

• Staff  – All Blackboard module sites remain active while there are students enrolled on the site. Once there are no students enrolled on the module site, the site is automatically archived for a minimum period of 24 months and then manually deleted. During that time a ticket can be submitted via IT Help for the module site to be made available.
• Students – Previously students were unenrolled from their Blackboard module sites when they were marked as having completed their course in SITS. As a consequence, students could not access feedback and learning materials after this point, in some cases giving them a small window to access their feedback. This has now been changed so that students retain access to their Blackboard module sites for approximately three months after they are marked as completed, in line with their University IT access. 

Internal and external moderation

The moderation of student work such as coursework, practical outputs and examination scripts, ensures the use of agreed marking criteria, comparability and equity of standards and consistency and fairness of marking.

• Policy for the Verification of Assessment and Standardisation and Moderation of Marking – Academic Services: Assessment and Awards (website) policy guidance.
• Case study –  Using Blackboard to facilitate internal and external moderation of student work .
• Case study –  Using Blackboard folders for efficient and consistent external moderation .
• TEL Help: external moderation – how do I download and upload completed rubrics for external moderation (website).

External moderation and External Examiners (EE)

Visit Academic Essentials: Support for course and module design and delivery overview page for a host of guidance.  

Recording and returning marks and feedback

Blackboard grade centre.

Grade Centre is used to record students’ marks online and display provisional marks to students. 

• TEL Help: setting up and managing the Blackboard Grade Centre (website) – guidance. 
• TEL Help: how do I set up an area for adding marks and feedback if my students submit offline (website) –  guidance on work such as presentations or artefacts and should still be added to the standard grade column in Grade Centre.
• TEL Help: guidance on how do I add marks and feedback in Grade Centre for student work submitted online (website) – guidance on the entry of provisional marks and feedback in Grade Centre.

Module Leaders must collate all marks for their module and clearly indicate the marks for each task identifying the tasks and the weightings as per the module descriptor. All task marks must be submitted out of 100 and not pre-weighted according to the task weighting.

TEL Help: how do I prepare my marks spreadsheet for submission to Academic Administration (website) – guidance.

Complete sets of internally moderated marks must be submitted on a spread sheet to Academic Administration by the marks submission deadline. The spread sheet should be in excel format and preferably downloaded from the Grade Centre in Blackboard.

The Academic Administration team will let you know when they require student marks. The marks deadlines are set in accordance with the University academic calendars and to allow the Academic Administration teams to prepare the documentation needed for Departmental Assessment Boards (DABs) and resolve any issues in advance of these boards.

If Academic Administration receive marks after the deadline without prior agreement and it’s too late to process these marks, the results for these students will not show on the relevant Module and Course reports produced for the DABs. Therefore Course and Module leaders will not be able to consider all the student profiles at the DABs and these students may not receive the outcome of their results by the final results deadline. Following the DABs, final results will be communicated to students through  MyStudentRecord (SITS). All staff have access to MyStudentRecord using their network username and password. 

Missing marks

There are number of possible reasons for student marks being missing:

• A student may have had an extension to their submission deadline and therefore has not yet submitted their work.
• A piece of work may not have been marked due to an oversight.
• A student may have left the module or course.

Please note the reason on the marks spreadsheet so that the student doesn’t receive a zero mark inadvertently. If you cannot locate a missing piece of work and corresponding mark, please contact your College and Departmental Links for further advice.

Student guidance

TEL Help: enter and release provisional marks and feedback in Grade Centre submitted online together with expected turnaround times (website) – guidance.

Feedback to students is normally given within 3 working weeks of the coursework submission deadline (excluding student vacation periods, i.e. Christmas, Easter and summer breaks). The University recognises that there are exceptional situations in which the 3 week turnaround is not possible due to externally imposed constraints. Exceptions may be made through discussion with College Assistant Deans for Academic Development. Feedback to students should be given in time to inform subsequent and related coursework and examination assessments.

• Refer to Marking and Feedback: Feedback > 3 week turnaround for guidance. 

Examinations

Feedback to students should be given in time to inform subsequent and related coursework and examination assessments. Refer to Submitting / Sitting > Examinations for guidance.  

There’s a range of guidance currently available to students on how to access their marks and feedback to embed in the Assessment Content Area of your Blackboard site.

• TEL Help: how do students access feedback and marks I provide via the Blackboard Grade Centre (website) – guidance.

• HOUSING GUIDE
• HELP CENTRE

Postgraduate grades can seem like a whole new world, especially when compared to undergraduate ones. But they’re actually not too different. You will still be scored out of one hundred for any assignments or essays that you submit during your studies.

The major differences between the undergraduate and postgraduate grading systems are the wording used to describe the grades. read on to find out more and clear up any confusion you may have around the masters grading system., a brief on differences of courses.

Taught Masters courses have similar titles to undergraduate courses, for instance, an MA is higher than a BA, an MSc higher than a BSc and so on. Masters degrees by research, such as an MPhil or MRes, and MLitt are different. Research-based masters are often graded either as a pass or a fail. The thresholds and grade boundaries for these will normally be set by your institution. For this masters grading guide, we will be looking at the grading system for taught masters degrees, and how they are similar to but slightly different from undergraduate

Classifications

Distinction.

A distinction grade is usually anything that has scored 70% or above. Think of this as being equivalent to a first at undergraduate level. This is generally the highest level of award, as well as the hardest one to achieve, that you can get at a masters level.

A merit grade is usually anything that has scored 60-69%. Again, this is an equivalent to a 2:1 grade at the undergraduate level and is the upper-middle grade on the scale.

A pass grade is anything that scores 50-59%. This is equivalent to a 2:2 at undergraduate level.

A fail grade is anything under 50%. Notice that there is no equivalent to a third class grade at a masters level. The pass threshold is also 10 marks higher as well, thereby reflecting the greater difficulty of a masters degree, compared to an undergraduate one.

This is the Masters Grading System

Now you have a better understanding of the masters grading system , you can therefore gain a better idea about what it takes to be a masters student thanks to our masters grading guide.

Are you looking to enrol on a masters degree? Check out our student accommodation near your University.

Any questions? Check out our help centre .

• postgraduate

Related Articles

Common student flat problems, student flat share problems-and how to deal with them, studio vs ensuite: where to live at university.

• Advertise Your Property
• Property Blog
• Privacy & Cookie Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Accommodation Search
• We Search For You
• Help Center
• Student Accommodation Guide

Let’s keep in touch

Oops, this function's disabled for copyright protection

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

Academic Manual

• 4. Marking & Moderation

Section 4: Marking & Moderation

Published for 2023-24

4.1 Overarching Principles

4.2 responsibilities, 4.3 markers, 4.4 anonymity, 4.5 marking criteria, 4.6 second marking, 4.6.1 minimum requirements, 4.6.2 parity meetings, 4.6.3 sampling, 4.6.4 reconciliation of marks, 4.6.5 third markers, 4.6.6 documentation of marking, 4.7 internal moderation, advice for students.

Further information and advice for students about assessment is available on the  Examinations & Awards webpages .

Recent Changes

A guide to changes to the regulations are available from the  Recent Changes  page.

• Assessment Fairness and Marking
• Higher Education Student Handbook

This page explains how University College Birmingham ensures that all work undertaken and examinations sat by our students are considered fairly. It also gives details about how our grades are decided and applied to students' work and examinations.

University College Birmingham places great importance on ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to do well. There is a number of practices in place to support this.

Academic Integrity and Misconduct

Throughout your programme of study UCB will provide opportunity for you to develop your academic skills. Helping you to study section of this handbook provides details of support available to students in developing academic practice. 

Cheating, collusion and plagiarism are types of Academic Misconduct.  These are some of the names used for ways in which a student may present as their own, work completed, or written by someone else. Academic Misconduct is taken very seriously by University College Birmingham.

University College Birmingham's Code of Practice on Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct details the process by which matters of Academic Misconduct are investigated and the penalties that may be applied. University College Birmingham's disciplinary procedures relating to assessment offences are shown in the General Student Regulations .

The Guild of Students are available to support students with queries regarding Academic Integrity and Misconduct.

Ensuring that the grades you are awarded are fair

Before assignments are given to students, they are subject to an internal moderation process which ensures they are at an appropriate level, allow students to achieve the learning outcomes and have appropriate grading criteria in place. All assessments are marked in line with these criteria and then grades are checked by a moderator to make sure they are consistent and fairly awarded. This moderating of grades is then also looked at by an external examiner to ensure appropriate grades are awarded. The Assessment and Moderation Cycle shows you the process and considerations lecturers follow when assessing your work. All marks are provisional and may go up or down until the Board of Examiners has been confirmed and published final marks.

Who sits on the Board of Examiners?

Module lecturers, tutors and Year Managers from each course team are the staff who know each student and their work best. They all attend the exam boards at which their students’ work is considered. The relevant Head of Department will also attend the board which is Chaired by the Executive Dean of the School or their nominee.

The Examinations Unit records all decisions made ready to publish. UCB Registry also attend every Board of Examiners. Their role is to ensure that decisions are made in line with our Assessment Regulations and that practices are consistent across all exam boards.

At the Board of Examiners meeting for students due to be awarded, one or more External Examiner will usually participate. External Examiners are experienced professionals, often senior teaching figures from other HE institutions or occasionally senior figures from industry. They are chosen for their expert knowledge of your course’s area of study. Their role is to monitor the quality of teaching and on your course and ensure that it is compatible with national standards.  Further information on the role of External Examiners and an External Examiner Guide for Students are available.

HE Generic Grading Criteria/Feedback Sheets

University College Birmingham uses a standard system relating to feedback and grading of assessed work on Higher Education (HE) courses.

The system is designed to:

Clarify and reinforce to students and lecturers the features and expectations of work at a given level on Higher Education courses;

Clarify the features and expectations of work characteristic to a range of marks;

Ensure consistency and transparency in terms of the approach to grading of HE work across the University’s course portfolio;

Foster and promote constructive feedback to students.

The criteria show the generally sought after features of student work at each level of study on HE courses within a range of marks.

The criteria have been benchmarked against national standards.

Please find the HE Generic Grading Criteria below:

Level 4 Level 5   Level 6   Level 7

The criteria under each category have been written to reflect the change of emphasis that occurs as you progress between levels of study. For certain modules and assessment tasks, specially devised feedback sheets are used. Your lecturer will advise you on the basis by which you are being assessed. Specialist criteria may apply to certain modules due to their specific technical nature.

Grading of Work

Undergraduates - Monitoring Your Progress and Classifications  

For Undergraduate students, shortly after you receive assessment feedback from your module lecturer, provisional marks are relayed to the Examinations Unit and updated in the My Results page on the Student Dashboard or U@UCB app. This information will enable you to track your progress on all assessments you have submitted. 

Grading Undergraduate Work

All student work is awarded a percentage mark. For undergraduate courses, the pass mark is 40%. Keeping track of the marks you receive will help you to gauge your performance.  

Degree classifications, the final grade for your degree overall are as follows: 

• First Class Honour - (1 st )
• Second Class Honours (Upper Division) (2.1)
• Second Class Honours (Lower Division) (2.2)
• Third Class Honours  (3 rd ) and

You may be more familiar with the shortened name shown in brackets above.

For BA and BSc degrees your final classification is calculated using a combination of the weighted average of your marks at level 5 and level 6, the number of credits achieved and the number of credits achieved at a particular level. The exact combination of these may vary depending on which year you started your degree. Full details can be found in the Academic Regulations Part 2: Assessment, Progression and Award 1.3.1. This document explains whether your final award is classified and if it is, how the final classification is calculated. 

In very general terms

• 70% and above equates to 1st class
• 60-69% equates to a 2:1
• 50-59% equates to a 2:2
• 40-49% equates to a 3rd class
• 39% and below is a fail

Foundation Degrees

A foundation degree is unclassified, pass only. However, it may be useful to think in terms of the level you are working at in the following way. Particularly if you intend to top-up to a Bachelor's degree in the future.

In general terms for classified Foundation Degrees

Grade Calculator

You can also use the Grade Calculator to help you manage your performance by working out your weighted average for a level of study or to calculate the marks need to pass a module based on the weighting of the individual assessments. This is not a tool for calculating your final classification, but can be used to monitor your performance and provide an indication of the level that you are working at. 

Benefits of the System

University College Birmingham is keen to develop assessment feedback mechanisms to guide you towards a positive learning experience. As such, awareness of the criteria should help you raise your grading profile. Consistent use of the generic grading criteria across your assessments should mean that the level of work that is expected of you should become clearer over time. You will soon become very familiar with the criteria.

You can also use the generic grading criteria to self-reflect on your attainment by reviewing the criteria for higher grades on the sheet against your own performance. Additionally, the generic grading criteria are designed to encourage lecturers to fully consider the attributes of your presented work. Attributes related to both academic and professional features are assessed.

As the grading criteria are written in a common format across each level of study, you should be able to see more clearly how expectations change as you move from one level to the next through your course. For all assessment, you will receive a % mark which will have been subject to internal procedures and remains a provisional mark until the conclusion of the External Examination Board.

‘Levels’ of Work

Students on Higher Education courses are assessed at various ‘levels’ during their course. It is now common practice to refer to ‘level of study’ rather than ‘year of study’. This is because students have various modes of attendance - for example, part-time courses take more years to complete than full-time courses. Some courses include a 48-week work placement and thus take longer to complete.

The various levels of study are shown below:

Level P (Progression): This is foundation year level, i.e. preparing students to enter HE courses at level 4.

Level 4 (Certificate Level): This is generally year one of full-time HE courses.

Level 5 (Foundation/Diploma Level): This is generally the second year of full-time HE courses (or the second/third years of courses which include a 48-week work placement).

Level 6 (Honours Level): This is the final stage of undergraduate degree work. Generally the third year of undergraduate degree courses (or the fourth year of courses that include a 48 week placement).

Level 7 (Masters Level): This is postgraduate level.

Note: all assignments that you receive should confirm the ‘level’ of work that applies.

Use of Customised Grading Criteria Specific to Individual Assignments and Assessed Seminars

In addition to the use of generic grading criteria, you may undertake assessments where the lecturers issue additional criteria specific to that assessment. Furthermore, some assessments, for example those of a very practical nature, may specify different criteria. However, what is required of you and the grading criteria applicable should ALWAYS be made clear on the assignment.

Your lecturer may direct you to additional formative support or on-site facilities/services which you may find helpful.

Teamwork and its assessment

Should your assignment require you to work as part of a team, you will receive an individual grade based upon your performance, as well as personalised feedback. The module leader will explain how your individual grade and feedback will be determined.

Importance of Word Counts and Presentation Timings

Assignment word counts and presentation timings should always be observed. Ignoring a word count increases significantly the risk of your work losing marks because it lacked structure, flow, focus and clarity. Timings must be observed for assessed presentations for the same reasons.

Please note that for written assignments, the following are included  in the word count:

• Main headings and sub-headings
• In-text citations

The following are  not  part of the word count:

• Title page, Contents page, Reference List and Appendices.
• Content in models, graphs, data tables and other exhibited figures or images, including their titles.

Examination Feedback

Students can access the examiner’s comments from their examination scripts by contacting [email protected]  for a Request to Access Examiners' Comments form.

Postgraduates - Monitoring your progress

For postgraduate students shortly after you receive assessment feedback from your module lecturer, provisional marks are relayed to the Examinations Unit and updated in the My Results page on the Student Dashboard or U@UCB app. This information will enable you to track your progress on all assessments you have submitted.  Keeping track of the marks you receive will help you to gauge your performance.

Grading postgraduate work and final awards

Grading on these courses is based on a percentage grading system. The mark for a pass at Masters Level is 50%.  

Postgraduate awards are made at Pass, Merit or Distinction.  This is calculated based on a combination of the weighted average of the taught programme and the number of credits achieved. Full details of the way that this is calculated can be found in 1.3.2 a and b of the Academic Regulations Part 2: Assessment, Progression and Award .

In general terms for postgraduate degrees

• 70%-100% equates to Distinction
• 60%-69% equates to Merit
• 50%-59% equates to Pass
• 49% and below is a fail

Getting your results

Following meetings of the Boards of Examiners, final results of a student’s assessments will be published on  the Student Dashboard . This will show, for each module:

• The marks gained for each component of the module,
• The total module mark and
• The number of credits achieved

The decision of the Board of Examiners will also be published at the end of each level of study in the same place (at the end of each semester for PT Foundation Degree students). The decision indicates whether a student:

• Can progress to the next stage of the course,
• Is required to resit assessment,
• Has been offered a first attempt at assessment due to extenuating circumstances,
• Is required to repeat study or
• Whether a student has achieved an award.

Assessment results are posted on UCB Portal at 12pm on the dates of publication.

Access the Portal

By clicking on the Decision bar, students can access full details of what to do next.

It is each student’s responsibility to check their own results as soon as possible after publication. Details of publications dates can be found on Canvas. Contact the  Examinations Unit  with any queries.

Canvas Contact the Examination Unit

Understanding Credits

The number of credits awarded at each stage of study is very important. Each year of study could generate a maximum of 120 credits. Normally, any student failing a module will be required to repeat or re-sit assessment in order to gain the requisite number of credits before progressing. However, there are some circumstances in which progression may be permitted with only 100, or 110 credits. 

For undergraduate programmes and the taught programme for postgraduates, students who have achieved fewer than 60 credits within the level of study, will usually be asked to repeat all failed modules and will not usually be offered a further opportunity to resubmit. There may be exceptions to this on programmes subject to PSRB requirements.

Credit is awarded when the learning outcomes for a module are met. This is usually indicated by achieving a pass mark for the module overall (40% at undergraduate level, 50% at postgraduate level). In some cases it may be possible to achieve a pass mark where at least one component of the module is not passed.  In this situation credit may not be awarded. Full details can be found in UCB's Academic Regulations Part 2: Assessment, Progression and Award 1.2.1.

Credit and Undergraduate Awards

For Foundation Degree students an award can be made with 100 credits achieved at Level 4 and 100 credits achieved at Level 5 (this may differ for courses with Must Pass modules). Students should be aware that they must attempt all modules at each level. However, students must achieve a minimum of 200 credits on the Foundation Degree including 100 credits at Level 5 to be considered for admission to the BA or BSc top up year. 

For BA or BSc students a minimum of 320 credits must be achieved across the 3 years of the course or 440 credits across 4 years for courses with placement to be considered for an Honours degree. In addition, at least 100 credits must be passed in the final year for a classification to be awarded. 

Therefore, it is possible that a BA/BSc student could complete the degree course and pass the dissertation, but only achieve 300 credits and not be awarded an honours degree or classification. By taking resits or repeating study (if required) you give yourself the best opportunity to achieve.

Any undergraduate student with questions about the number of credits they have achieved can contact the Examinations Unit to discuss their situation.

Full details of the credits required to achieve an award can be found in UCB’s Academic Regulations Part 2: Assessment, Progression and Award 1.3 .

Contact The Examination Unit

Honours Degree Classifications

The following classifications are used to show the overall performance of a student on a BA or BSc course:

• 1st  - First Class Honours
• 2.1  - Upper Second Class Honours
• 2.2  - Lower Second Class Honours
• 3rd  - Third Class Honours
• Pass  - Pass without Honours (unclassified degree)

Foundation Degrees, Foundation Diplomas and Graduate Certificates/Diplomas are not classified and are awarded as a Pass.

How your overall degree classification is calculated

For BA and BSc degrees your final classification is calculated using a combination of the weighted average of your marks at level 5 and level 6, the number of credits achieved and the number of credits achieved at a particular level.  The exact combination of these may vary depending on which year you started your degree. Full details can be found in the Academic Regulations Part 2: Assessment, Progression and Award 1.3.1.  and in the University’s classification schemes for students enrolling before 2020 and students enrolling in 2020 and onwards. This document explains whether your final award is classified and if it is, how the final classification is calculated. 

Classified Foundation Degrees

For students starting the first year of a Foundation Degree in 2020/2021 your final Foundation degree will be awarded as a pass, merit or distinction.  The final classification will be calculated based on a weighted average of marks. Full details can be found in the Academic Regulations Part 2: Assessment, Progression and Award 1.3.1.  This document explains whether your final award is classified and if it is, how the final classification is calculated.

Credit and Postgraduate Awards

In order to Progress to Dissertation, a postgraduate student must have achieved a mark of 40% or more in all taught modules and have gained at least 80 credits at Level 7 in modules taken as part of the taught component of the course. 

Full details of the credits required to achieve an award and the criteria for the awards at Merit and Distinction can be found in UCB’s Academic Regulations Part 2: Assessment, Progression and Award 1.3 .

Any Postgraduate student with questions about the number of credits they have achieved can contact the Examinations Unit to discuss their situation.

Further help

Further information on how degree classifications are calculated is available by making an appointment with your Examinations Officer to discuss your grade profile by emailing [email protected] .

For queries about any information in the section, please contact the  [email protected]  or the  [email protected]  or visit us in Room 629 in the Summer Row Campus.

Your student record, or transcript

On successful completion of a course, all students are awarded a certificate by the relevant awarding body (eg. UCB or University of Birmingham). This is usually provided at or shortly after Graduation. You will also be provided with a formal record of the modules studied and your marks in the form of an Academic Transcript. This will show details of the awarded studied, qualification awarded and classification, where applicable.  Academic Transcripts also detail the total mark achieved for each module studied and the number of credits achieved. Your Personal Tutor can provide, on request, a reference which includes information about placements, prizes or other achievements.

The Examinations Unit normally produces one free transcript for each student at the end their level of study/course. For students completing an programme of study a digital copy  of your final Academic Transcript will be published through the University College Birmingham's  secure document site  Verify , while a hard copy will be posted to the student’s permanent home address. Students who do not receive the hard copy of the academic transcript within 16 weeks of the publication of results can contact the  Examinations Unit  to request a free replacement transcript. After this 16-week period, if we have not heard from you, the assumption will be made that your transcript has been safely delivered to your address. Students enquiring for transcripts  after  this 16-week period will have to either place their order through  Verify  for students who graduated in either 2019 or 2020 or contact the  Registry  for additional copies of lost/new transcripts. If a student wants a replacement transcript for whatever reason, they must request this by writing to the Registry, completing the  Transcript Request Form  and making payment of £25. through the  Online Payments  page of the University College Birmingham website.

If a student requires a letter or transcript to confirm academic progress within the academic year and before final results have been published, the student can contact the Examinations Unit to request an interim transcript. Registry may also be able to provide a letter confirming a student’s current status if required. The Academic Registry and the Examinations Unit are based on the Third Floor of The Link building.

Verify University College Birmingham Online Payments Portal Transcript Request Form

Discover more

Assessment Graduate Attributes

The University is committed to providing our students with a rich and diverse educational experience that will support and shape both their personal and profess…

Assessments If Things Go Wrong

This page tells you what can happen if you fail a module and also how to apply for Extenuating Circumstances or make an appeal.

Helping you to study

From our team of Subject Librarians are qualified Library and Information professionals to our CASE centre open to all students there is a number ways we can help with yo…

IT at University College Birmingham

The IT support Unit, DICE, Web Developers and AV teams are all located in the ground floor of Camden House.

Learning Opportunities

Within your course, there are different ways in which content is delivered and different ways that you can explore ideas or concepts in depth in your own time through i…

Essay Writing

Some assignments, and most examination answers, will be required to be presented in the form of an essay. Here you can find all information on planning, paragraphing and conclud…

Arising where work submitted by a student is not their own, but has been taken from another source.

Work Placements

Placements are administered by a team of Employability Tutors based within hired@UCB on the Ground Floor of the Moss House Campus.

Changing your course

Every year, some students decide that they wish to change their programme of study, and move either to another programme within University College Birmingham.

Come and visit us on one of our open days, where you can find out more about our courses, our facilities and speak to current students and staff.

There are many ways you can contact University College Birmingham, from phone and email to social media.

School of Social and Political Science

Pg marking scheme, university postgraduate common marking scheme.

The marking scheme below is used for postgraduate degree assessment.

Assessment of the taught component

Postgraduate - school of social and political science.

• Uni Reviews
• Student Guide
• Student stories
• UK Survival Service

This article about how the UK university grading system was updated by the Great British Mag content team on 5 September, 2019

The UK grading system is not terribly different to the grading systems in China , India, USA or the EU. The top grades go to the people who excel and get very high percentages and the pass grades are given to anyone who manages to achieve the minimum grade percentage required. But that is where the similarities end.

Whereas other systems use the alphabet to demonstrate the achievements of the student, the UK system uses a class grade order. This system dates all the way back to the invention of the university itself and reflects the archetype of the British class system .

The UK grading system:

First (1 st ): The best grade you can get. The student has got higher than 70% on their course or assignment. An almost perfect piece of work. You should be very happy with it. The markers definitely were…

2:1 (upper second class): Student achieved between 60%-69%. The work was at a very good level, but there was still room for improvement. Kick back, smile and relax. You’ve done a good job! You will need to get a 2:1 or higher if you’re planning on staying on for a masters or post-graduate degree.

2:2 (lower second class): If you got 50%-59% on a course or assignment, then you have this grade. Even though it is not a perfect score it is still very good. You should still be happy about getting this mark.

Third: If you get between 45%-49%, you need to start thinking about where you went wrong. It’s not the worst mark, but perhaps some tutoring might help next time.

Ordinary degree: The absolute minimum you need to pass the course. Getting between 40%-44% is not where you want to be. You should definitely seek out some extra help if you want to do more than scrape by. Or maybe cut down on the time spent in the pub…

Fail: Anything below 40% constitutes failure. Sorry, but you will need to take the course again to pass.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

What is freshers week, how many hours can international students work in the uk, the innovator visa – explained, privacy overview, what is the students’ union and how can they help me, where to buy halal meat and ready meals in the uk.

• Undergraduate study
• Find a course
• Open days and visits
• New undergraduates
• Postgraduate study
• Find a programme
• Visits and open days
• New postgraduates
• International students
• Accommodation
• Schools & faculties
• Business & partnerships
• Current students
• Current staff

Academic Quality and Policy Office

• Academic Integrity
• Academic Student Support
• 2: Changes for 2023/24
• 3: Academic integrity
• 4: Academic awards and programme structures
• 5: Recognition of prior learning
• 6: Academic student support
• 7: Suspension of study
• 8: Supplementary year
• 9: Forms of assessment
• 10: Conduct of assessment
• 11: Reasonable adjustment to assessment because of disability or other reason
• 12. Submission and considering the impact of student circumstances
• 13: Feedback to students
• 14: Marking practices: benchmarking and calibration
• 15: Marking criteria and scales
• 16: Moderation and treatment of marks
• 17: Anonymity
• 18: Penalties
• 19: Pass marks
• 20: Boards of examiners
• 21: Appeals against decisions of boards of examiners
• 23: Treatment and publication of results
• 24: Admission and study (UG)
• 25: Programme structure and design (UG)
• 26: Study abroad (UG)
• 27: Industrial placements (UG)
• 28: Intercalation (UG)
• 29: Processing and recording marks (UG)
• 30: Student progression and completion (UG modular)
• 31: Student progression and completion (UG non-modular)
• 32: Awards and classification (UG modular)
• 33: Awards and classification (UG non-modular)
• 34: Admission and study (PGT)
• 35: Programme structure and design (PGT)
• 36: Extension of study (PGT)
• 37: Processing and recording marks (PGT)
• 38: Student progression and completion (PGT)
• 39: Awards and classification (PGT)
• Temporary amendments for 2019/20
• Temporary amendments for 2020/21
• Temporary amendments for 2021/22 and after
• Temporary amendments for 2022/23
• Annexes to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes
• Assessment and Feedback Strategy
• Institutional Principles for Assessment and Feedback
• Feedback to Students
• External Examiners
• Committees and Groups
• Degree Outcomes Statement
• Educational Partnerships
• Postgraduate Education
• Programme and Unit Development and Approval
• Quality Framework
• Student Surveys
• Undergraduate Education
• Unit Evaluation

Related links

• Education and Student Success
• Bristol Institute For Learning and Teaching
• QAA Quality Code

Education and Student Success intranet

University home > Academic Quality and Policy Office > Assessment and Feedback > Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes > 15: Marking criteria and scales

15. Marking Criteria and Scales

15.1   Marking criteria are designed to help students know what is expected of them. Marking criteria differ from model answers and more prescriptive marking schemes which assign a fixed proportion of the assessment mark to particular knowledge, understanding and/or skills. The glossary  provides definitions for: marking criteria, marking scheme and model answer.

15.2   Where there is more than one marker for a particular assessment task, schools should take steps to ensure consistency of marking. Programme specific assessment criteria must be precise enough to ensure consistency of marking across candidates and markers, compatible with a proper exercise of academic judgment on the part of individual markers . 

15.3   Markers are encouraged to use pro forma in order to show how they have arrived at their decision. Comments provided on pro forma should help candidates, internal markers and moderators and external examiners to understand why a particular mark has been awarded.  Schools should agree, in advance of the assessment, whether internal moderators have access to the pro forma / mark sheets completed by the first marker before or after they mark a candidate’s work.

15.4   Detailed marking criteria for assessed group work, the assessment of class presentations, and self/peer (student) assessment must be established and made available to students and examiners.

15.5   In respect of group work, it is often desirable to award both a group and individual mark, to ensure individuals’ contributions to the task are acknowledged. The weighting of the group and individual mark and how the marks are combined should beset out in the unit specification .

University generic marking criteria

15.6   The common University generic marking criteria , set out in table 1, represent levels of attainment covering levels 4-7 of study. Establishing and applying criteria for assessment at level 8 should be managed by the school that owns the associated programme, in liaison with the faculty . A new level-specific University generic marking criteria ( UoB only ) has been agreed for introduction from 2024/25.

15.7   The common marking criteria are designed to be used for an individual piece of assessed student work. The descriptors give broad comparability of standards by level of study across all programmes as well as level of performance across the University. They reflect the QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications but need to be benchmarked against subject specific criteria at the programme level.

15.8   Faculties, with their constituent schools, must establish appropriately specific and detailed marking criteria which are congruent with the University-level criteria and, if appropriate, the level of study. All forms of programme-specific marking criteria must be approved by the Faculty .

Marking scales

15.9      Assessment must be marked and returned as an integer using one of the sanctioned marking scales, as follows:

•            0-100 marking scale
•            0-20 marking scale

or using a pass/fail marking scheme (see 10.33).

Any mark on the chosen marking scale can be used.

A five-point A-E marking scale is only available for programmes in the School of Education.

Standard setting in marking is permitted in programmes where it is a professional accreditation requirement.

15.10   Schools should utilise the marking scale that is best suited to the form of assessment. This and the marking criteria for the assessment should be established prior to its commencement.

15.11    Where the averaging of different component marks within an assessment or the outcome of two markers creates an assessment mark with a decimal point, markers should reconcile any significant difference in marks and make a deliberate academic decision as to the exact mark on the scale that should be awarded. Otherwise the mark will be rounded to the nearest integer and returned (if on the 0-20 marking scale, then this should take place before converting to a mark on the 0-100 scale).

Exceptions to the sanctioned marking scales

15.12   Highly structured assessments that are scored out of a total number less than 100 may be utilised where each mark can be justified in relation to those marks neighbouring it. In these cases, the mark must be translated onto the 0-100 point scale, mapped against the relevant marking criteria, and students informed of the use of this method in advance of the assessment in the appropriate medium (e.g. on Blackboard).

Reaching the ‘Unit Mark’ (see also Sections 29 and 37 )

15.13    Marks gauged on the 0-20 scale should be translated to a point on the 0-100 scale before entry into the VLE to calculate the overall unit mark for the purposes of progression and classification (see table 2 ).

15.14   The 0-20 point scale is a non-linear ordinal scale; for example, a mark on the 0-20 point scale IS NOT equivalent to a percentage arrived at by multiplying the mark by 5. Table 2 provides an equivalence relationship between the scales to enable the aggregation of marks from different assessment events to provide the overall unit mark which will be a percentage. This is illustrated below for a notional unit.

In this example, the MCQ uses all points on the 0-100 scale whereas all the other assessments use the 0-20 point scale .

To achieve the final unit mark each component mark needs to be adjusted as:

15.15      The overall unit mark must be expressed as a percentage as the University’s degree classification methodology is based on the percentage scale.

15.16       The final programme or taught component mark will be calculated by applying the agreed algorithm to the unit marks (see sections 32 and 39 ).

  TABLE 1:   Generic Marking Criteria mapped against the three marking scales

  TABLE 2: Relationship between the three marking scales

University of Bristol Beacon House Queens Road Bristol, BS8 1QU, UK Tel: +44 (0)117 928 9000 Contact us

Information for

• New students

Connect with us

Study at bristol.

• Students' Union
• Sport, exercise and health
• Find a researcher
• Faculty research
• Impact of our research
• Research quality and assessment
• Engaging with the public

About the University

• Maps and travel
• Tours and visits
• The University on film
• Explore the city of Bristol
• Board of Trustees

Support the University

• Alumni and friends
• Working at Bristol
• Job listings

A–Z of the University

• Terms and conditions
• Accessibility statements
• Privacy and cookie policy
• Modern Slavery statement
• © 2024 University of Bristol

• Important documents and information
• Our Student Charter
• University Regulations
• Student Protection Plan
• Communications principles
• Appropriate use of social media guidelines
• Social media pages and groups
• When you arrive
• Welcome schedule
• Welcome checklist
• Supporting you
• International Orientation
• Pre-sessional programme
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Ready for anything
• Student opportunities
• Student Success Festival
• Race Equality Charter
• Students' Union
• Fitness Pod
• Exercise classes
• University sports teams
• Support & development
• News and events
• MDX sports shop
• BRIT 2024 Challenge
• Your Middlesex. Your Voice.
• Your impact
• Become a Student Voice Leader
• Student Complaints and Grievance Procedure
• MDX Programme Survey
• Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey
• Ceremony dates and Schedule
• Student Tickets
• Guest tickets
• Accessibility and special arrangements
• Academic gowns and dress code
• Photography
• Guest and student visas
• Graduation Merchandise
• Graduation DVD
• Getting here
• Terms and Conditions
• After Graduation
• John Smith's Online Store
• Announcements
• Student lifestyle articles
• MDX helps create Covid-safe filming guidelines for students
• Holocaust memorial event staged to remember victims of genocides
• Alumni led sessions
• Hendon campus
• Campus Safety
• Student parking on campus
• Food on campus
• Buildings and facilities
• StoneX Stadium
• Accommodation
• Private rented accommodation
• Life in London
• Environment and sustainability
• Plastic reduction
• Online resources for online study
• Campus Library services
• Special collections for research & inspiration
• Library Support for Disabled Students
• Learning Enhancement
• Support for Academic Writing and Language
• Academic Writing and Language Resource Box
• Support for Maths, Stats and Numeracy
• Maths, Statistics and Numeracy Resource Box
• Who are the Learning Enhancement Team?
• IT Services
• Systems Status
• Two-factor Authentication, Cyber Security and Staying safe online
• Print and Copy
• Accessing software remotely
• 'How To IT' guides
• Academic Advisors
• Student Learning Assistants
• Meet your Senior SLAs
• Meet your SLAs
• SLA Newsletters
• SLA Yearbooks
• Academic Integrity
• Developing good academic practice
• Types of study
• Studying at our overseas campuses
• International mobility
• Postgraduate Research Degrees
• Language and Culture Exchange
• Module Registration, Attendance and Engagement, Assessment, and Regulations
• Diploma supplements and certificates
• Extenuating Circumstances and Late Submission
• Results, grading and progression
• Attendance and Engagement
• Module registration

Assessment FAQs

• What can I copy
• Ownership and related rights
• By types of work
• Ownership and Duration
• Other legal issues
• The Internet
• AI - Artificial Intelligence
• Useful links
• MDX Graduate Competencies
• Unitemps Middlesex
• Working student
• Placements and Internships
• MDXcelerator
• Online resources
• International student support
• Telling your career story
• Your enterprise
• Funding and financial support
• Student loans
• Living Costs Fund
• Scholarships and bursaries
• NHS student travel expenses
• UniHelp - your first point of call for general student enquiries
• Useful forms
• UniHelp 'How to' Videos
• Fees, payments, funding and financial support
• Fees and payment
• Welfare advice
• International students
• International healthcare
• On arrival in the UK
• Your Student Route visa
• After your studies
• EU settlement scheme
• Graduate Route Visa Presentations
• Counselling and Mental Health - CMH
• How can we support you?
• Meet the team
• Resources for you
• Crisis and emergency help
• Disability and Dyslexia Service
• Disabled students' allowance
• North London Regional Access Centre (NLRAC)
• Supporting your progression at Middlesex
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• #BlackLivesMatter and anti-racism
• Changing the Culture
• Report.It.To.Stop.It
• #Stop.Spiking
• Islamophobia Awareness Month
• Health and wellbeing
• Infectious and contagious diseases
• Your online wellbeing platforms
• Our LGBTQIA+ community
• Support for Victims of Domestic Abuse
• Information for student supporters
• Pregnancy, maternity period, adoption and fostering
• I want to know more about self-care
• Register with a GP
• I want to improve my physical health
• I want to make healthier food choices
• I want to know more about sexual health
• I want to improve my sleep
• I want to know more about substance use
• I want to develop my mental fitness and mental health
• I want to know more about student support
• Supporting you through grief
• Care and Concern
• Scholarships and awards
• Ensuring the quality of your programme
• Support and wellbeing if you’re living abroad
• Support for student carers
• Student Callers Team

Close window

Search UniHub

• Home  › 
• Study  › 
• Module Registration, Attendance and Engagement, Assessment, and Regulations  › 

Your assessment queries explained

We know that the assessment period can be a stressful time, so we've put together an easy read guide to answer any questions you may have.

Assessment Fairness Principles

At MDX we want to make sure all students have a fair assessment. So we’ve put together the following principles to make sure this happens.

• Assessment is an important part of your learning process.
• Formative assessment informs and supports your learning process and are embedded in every module.
• All assessments are appropriately matched to learning outcomes.
• Summative assessments measure your attainment using criteria against learning outcomes at the appropriate level (e.g. Undergraduate, Postgraduate).
• Assessments are authentic and relate to real-world activities as far as possible.
• Assessments are checked by External Examiners who provide informative comment and recommendations to make sure you've been marked fairly.

Consistency and Clarity

• Clear and consistent assessment criteria underpin every assessment.
• Assessment information and requirements are clear, accessible and transparent.
• Assessment feedback is given in good time and will let you know how to improve.
• Assessments are clearly described in the module narrative.
• Assessment practices follow what has been published.
• The nature of the assessment process, the assessment criteria, and the way in which feedback is given is made clear to you at the start of each module.
• Formative assessment support development and achievement in summative assessment(s).
• You receive prompt, useful and clear feedback on their performance according to the University Code of Assessment Practice.
• Assessment design and practice is consistent with University’s Equality and Diversity Policy and Codes of Practice (HRPS8) , where you can find specifically code of practice 7: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment , which has been designed considering the Learning and Quality Enhancement Handbook Guidance 3vii  Equality Diversity and Inclusion within the curriculum .
• Assessment design militates against plagiarism.
• Assessments are designed to be inclusive and appropriate to the diversity of students.
• Module learning outcomes are aligned to appropriate and inclusive methods of assessment allowing students equal opportunity to demonstrate their learning against those learning outcomes.
• Working with the Disability, Dyslexia and Support Service, reasonable adjustments are made for students with disability and/or dyslexia accordingly.
• Assessment loads are fair across modules, guided by an assessment tariff table for the discipline.
• There is an appropriate balance of assessment designed for summative and formative purposes.
• All assessment will be marked anonymously in accordance to the University’s Academic Policy Statement APS29: Anonymous Marking Assessment Policy , where practical, appropriate and possible.
• Assessment practice and grading are aligned to criteria, and not norm-referenced
• Summative assessment, where appropriate, is verified by the relevant programme external examiner to ensure these assessments are at the appropriate level (standard) and are achievable.
• All assessments are first marked, and subject to an internal moderation process or second marking procedure which require checking the accuracy of grades against the marking criteria.
• Programme external examiner(s) are required to confirm evidence of internal moderation, check that the marking in all modules at level 5 and above (and at level 4 in some programmes) is accurate and appropriate, consistent with other universities and higher education institutions, and fair to all students.
• All grades are ratified at assessment boards .

Ethical and sustainable

• Assessment considers the task, students and staff as impactful actors in the wider society and world.
• Assessment is designed to consider a diversity of social viewpoints and values.
• Assessment is designed so that it is a value experience for both students and staff.
• Assessment schemes are designed to ensure that assessment load is manageable for staff and students.
• Programme assessment strategies are designed to offer students a range of methods by which they can demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes.
• Assessment schedules are designed to avoid bunching of assessment.

How can I find out key dates throughout the year?

Many of the key dates (e.g. university coursework deadline, exam period, grade results, progression, classification) that you require are available on UniHub.

These are found in the Academic Calendar and will include the dates we publish your grades, progression decisions and your overall classification/academic standing if you are a finalist.

For coursework hand-in dates, please check your module handbook on your mylearning pages via Unihub, alternatively you can contact the module leader for confirmation.

Exam dates are published at set times during the year and these can be found on the dedicated exam pages where you'll also find extensive FAQs on exams.

What do I do when I cannot submit my assessment or sit my exam?

If you are unable to submit your assessment by the given deadline or sit your exam, due to illness or other reasons beyond your control, you will need to submit a request for a short extension or deferral via the online extenuating circumstances form . Individual coursework (only) can be submitted up to 5 calendar days late without making a request for ECs, but the component grade for this assessment will be capped at 16 (minimum pass). Please be aware that late submission and deferrals could cause assessment bunching and deferring beyond the start of the next year/stage of your programme (when you would be due to start new modules) may affect your ability to progress to the next stage/year of your programme.

If you don't meet your attendance requirements this will override the deferral process (you may receive an X grade). In some cases when an X is awarded you may have to register and pay for the module again, you will need to contact the Progression and Support Team if you wish to discuss this further.

Please be aware that extenuating circumstances cannot change your grade but may be considered when deciding on your progression or classification. If an assessment is submitted, it will override the deferral opportunity.

What is the 20 point scale?

To grade you on your assessment, Middlesex University uses a 20 point scale with 1 being the highest and 20 being the lowest. These grades have no absolute percentage mark equivalent. They indicate to students, the quality of their achievement in the assessment of the module.

See table B from Academic Regulations, Section E

Table B: The 20-point scale

* compensation is granted only at the discretion of the Progression Board or School Assessment Board.

The following administrative grades are also used:

X Ineligible for assessment due to inadequate participation in the learning process but may be retaken with permission

I Incomplete with good reason. (May be assessed without penalty at the next available opportunity)

U Academic misconduct allegation being investigated

P Fail - Academic misconduct proven

Y Ungraded pass (No numerical value for classification of qualifications)

F Fail - no reassessment at the next opportunity allowed - continuous assessment within module

H Not assessed.

(Students not following Middlesex qualifications only).

Administrative grades may sometimes be added to a numerical grade either to indicate any additional action that needs to be taken by the student regarding further assessment or to confirm a decision taken by a first or second-tier Board:

C Compensated failure.

For the purposes of degree classification, a compensated grade counts as a 16.

I received a 'U' grade what does this mean?

The Assessment Board is concerned that you appear to have been academically dishonest in work submitted for assessment and therefore needs to investigate the situation. You will be written to via email, advising of the procedure and will be given opportunity to respond to the allegation.  You should read the relevant regulations . The grade will remain U until the investigation is complete.

I don't agree with my classification, what do I do?

You can make an appeal if you consider that an injustice has occurred in the assessment of your work or classification awarded, but in the first instance we would always advise that you discuss your concerns with your Module  Leader, Programme Leader, and/or Chair of the Board.

Appeals can take some time to be resolved, so it is important that you attempt to solve this informally and quickly in the first instance. There are full and extensive guidelines on the appeals process .

Please remember that if you choose to appeal that you must do so within 28 days of publication of either your grade or classification.

How do I work out my potential classification?

Your classification is worked out in accordance with our regulations . Please refer to Section E within the regulations for either the Undergraduate or Postgraduate guidance. Below are the tables within the regulations that demonstrate the required grade distribution for each classification.

Undergraduate | Table A: Classification by distribution of grades

The classification of your degree is not based on averages of grades but is based on the proportion of credit in each class in your Level 5 modules (usually 2nd year) and in your Level 6 modules (usually 3rd year) and Level 7 modules (usually 4th year)

In other words, to get a 1, 2:1 or 2:2 class of degree you must get 50% or more of graded credit at Level 5+ in that class. Your Level 3 and Level 4 grades are not considered for overall degree classification purposes.

Additional rules are there to help us decide a variety of different scenarios and these rules have been devised to favour students.

Postgraduate | Table A: Classification by distribution of grades

For the award of Distinction or Merit, the dissertation must be in the class. Remaining graded credit must be distributed as in the table below:

Where the percentage of graded credit falls below that indicated, the outcome is as included in regulation E4.2

When do I receive my Diploma supplement and certificate?

Once your classification has been published on myunihub, you will be sent written confirmation of your award via email and following this you will receive a link to your digital copy of your certificate and diploma supplement (this is normally within one month of publication).

Your hard copy certificate and diploma supplement will be sent within two months of the same publication date to the home or certificate address you have registered on MyUniHub. If you need to amend this address please contact Unihelp.

Further information can be found on our Diploma Supplements and Certificates page .

In this section

Marking, College Framework

Document profile.

The College Marking Framework includes:

• Marking Models
• College Marking Schemes
• College Marking Criteria

The framework is an important reference point for setting and maintaining academic standards across the College. It provides guidance for all assessment practices and promotes consistency across taught programmes with the aim of enhancing the student experience of assessment. This College Marking Framework was endorsed by the Academic Standards Subcommittee (ASSC) and approved by College Education Committee (CEC) in November 2021. The framework was noted for information by Academic Board in December 2021. It was piloted in some faculties in 2022-23 and is the College Marking Framework for all faculties from September 2023.

The College Marking Criteria also provides a frame for the setting of learning outcomes and supports faculties and assessment sub-boards in refining their faculty, discipline or assessment-specific marking criteria.

Step-Marking Guidance for Faculties

• Step-Marking Guidance for Faculties, 2023-24
• Step-Marking Guidance for Students

Previous Framework

The previous College Marking Framework and the Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Marking Criteria are available here:

• College Marking Framework
• Undergraduate Marking Criteria
• Taught Postgraduate Marking Criteria

The Essex website uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are consenting to their use. Please visit our cookie policy to find out which cookies we use and why. View cookie policy.

Assessment and marking policies

The policies below apply to all students on taught courses (ie. sub-degree, undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses).

Marking policy

The policy applies to assessment contributing to a mark at all levels, including level three, level four, as well as the mark appearing on the Examination Board grids from which a student's final degree classification is derived.

A list of definitions and marking policies is given in the document below and includes a table showing the requirements applied to different forms of assessment. Where a particular mode of assessment requires moderation, second-marking or double-marking, the requirements outlined in the policy are a minimum. Departments can moderate, second-mark or double-mark more work if they wish or if they are required to do so by a professional body.

• Marking Policy  (.pdf)
• Form to request a re-mark 2022-23  (.docx) (Students: please submit your completed form to your department).
• GTA and GLA exam and course marking application form (.docx)

Assessment policy

• Assessment policies for undergraduate and taught postgraduate awards (.pdf)
• Extenuating circumstances

Information for staff

• External examiners
• Giving assessment feedback
• For enquiries contact your Student Services Hub
• University of Essex
• Wivenhoe Park
• Colchester CO4 3SQ
• Accessibility
• Privacy and Cookie Policy

• Teaching and Learning Delivery

Visual identity

• Policy on Marking

This Policy was revised and approved by the Teaching and Learning Group (TLG) and by Senate in November 2015, and the revised version was implemented from December 2015. For a full PDF version of the Policy, please see below:

• Policy on Marking (PDF) Version 1.1, November 2015 (website links updated November 2017)

1.    Introduction and Scope 2.    Purpose 3.    Definitions 4.    The Policy 5.    Giving Feedback on Assessment 6.    Internal Examining 7.    Internal Moderation 8.    Marking Online Assessment 9.    External Moderation

1.    Introduction and Scope This document sets out the University’s Policy on Marking.  It applies to the marking of all work (including dissertations) of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students that is assessed summatively. 2.    Purpose The purpose of the Policy is to ensure equality and fairness in the treatment of students and consistency of practice in relation to marking procedures across the University. 3.    Definitions 3.1    The Academic Unit Lead is appointed by the School to oversee the assessment for a unit and ensure that model/expected answers are produced where appropriate. 3.2    The Internal Examiner is the first marker and is appointed by the Academic Lead or nominee. Their role is to mark in accordance with the model/expected answers, the marking scheme and expected School outcomes. 3.3    The Internal Moderator is appointed by the School to moderate the marking in accordance with the model answers and the marking scheme.  The Internal Moderator is overseen by the Academic Lead. 3.4    The External Examiner moderates a sample of assessed work in accordance with University regulations, model/expected answers and the marking scheme (see the University’s Guidance on External Examiner Procedures). Note: 3.1 (Academic Unit Lead) and 3.2 (Internal Examiner) can be the same person. 4.    The Policy 4.1    Schools must have a clear and transparent marking scheme, and this must be published in programme/student handbooks. 4.2    All assessment, including presentations, must be marked by an Internal Examiner and an agreed sample reviewed by an Internal Moderator and an External Examiner. 4.3    Marks awarded for summative assessment must be overseen by the Academic Unit Lead. 4.4    All assessment tasks should be designed relative to the Intended Learning Outcomes, and examinations should be accompanied by guidance for the purposes of internal examining and review by an Internal and/or External Examiner. 4.5    All formal written assessments must be marked anonymously. However, it is recognised that this may not be possible for all assessments, particularly assessed performances, presentations or Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). 4.6    Schools should adopt procedures to check that all sections of each piece of assessed work have been marked, that partial marks have been totalled correctly, and that total marks have been transferred correctly to Examination Board reports. 4.7    Where applicable, Schools should have procedures in place to apply a penalty if the word count exceeds the limit by more than 10%. Penalties should be articulated clearly to students in assessment briefs and programme/student handbooks. 5.    Giving Feedback on Assessment 5.1    Schools must have procedures for providing clear and useful feedback to indicate how marks have been assigned, in accordance with the Policy on Feedback to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students. 5.2    Markers should be aware that comments on exam scripts are personal data that students have a legal right to see. 6.    Internal Examining 6.1    Each unit will have an Academic Unit Lead who is appointed by the School to oversee its assessment. 7.    Internal Moderation 7.1    Once internal examining/first marking has taken place, internal moderation will normally take the form of moderation of a sample of 20% of the work, through the full range of marks awarded. In the case of very small/large numbers, a minimum of 10 scripts and a maximum of 50 scripts are suggested for internal moderation. 7.2    On units with a large number of students where the marking is undertaken by multiple markers, the Academic Unit Lead for that unit should compare the mark distribution of all the Internal Examiners to reveal significant inconsistencies in marking or issues with question setting. 7.3    Marking disputes should be referred to the Chair of the Examination Board, who has the authority to recommend further interventions or a resolution. 7.4    The proposed model of internal moderation is the minimum standard expected. However, Schools or programmes may employ additional marking standards over and above the minimum where they consider this to be appropriate. 8.    Marking Online Assessment 8.1    In the case of online assessment, the Policy on Marking and the Policy on Feedback to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students apply in full. 8.2    Procedures must also be adopted to ensure that work is marked in accordance with a marking scheme and moderated as stated in this Policy. 9.    External Moderation 9.1    The External Examiner will moderate a sample of work in accordance with the University’s Guidance on External Examiner Procedures .

• Policy and guidance
• Assessment and feedback
• Guidance on Moderation, Fairness and Consistency in Marking
• Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment
• Guidance on late submission
• Policy on Feedback to Students
• Grade Descriptors
• Retention of Teaching and Learning Materials
• Policy on Alternative Assessments
• Assessment for Disabled Students
• Policy on Religious Observance
• Guidance for the presentation of Taught Dissertations
• Ethical Approval of research on human subjects

Marking and Feedback

What to expect after you've finished and submitted an assessment

There are many types of assessments, exams and coursework you may experience, depending on your course.

Here’s an outline of what you can expect when receiving your marks and feedback, which can also be found in more detail in our marking and feedback regulations .

Checks and verification

We have a number of checks in place to ensure your work is marked fairly and accurately and that you receive constructive feedback to help you improve for the future. This includes:

• Anonymous marking  - this is so that the marker doesn't see your name. Where possible, all your assessments will be marked anonymously although sometimes this can't be achieved, such as presentations or individual final year projects.
• Verification of the marks by a second academic  - there will always be another academic who looks through a selection of work on a module to ensure that the marks awarded reflect the quality of the work submitted. This can include double blind marking, so the two markers don’t know what the other has awarded before they agree on a final mark and feedback.
• Plagiarism checks  - this might include submitting your work through Turnitin. It is important that we know the work we are marking is original and is your own.

When and where to find your marks and feedback 

Feedback on your assessments.

Feedback is important to help explain where your work is strongest and how any improvements could be made going forward. This could be informal conversations within your classes and with your tutors, or written feedback on drafts of work, from mock exams or group feedback. You should discuss your feedback with your module coordinator. 

Feedback on formal assignments will be available within 20 working days of your submission deadline. Typically this will be within 4 weeks but it will depend on the time of year, for example it will be longer when the University is closed for Christmas. For distance learners, feedback will be available within 25 working days.  For work that you have submitted through Moodle Assignments or Turnitin Assignments, you can find your feedback in the same place. The formal assessments which count towards your final grade will be displayed clearly under the “Assessments” tab at the top of your Moodle module pages. For all assessments that are not through Moodle or Turnitin, your module co-ordinator will be able to confirm where to see your marks and feedback.

If your feedback is unexpectedly delayed, your Module Coordinator will  tell you why and when you will receive your feedback.

Assessment marks and grades

Initially you will receive a provisional mark or grade which could be changed or moderated by the Module Assessment Board. This can vary, but typically you should receive your provisional assessment marks within 20 working days on your Student View  in My Assessment Marks section. When the Module Assessment Board confirm outcomes the results can be found under 'My Module Marks section'.

Please note that overall module marks should always be viewed through the Student View, rather than Moodle. If you have any queries about your marks please contact your faculty's MyPort Hub . Marks are provisional until they are confirmed through a Module Assessment Board (MAB). In your student view, after the MAB, marks will show as Agreed, and the provisional mark status will no longer apply.

What is sharing?