Assessment issues

Students must complete a range of coursework as part of their course; essays, reports, team-work and case studies are all types of coursework. We usually call all forms of written coursework (which are formally assessed) ‘assignments. Assignments are normally launched during lecture periods.

You may need to submit your work electronically via Canvas, for which you should follow the submission guidance on your assignment. You MUST ensure your assignment has been submitted to the correct area on Canvas. Your assignment tutor will advise on the process of e-submission if it is required.

You must ensure that you leave ample time to submit your assignment. Work submitted after the designated hand in date and time will be considered ‘late’.

Late assignments should be submitted within 10 working days of the original due date, and you should submit an Extenuating Circumstances Form, if appropriate. The Extenuating Circumstances Form is available on UCB Portal. 

Please note that cut-off dates for late submissions apply and are set 10 working days after the original hand-in date of the work. After the cut-off dates, you will not be allowed to submit any late assignments, even if you have Extenuating Circumstances to cover them. Failure to meet this deadline will mean you may have to submit during the re-sit period at the end of your current level of study.

Also note that the cut-off period following re-sit periods is considerably shorter, usually one working day after the re-sit hand-in date.

The cut-off dates give the module lecturer time to mark your work and have your mark ready for consideration by the Board of Examiners. They are also there to ensure fairness for all students. If you have any queries, then please contact registry@ucb.ac.uk. 

Once you hand in your assignment, the exact time of your submission is logged. For electronic submissions on Canvas, a date and time log is shown to the lecturer. This provides you with proof that you handed in your work and may prove valuable in the rare cases when assignments are misplaced. The burden of proof of submission of a particular assignment will lie with you.

University College Birmingham maintains a balanced approach to the use of 'anonymous' and 'identified' marking. All online assignment submissions and examinations will be anonymously marked without the student’s name being known.

Dissertations and similar independent study projects will be marked anonymously where appropriate. Other assessments may have the student’s name identified to the marker where it is impractical to extend anonymity. This is usually the case for practical assessments.

All late work will be marked as any other piece of work. However, the final grade to be awarded will be decided only after the Board of Examiners has considered any extenuating circumstances.

If the Board takes the view that your extenuating circumstances are genuine, then the original mark will stand; if not, then your work may be awarded a maximum mark of

• 40% for undergraduate work,
• 50% for postgraduate work,
• but could be awarded 0%.

Your module leader should not be approached concerning Extenuating Circumstances. You should only contact the Registry. Extenuating Circumstances are discussed confidentially at a separate board meeting. The lecturer’s marks are based solely on the relative merits of the work. It is the Board of Examiners who determine the final mark.

If you have a query about the mark awarded for an assessment or the feedback provided on it, please make an appointment to meet with your module lecturer (the name of the specific marker/assessor will be noted at the end of your feedback).

During this time, the lecturer (marker) can go through the assignment with you and address your concerns. Most issues can be sorted out at this stage. If, following a discussion with the module lecturer (marker), your concerns have not been addressed, the next step is to contact the Head of Department. 

If you have a query about the mark awarded for your Dissertation, Research Project or Final Project, or the feedback provided on it, please make an appointment with your supervisor.

During this time, your supervisor can got through the assignment with you and address any concerns you have. Most issues can be sorted out at this stage. If, following discussion with your supervisor, your concerns have not been addressed, the next step is to contact the Head of Department. 

There are two main university examination periods, normally January and May, that take place at the end of each semester.  Dates for the main exam periods are available on Canvas.  Examinations for awards with professional accreditation or which form part of an End Point Assessment on a higher or degree apprenticeship may be subject to different dates, 

Please note that for all full-time students, resit periods will take place at the end of the study period. Resit Examination dates may vary for part-time, final year and postgraduate students. Practical exam periods may also vary. Full details of examination periods for your course can be found on Canvas. If you have any queries about examination dates, please contact the Examinations Unit.

Students should not make any holiday arrangements or book tickets to leave the UK before any published examination period, something that applies to students from the UK and abroad. It may not be possible to reschedule any examination a student may miss under these circumstances, which may result in failure of the examination. If this situation is unavoidable, then please contact the Examinations Unit as soon as possible.

Students are reminded that the completion of exams does not mean that they are completely free to begin holidays, etc. Within the published term dates, students may be required to attend resit examinations or to provide additional information which would help a Board of Examiners in their decision-making process. You must make yourself available within the published dates for such activities.

A student may occasionally be asked to attend an oral, or viva voce, examination. Viva voces are most commonly employed in the period between an internal examiners’ meeting and an external examiners’ meeting (late June or end of February), in cases where the examiners feel that they require a little more information in order to make a decision on the correct grade for a student. Make sure that your lecturers have up-to-date contact details should you be called to a viva voce examination.

Each semester the examination timetable is published by the Examinations Unit via Canvas. This timetable details the date, time and venue of the formal written examinations for all courses. Details of practical examinations will be made available by the relevant module leader.  Exams may be paper-based or online.  This will be detailed on the timetable.

The examinations will vary in length (usually between one and three hours) and in type. Some may require you to write essay-style answers while others may be based on case studies and focus on your problem solving or practical skills. Examination timetables will be published on Canvas.

Resit timetables will be published following the examination boards and students must access their resit examination timetable on Canvas. It is each student’s responsibility to check their results on Student Dashboard in the Results tab as soon as possible after their publication to ensure that re-sit exams are not missed.

Concerns regarding the timetables should be raised with the Examinations Unit.

If students are scheduled to sit an examination in a location outside of the University College Birmingham Buildings, maps are available on the UCB website and from the Examinations Unit.  Note that students with access arrangements for examinations may sit an exam at an alternative venue. This will be notified to the student in advance of the examination.

Some module assessments may use remote or virtual examination software.  You will be advised of the technical requirements, expected conduct during these exams and steps put in place to ensure academic integrity.

University College Birmingham places a great deal of importance on the conduct of examinations and in ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to do well. Each student should read the Student Code of Conduct for Examinations before taking any examinations at University College Birmingham. This will help students to be ready for their examinations. A few of the key points are listed below.

• Students must bring their University College Birmingham identity card to every examination that they attend.

• The use of smart phones, smart watches, mobile phones or other mobile devices that permit the storing of exam notes is not permitted.

• If a calculator is required for an examination, University College Birmingham will provide one.

• Students must bring their own stationery in a clear pencil case or bag.

• Possession of any unauthorised material during the examination will be reported and will be considered evidence of an attempt by the student to complete the examination by unfair means.

• Only manual translation dictionaries are permitted for overseas students (e.g. Chinese to English). 

• Only bottled water (labels removed) will be allowed in the exam venue.

• Students are required to use only approved examination booklets and stationery. 

• A student can enter the exam room in the first 30 minutes of the start of an examination.
• A student is not normally allowed to leave the exam room within the first hour of the start or in the 15 minutes prior to the end of the examination.

• Any student who leaves the examination room without the permission of the invigilator will be deemed to have withdrawn from the examination and will not be readmitted to the examination room.

• If a student wishes to communicate with an invigilator, they should raise their hand and wait until the invigilator is able to attend.

• No student will communicate with another student in the examination room or attempt to complete their script by unfair means.
• At the end of the examination, students must remain seated until an invigilator has collected all the scripts.

If a student arrives within the first 30 minutes of an exam, they will be admitted but will not be allowed any extra time.

If a student arrives after the first 30 minutes of an exam they will be sent back to the Examination Unit where the student will need to complete an Extenuating Circumstances Form explaining the reasons for their lateness.

In the event of something happening outside of UCB's control such as adverse weather conditions, travel disruption or security incidents, it should be assumed that exams will continue as timetabled unless notified otherwise. Where a student claims to be affected by such conditions and is unable to take the exam they should complete an Extenuating Circumstances Form obtained from the UCB Portal.

In the event of circumstances outside UCB’s control, that impact on the running of examinations, UCB may decide to introduce alternate arrangements for assessment in place of examinations.  These are subject to an approval process to ensure fairness and the integrity of your award.  Students will be notified of alternative assessment arrangements as soon as possible.

If a student requires additional support or reasonable adjustment to undertake an examination, such as additional time or large print, they should contact the Disability Support team disabilitysupport@ucb.ac.uk as soon as possible so that suitable arrangements can be made. The Disability Support team works closely with the Examinations Unit to support students.

Full details can be found in the Reasonable Adjustments and Alternative Assessment Policy.

You should not book tickets to leave the UK before your re-sit examination period since you may have to re-sit some assessment(s) as a condition of achievement or progression to the next stage of your studies. If this is unavoidable, then please contact the Examinations Unit as soon as possible for alternative re-sit arrangements to be made. Re-sit examination dates are outlined above and are also available on Canvas.

Students can access the examiner’s comments from their examination scripts by completing a Request to Access Examiners' Comments form, which can be requested by contacting Examinations Unit.