All formal assessments which contribute to a student’s progression through or attainment of an award of the University are formally marked or graded. The marks or grades awarded will reflect the traditions and practices of individual cognate subject areas and will be influenced by any relevant QAA guidance, including the FHEQ and Subject Benchmark Statements.
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)
The University’s Management of Assessment Policy details the marking and grading of students’ work, as a framework within which all assessors must work.
Assessment Criteria
Students are assessed against criteria that are specific to their own degree programme or module, and that reflect the curricula and learning priorities of a programme. Academic teams who are expert in their field develop curricula and exercise their judgement to assess the attainment of their students in respect of the expected learning outcomes. The diversity of mission, pedagogy and academic expertise allows space for legitimate debate and innovation in teaching and learning at a higher level.
Work is assessed on a scale from 0 to 100. A student who passes their degree can expect to receive one of the following degrees upon their graduation: a first (the highest classification), an upper second (or 2.1), a lower second (2.2), a third or a pass. Classifications provide a broad indication of how well a student has performed against their programme’s curricula and learning outcomes. As such, they act as a signal to the individual and employers about the skills and knowledge a graduate has developed through their studies.
