In taught units
37.1 Students must achieve the pass mark for a unit (normally a mark of 40 out of 100 at levels 4-6 and 50 out of 100 at level 7) and meet any designated criteria (see section 10), if applicable, to be awarded the associated credit, as set out in the relevant unit specification.
37.2 A student who is not awarded the credit for a taught unit at the first attempt will be permitted to undertake reassessment either as:
37.3 As an exception to 37.2, credit will be awarded for a narrowly failed taught unit where specified conditions are met (i.e. ‘compensation’). Compensation may be applied by any exam board following completion of the taught units on the programme by a student. Students will be awarded the actual unit mark they achieved at the point of applying compensation.
Compensation will be awarded:
i. For a single unit, up to a maximum of:
ii. Where all other taught units in the programme have been passed; and
iii. Where the student has a mark of between 45-49 in the failed unit and an overall weighted average of 50 or more in the taught units; and
iv. The failed unit is not must-pass (i.e. the student will be able to meet the relevant programme learning outcomes) nor a pre-requisite onto the research unit.
37.4 A student is permitted no more than two attempts to meet the criteria for the award of credit for a taught unit.
Reassessment
37.5 A student who is permitted to undertake reassessment by the Summer Assessment exam board in units that exceed 80 credit points (e.g. where assessment has been affected by exceptional circumstances) will be required to take all reassessment as part of a supplementary year in the next academic year. i.e. the amount of credit that can be assessed in the reassessment period should not exceed 80 credit points.
37.6 Otherwise where a student has not passed a unit at the first attempt, they will be permitted to take the reassessment in the reassessment period.
37.7 Reassessment should only test those assessments in the unit that have not been passed.
37.8 For any unit which is passed by reassessment (i.e. at the second attempt), the student will receive the awarded mark for the assessment, however the unit mark will be capped at the minimum pass mark (40 out of 100 for units at levels 4, 5 and 6, and 50 out of 100 for units at level 7).
Reassessment in a Supplementary Year
37.9 Students who have not achieved the credit points for a taught unit following the reassessment period but have not exceeded two attempts will be permitted to take any outstanding units in a Supplementary Year (subject to the requirements for a Supplementary Year in section 8), and an extension to the submission deadline and an extension to studies enacted (see section 38).
37.10 Reassessment should only test those assessments in the unit that have not been passed except where the assessment or unit has changed or is no longer running in the Supplementary Year, in which case the Examination Board may permit the student to take an alternative assessment or unit.
Conditions for entry onto the research unit
37.11 A student will be permitted to continue on a programme including onto the research unit, even if they have failed a taught unit twice, except where a programme has designated a single taught unit as a pre-requisite for entry onto the research unit (i.e. a student cannot start the research unit until they have achieved the credit points for the designated taught unit).
37.12 A programme may only designate a single taught unit as a pre-requisite to the research unit, subject to approval by the relevant Faculty Education Director, where:
i. The taught unit provides essential health and safety training for students to practically conduct their research safely (i.e. it would be deemed unsafe for a student to undertake the research without having demonstrated the necessary skills),
OR
ii. The taught unit teaches critical knowledge and skills that is essential for a student to demonstrate in order to undertake research in the discipline as required by a PSRB,
AND
iii. Given the nature of research in the discipline of the programme, it is not possible for a student to pivot to an alternative project by amending the form of research or the means of collecting and analysing data/information.
37.13 If a student does not achieve the credit points for the designated taught unit after two attempts, they will be required to withdraw from the programme with an exit award, if appropriate.
37.14 Schools, with faculty oversight, will have in place a process for reviewing the academic progress of student outside of exam boards. Schools should arrange a discussion with a student about their academic prospects where they have failed a taught unit that is not a pre-requisite to the research unit twice (i.e. they are permitted to continue on the programme but will not be able to achieve a Master’s degree).
In the research unit
37.15 Students must achieve the pass mark for the research unit to be awarded the associated credit.
37.16 Where a student has achieved a near-pass mark (between 45-49 out of 100) for the research unit, the relevant Board of Examiners will permit the student to re-submit the dissertation, or equivalent. In these cases, the research unit mark will be capped at the minimum pass mark (50 out of 100).
37.17 Re-submission of the dissertation for a full range of marks may also be permitted where failure is due to validated exceptional circumstances.
