Assessment Fairness and Marking

This page explains how University College Birmingham ensures that all work undertaken and examinations sat by our students are considered fairly. It also gives details about how our grades are decided and applied to students' work and examinations.

University College Birmingham places great importance on ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to do well. There is a number of practices in place to support this.

Academic Misconduct

Cheating, collusion, plagiarism and other breaches of the Assessment Regulations are taken very seriously by University College Birmingham.

For further information about plagiarism, please see University College Birmingham's Code of Practice on Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct. University College Birmingham's disciplinary procedures relating to assessment offences are shown in Section C of the General Student Regulations.

Code of Practice General Student Regulations

In the event that you are involved in any allegation of an assessment offence, you may wish to seek advice from the Guild of Students.

Ensuring that the grades you are awarded are fair

Before assignments are given to students, they are subject to an internal moderation process which ensures they are at an appropriate level, allow students to achieve the learning outcomes and have appropriate grading criteria in place. All assessments are marked in line with these criteria and then grades are checked by a moderator to make sure they are consistent and fairly awarded. This moderating of grades is then also looked at by an external examiner to ensure appropriate grades are awarded. The Assessment and Moderation Cycle (available on the University College Birmingham Portal) shows you the process and considerations lecturers follow when assessing your work. All marks are provisional and may go up or down until the Board of Examiners has been held.

UCB Portal

Who sits on the Board of Examiners?

Module lecturers, tutors and Year Managers from each course team are the staff who know each student and their work best. They all attend the exam boards at which their students’ work is considered. The relevant Assistant Dean of School and frequently the Dean of School will also attend the board.

The Examinations Unit records all decisions made ready to publish. University College Birmingham Registry staff also attend every exam board. Their role is to ensure that every student receives a fair hearing and that practices are consistent at all exam boards.

At external exam boards for degree courses, one or more External Examiners will usually be present. External Examiners are experienced professionals, often senior teaching figures from other HE institutions or occasionally senior figures from industry. They are chosen for their expert knowledge of your course’s area of study. Their role is to monitor the quality of teaching and assessment on your course and ensure that it is compatible with national standards. Their reports can be found on the University College Birmingham Portal.

The External Examiner Guide for Students is also available.

External Examiner Guide

HE Generic Grading Criteria/Feedback Sheets

University College Birmingham uses a standard system relating to feedback and grading of assessed work on Higher Education (HE) courses.

The system is designed to:

Clarify and reinforce to students and lecturers the features and expectations of work at a given level on Higher Education courses;
Clarify the features and expectations of work characteristic to a range of marks;
Ensure consistency and transparency in terms of the approach to grading of HE work across the University’s course portfolio;
Foster and promote constructive feedback to students.

The criteria show the generally sought after features of student work at each level of study on HE courses within a range of marks.

The criteria have been benchmarked against national standards.

Please find the HE Generic Grading Criteria below:

Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7

The criteria under each category have been written to reflect the change of emphasis that occurs as you progress between levels of study. For certain modules and assessment tasks, specially devised feedback sheets are used. Your lecturer will advise you on the basis by which you are being assessed. Specialist criteria may apply to certain modules due to their specific technical nature.

Benefits of the System

University College Birmingham is keen to develop assessment feedback mechanisms to guide you towards a positive learning experience. As such, awareness of the criteria should help you raise your grading profile. Consistent use of the generic grading criteria across your assessments should mean that the level of work that is expected of you should become clearer over time. You will soon become very familiar with the criteria.

You can also use the generic grading criteria to self-reflect on your attainment by reviewing the criteria for higher grades on the sheet against your own performance. Additionally, the generic grading criteria are designed to encourage lecturers to fully consider the attributes of your presented work. Attributes related to both academic and professional features are assessed.

As the grading criteria are written in a common format across each level of study, you should be able to see more clearly how expectations change as you move from one level to the next through your course. For all assessment, you will receive a % mark which will have been subject to internal procedures and remains a provisional mark until the conclusion of the External Examination Board.

‘Levels’ of Work

Students on Higher Education courses are assessed at various ‘levels’ during their course. It is now common practice to refer to ‘level of study’ rather than ‘year of study’. This is because students have various modes of attendance - for example, part-time courses take more years to complete than full-time courses. Some courses include a 48-week work placement and thus take longer to complete.

The various levels of study are shown below:

Level P (Progression): This is foundation year level, i.e. preparing students to enter HE courses at level 4.
Level 4 (Certificate Level): This is generally year one of full-time HE courses.
Level 5 (Foundation/Diploma Level): This is generally the second year of full-time HE courses (or the second/third years of courses which include a 48-week work placement).
Level 6 (Honours Level): This is the final stage of undergraduate degree work. Generally the third year of undergraduate degree courses (or the fourth year of courses that include a 48 week placement).
Level 7 (Masters Level): This is postgraduate level.

Note: all assignments that you receive should confirm the ‘level’ of work that applies.

Use of Customised Grading Criteria Specific to Individual Assignments and Assessed Seminars

In addition to the use of generic grading criteria, you may undertake assessments where the lecturers issue additional criteria specific to that assessment. Furthermore, some assessments, for example those of a very practical nature, may specify different criteria. However, what is required of you and the grading criteria applicable should ALWAYS be made clear on the assignment.

Your lecturer may direct you to additional formative support or on-site facilities/services which you may find helpful.

Teamwork and its assessment

Should your assignment require you to work as part of a team, you will receive an individual grade based upon your performance, as well as personalised feedback. The module leader will explain how your individual grade and feedback will be determined.

Importance of Word Counts and Presentation Timings

Assignment word counts and presentation timings should always be observed. Ignoring a word count increases significantly the risk of your work losing marks because it lacked structure, flow, focus and clarity. Timings must be observed for assessed presentations for the same reasons.

Examination Feedback

Students can access the examiner’s comments from their examination scripts by contacting the Examinations Unit based in the Academic Registry on the Third Floor of The Link building and completing a Request to Access Examiners' Comments form, which is available on Canvas.

Canvas

Grading of Work

Undergraduates - Monitoring Your Progress

For Undergraduate students, shortly after you receive assessment feedback from your module lecturer, provisional marks are relayed to the Examinations Unit and updated in the My Results page on the Student Dashboard. This information will enable you to track your progress on all assessments you have submitted.

Grading Undergraduate Work

All student work is awarded a percentage mark. Keeping track of the marks you receive will help you to gauge your performance. You can also use the Grade Calculator to help you manage your performance by working out your year average.

Grade Calculator

70% and above equates to 1st class

60-69% equates to a 2:1

50-59% equates to a 2:2

40-49% equates to a 3rd class

39% and below is a fail

Postgraduates - Monitoring your progress

For postgraduate students shortly after you receive assessment feedback from your module lecturer, provisional marks are relayed to the Examinations Unit and updated in the My Results page on the Student Dashboard. This information will enable you to track your progress on all assessments you have submitted.

Grading postgraduate work

Grading on these courses is based on a percentage grading system. The mark for a pass at Masters Level is 50%. Any work graded at 55% or above is considered equivalent to ‘Merit’ level. Any work graded at 65% or above is considered equivalent to ‘Distinction Level’. Full details are given below.

65% and above equates to a Distinction

55-64% equates to a Merit

50-54% equates to a Pass

49% and below are graded as Below Masters Pass

Taught Postgraduate Degree Merit: A Student must: - pass all modules taken as part of the course; and - achieve a weighted mean mark of at least 55 in the taught components; and - achieve a weighted mean mark of at least 55 in the dissertation component at Level 7; and - achieve a weighted mean mark of at least 60 calculated across all modules.

Taught Postgraduate Degree Distinction: A Student must: - pass all modules taken as part of the course; and - achieve a weighted mean mark of at least 65 in the taught components; and- achieve a weighted mean mark of at least 65 in the dissertation component at Level 7; and - achieve a weighted mean mark of at least 70 calculated across all modules.

Full details can be found in UCB's Assessment Regulations.

Assessment Regulations

Getting your results

Following meetings of the Boards of Examiners, final results of a student’s assessments will be published on the Student Dashboard. This will show, for each module:

The marks gained for each component of the module,
The total module mark and
The number of credits achieved

The decision of the Board of Examiners will also be published at the end of each level of study in the same place (at the end of each semester for PT Foundation Degree students). The decision indicates whether a student:

Can progress to the next stage of the course,
Is required to resit assessment,
Has been offered a first attempt at assessment due to extenuating circumstances,
Is required to repeat study or
Whether a student has achieved an award.

Assessment results are posted on UCB Portal at 12pm on the dates of publication.

Access the Portal

By clicking on the Decision bar, students can access full details of what to do next.

It is each student’s responsibility to check their own results as soon as possible after publication. Details of publications dates can be found on Canvas. Contact the Examinations Unit with any queries.

Canvas Contact the Examination Unit

Understanding Credits

The number of credits awarded at each stage of study is very important. Each year of study could generate a maximum of 120 credits. Normally, any student failing a module will be required to repeat or re-sit assessment in order to gain the requisite number of credits before progressing. However, there are some circumstances in which progression may be permitted with only 100, or 110 credits.

Credit is awarded when the learning outcomes for a module are met. This is usually indicated by achieving a pass mark for the module overall (40% at undergraduate level, 50% at postgraduate level). In some cases it may be possible to achieve a pass mark where at least one component of the module is not passed. In this situation credit may not be awarded. Full details can be found in UCB's Assessment Regulations.

Assessment Regualtions

Credit and Undergraduate Awards

For Foundation Degree students an award can be made with 100 credits achieved at Level 4 and 100 credits achieved at Level 5 (this may differ for courses with Must Pass modules). Students should be aware that they must attempt all modules at each level. However, students must achieve a minimum of 220 credits on the Foundation Degree and an average mark for Level 5 above 50% or 240 credits at Foundation Degree to be considered for admission to the BA or BSc top up year.

For BA or BSc students a minimum of 320 credits must be achieved across the 3 years of the course or 440 credits across 4 years for courses with placement to be considered for an Honours degree. In addition, at least 100 credits must be passed in the final year for a classification to be awarded.

Therefore, it is possible that a BA/BSc student could complete the degree course and pass the dissertation, but only achieve 300 credits and not be awarded an honours degree or classification. By taking resits or repeating study (if required) you give yourself the best opportunity to achieve.

Any undergraduate student with questions about the number of credits they have achieved can contact the Examinations Unit to discuss their situation.

Contact The Examination Unit

Honours Degree Classifications

The following classifications are used to show the overall performance of a student on a BA or BSc course:

1st - First Class Honours
2.1 - Upper Second Class Honours
2.2 - Lower Second Class Honours
3rd - Third Class Honours
Pass - Pass without Honours (unclassified degree)

Foundation Degrees, Foundation Diplomas and Graduate Certificates/Diplomas are not classified and are awarded as a Pass.

How your overall degree classification is calculated

The Boards of Examiners use three methods to calculate your final classification.

Method One considers your final year average (mean mark).
Method Two is determined through a calculation based on a specified weighted number of credits being achieved at a particular level.
Method Three considers the average calculation (mean Mark) of Level 5 and final level marks.

The Board of Examiners will use whatever method is the most beneficial to you. Full details can be found in UCB's Assessment Regulations. However, a helpful summary guide is presented below.

Assessment Regualtions

Method One: The Final Year Mean Mark

To calculate the mean mark for final year, multiply the overall mark for each module by the credit value of that module, add together these totals and divide the result by the total number of credits at that level (usually 120). The result is a mean mark for that level. It can also be shown as:

Mean Mark = (Module Mark x Credit Value) / 120

The final year mean mark equates to classifications as follows:

70% and above equates to 1st class

60-69% equates to a 2:1

50-59% equates to a 2:2

40-49% equates to a 3rd class

39% and below is a fail

This method of calculating the classification uses only marks from the final year. Year 2 (Level 5) marks are not included. This method is also used for direct entrants to the final year who have not previously studied at University College Birmingham.

Method Two: Credits at Given Level

A second calculation is also made, involving the number and size of modules in which you have gained higher than your final year mean mark as calculated above. Again, if this is more beneficial to you, this calculation is used to determine your final classification.

Method Three: The Overall Mean Mark

This third method takes into account marks for both Levels 5 and 6. For students following a Bachelor degree this will be year 2 and 3 marks (years 2, 3 and 4 if you are on a course with a period of Work Placement). For students who have completed a Foundation Degree at University College Birmingham, Level 5 marks are taken in to account in addition to the final year degree marks.

The overall mean mark used to determine classification is calculated by multiplying the final year mean mark by 3 then adding the Level 5 mean mark and dividing the result by 4. This can also be shown as:

OMM = (final year average x 3 + Level 5 average) / 4

If the overall mean mark or final year mean mark fall between the grade boundaries for a particular classification (see above), this is normally the classification awarded.

What is a Pass Degree?

A pass degree may be awarded on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners to a student who has achieved at least 300 credits including at least 80 credits at Level 6. It is an unclassified degree without Honours.

Credit and Postgraduate Awards

In order to Progress to Dissertation, a postgraduate student must have achieved a mark of 40% or more in all taught modules and have gained at least 80 credits at Level 7 in modules taken as part of the taught component of the course.

UCB's Assessment Regulations detail the credit requirements for the award of the specified degree and also explain the criteria for the award of a Merit or Distinction.

Any Postgraduate student with questions about the number of credits they have achieved can contact the Examinations Unit to discuss their situation.

Further help

Further information on how degree classifications are calculated is available via the Grade Calculator or UCB's Assessment Regulations. You can also make an appointment with your Examinations Officer to discuss your grade profile by emailing the Examinations Unit.

For queries about any information in the section, please contact the Registry or the Examinations Unit or visit us in Room 629 in the Summer Row Campus.

Assessment Regulations Contact The Examination Unit Contact Registry Grade Calculator

Your student record, or transcript

On successful completion of a course, all students are awarded a certificate. Dependent on the award you studied, you will also be given a record of your marks in the form of a transcript. If you studied an Honours degree this will show your final classification (First, 2:1, 2:2 or Third). FdA, FdSc, DipHE have no overall classification, but a detailed transcript is provided showing the total mark for each module studied and the number of credits achieved. Your Personal Tutor can provide, on request, a reference which includes information about placements, prizes or other achievements.

The Examinations Unit will produce one free transcript for each student at the end their level of study/course. The digital copy will be available through the University College Birmingham's Verify, while a hard copy will be posted to the student’s permanent home address. Students who do not receive the hard copy of the academic transcript within 16 weeks of the publication of results can contact the Examinations Unit to request a free replacement transcript. After this 16-week period, if we have not heard from you, the assumption will be made that your transcript has been safely delivered to your address. Students enquiring for transcripts after this 16-week period will have to either place their order through Verify for students who graduated in either 2019 or 2020 or contact the Registry for additional copies of lost/new transcripts. If a student wants a replacement transcript for whatever reason, they must request this by writing to the Registry, completing the Transcript Request Form and enclosing a cheque for £25. Cheques should be made payable to ‘University College Birmingham’. The charge for certifying copies of a student’s transcript is £2 per copy. We also accept electronic payments through the Online Payments page of the University College Birmingham website.

If a student requires a letter or transcript to confirm academic progress within the academic year and before final results have been published, the student can contact the Examinations Unit to request an interim transcript. Registry may also be able to provide a letter confirming a student’s current status if required. The Academic Registry and the Examinations Unit are based on the Third Floor of The Link building.

Verify University College Birmingham Online Payments Portal Transcript Request Form

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