Further advice on the application of the 'no-detriment' policy 2012/13
Additional guidance is offered below, for the benefit of staff and students, on the application of the 2012/13 policy that there will be 'no detriment at the level of the award'
(a) Word count:
The 2011/12 examination and assessment regulations stated that footnotes and endnotes were included in the word count.
4.2 The maximum length of formal submissions (e.g. essays or dissertations - see Glossary for definition) is specified in course material. Excessive length may be penalised. The limits as stated include footnotes and/or endnotes, and quotations in the text, but do not include the bibliography, appendices, abstracts, maps, illustrations, transcriptions of linguistic data, or tabulations of numerical or linguistic data and their captions. You will be asked to state on each cover sheet the approximate number of words in the assessment. If the examiners consider that an unfair advantage has been gained by exceeding the given length for an assessment they will reduce the mark for that assessment. This may be by any amount up to, but not more than, 10% of marks available for the assessment concerned. This does not mean there is a 10% word limit margin around the given length of an assessment.
The 2012/13 examination and assessment regulations states that footnotes and endnotes are not included in the word count.
2.6.6(ii) Failure to observe limits of length
The maximum length for each assessment is publicised to students. ‘The limits as stated include quotations in the text, but do not include the bibliography, footnotes/endnotes, appendices, abstracts, maps, illustrations, trascriptions of linguistic data, or tabulations of numerical or linguistic data and their captions.’ Any excess in length should not confer an advantage over other students who have adhered to the guidance. Students are requested to state the word count on submission. Where a student has marginally (within 10%) exceeded the word length the Marker should penalise the work where the student would gain unfair advantage by exceeding the word limit. In excessive cases (> 10%) the marker need only consider work up to the designated word count, and discount any excessive word length beyond that to ensure equity across the cohort.
Schools are guided to acknowledge that either regulation may have been followed in this transitional year and to be mindful in imposing any penalty.
(b) Borderlines:
The 2011/12 regulations permitted a PAB to consider reclassifying a student who was within 2% of the higher class.
The 2012/13 regulations permit a PAB to consider reclassifying a student who is within 1% of the higher class.
The PAB should note that as a result of regulation 1.4.2, a student with a grand mean of for example, 68.45% will be rounded up to 69% and will therefore be presented to the PAB as a borderline student. Therefore the PAB may wish to consider students with a grand mean for example, 68.01-68.44 who will be rounded down to 68%, using caution to ensure that no candidate with a grand mean that has been rounded up to 68% is considered.
(c) Level 7 pass mark
Pre 2012/13 students taking level 7 modules in 2012/13 will be awarded credit for modules where a mark of 40-49 is achieved, given that the pass mark has changed from 40 to 50%, unless the School has requested otherwise based on a PRSB requirement.
(d) Higher Progression Thresholds and transfers
- Progression to a study abroad year: the pre 2012/13 cohort on a course including a mandatory study abroad year may progress to the study abroad if they achieve 120 credits (which may include automatic compensation for a marginal fail in a language). Whereas the 2012/13 cohort will also have to achieve a mean of 50% over stages 1 and 2. The course titles set out in the Academic Framework will apply to all students passing or failing the study abroad year, including the pre 2012/13 cohort.
- Progression on or transfer to an integrated masters degree: the pre 2012/13 cohort may continue on the same title or transfer to a higher level award should the criteria set out in the 2012/13 regulations not be met but those set out in the 2011/12 regulations have been met. However, any resits offered will be for the pass mark and not for a higher progression threshold mark.
(e) Stage weightings
The stage weightings set out in the examination and assessment regulations handbook 2012/13 apply to all students taking assessment in 2012/13. However, a PAB may award the higher class should such a class have been achieved under the 2011/12 regulations.
Published 17th May 2013