Examiners’ reports

Your examiners will complete reports to assist them in their preparations for the oral examination.

After the exam, they will also complete a joint final report and make a recommendation to the exam board.

Guidance on corrections

If your examiners recommend minor errors, errors of substance or a resubmission, they will provide you with feedback after the viva so that you can start making the changes.

The exam board may need examiners to change their feedback. They may also decide on a different outcome.

Research Degrees Exam Board (RDEB)

RDEB meet six times a year. They will consider the examiners’ reports and award the degrees.

If an urgent decision is required due to exceptional circumstances (such as employment or visa considerations), the RDEB Chair may consider examiners’ reports outside of the meeting cycle. Email pgr-exams@bristol.ac.uk.

Notification of award

If RDEB approves your award, you will receive an award letter by email. Awards can also be viewed on Student Info.

You will be emailed a copy of the examiners’ reports.

Corrections

If RDEB decides that you must do more work on your dissertation, you will be informed by email after their meeting. The email will include a copy of the examiners’ reports.

Minor errors

If you are required to correct minor errors, you will still be awarded and invited to a degree ceremony.

You will receive your award certificate once you have made the changes.

Process

Complete the corrections within 28 days of being emailed RDEB’s decision.

Email your corrected dissertation to your internal examiner (or independent chair, if you only have external examiners). You can also make changes and submit it before the RDEB decision.

Errors of substance

If you are told to correct errors of substance, you will be emailed the decision and deadline for the corrections (usually 6 months from being told).

If you have questions about your corrections, you can contact your internal examiners (or independent chair, if you only have external examiners) via email or meeting once to ask for clarification. You cannot contact your external examiner/s.

After that, guidance will be provided by your supervisors.

Requesting an extension

If there are exceptional circumstances and you want to request a deadline extension, email pgr-exams@bristol.ac.uk.

Process

Email your corrected dissertation to your internal examiner (or independent chair, if you only have external examiners). You can also make changes and submit it before the RDEB decision.

When all the examiners are satisfied, the internal examiner will confirm to RDEB that the award should be made.

The confirmation will be considered at the next scheduled RDEB meeting.

Resubmission

If you need to resubmit, you will receive an email with the decision and deadline for the resubmission (usually 12 months from being told).

If you have questions about your resubmission, you can contact your internal examiners (or independent chair, if you only have external examiners) via email or meeting once to ask for clarification. You cannot contact your external examiner/s.

After that, guidance will be provided by your supervisors.

Requesting an extension

If there are exceptional circumstances and you want to request a deadline extension, email pgr-exams@bristol.ac.uk.

Submission process

You must resubmit the normal way (see “submission” on this page) for examination and for the Turnitin check. You will be required to pay a resubmission fee.

There will be a full re-examination (including another viva), and the examiners will write new reports for RDEB.

You can only resubmit once. So, the examiners cannot recommend another resubmission.

Graduation and degree certificates

Degree ceremonies are normally held in February and July each year. More information is available in the Graduation FAQs.

Your degree certificate will be available after your degree ceremony. However, it will only be released when:

• any minor errors have been satisfactorily corrected

and

• you have uploaded the final version of your dissertation to the library.

Appeals

You can appeal against RDEB’s decision. See the assessment regulations.