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Completing your assessments



 

 

 

Assessments & Exams 2023/24

This year, written examinations (both online and in person) will be run in two assessment periods:

The Spring Term Assessment Period (SP-AP) 8-12 January 2024

and

The Summer Term Assessment Period (SU-AP) 29 April - 31 May 2024

Both assessment periods will include assessment held both online and in person.

The ‘Type of Assessment’ section below outlines the different types of assessments that will be running this year.  If a module is being assessed by a written examination in the summer term, confirmation of the exam type and duration is included in the College Examinations & Assessment Timetable.  For any other assessments, the type and arrangements for the assessment will be confirmed by your School.

 

College Regulations and Assessment Guidance

  • Our College Regulations set out the guidelines that we expect all of our students to follow and what the consequences are if they’re not followed. When you started at the College you agreed to read, understand and abide by them.
  • The Assessments Guidance for Students gives you important information about the regulations surrounding assessments and results at the College. Not knowing is not an excuse so it is very important that you take the time to read and understand them. 
  •  The Results webpages include the key information on results, including when and how module and degree results will be released to students, and what to do if you need to retake. 
  •  We know that events can occur which will impact your ability to complete assessments. Please see our Extensions and Extenuating Circumstances webpage for further information on these processes, if you are impacted by illness or unforeseen circumstances.
  •  The College takes allegations of academic misconduct very seriously.  The Regulations on Academic Misconduct explains what an assessment offence is, how they are investigated and penalties which may be imposed.

Candidate Numbers

Candidate Numbers for the 2023/24 academic year are now available to view on Campus Connect. (You will receive an email informing you when it becomes available). Your Candidate Number is extremely important as it allows us to mark your work anonymously. You must use your Candidate Number for official written examinations and assessed coursework.

 
To view your Candidate Number, you’ll need to log into Campus Connect with your username and password, then:

  • click on the ‘My Studies’ tab and go to the ‘My Study Information’ section

  • Under Student Examination Information, click on the word ‘here’ and your number will appear in a pop-up window.

To ensure anonymity, it is important that you don’t put your Candidate Number on any work where your name is also listed and you mustn’t give the number to anybody else – including members of staff. 

Module & Assessment Registrations

In registering for your module you’re also registering for the assessments and examinations associated with those modules. You must ensure that you’ve been registered for the correct modules, including any modules that you’re retaking as a first sit, resitting or repeating (and for PGT students and modules you have deferred from the previous academic year)

If you don’t register for a module, you will not be entered for the examination or assessment. Equally, if you’re registered on the wrong module(s), you will be entered for the assessment and you’ll eventually be graded as failing the module.

To check your module registrations, you’ll need to log into Campus Connect and click on the ‘My Studies’ tab and go to the ‘My Study Information’ section, then click on the ‘Active Registrations’ section.

Please note that Moodle is not a reliable way of checking your course registrations as this may not contain a complete list of your courses!

The deadline for students to make changes to Autumn Term and Full-Year Module Registrations is Friday 13 October 2023, and the deadline for Spring and Summer Terms Module Registration is Friday 19 January 2024. Schools may set earlier internal deadlines so it is important you check when you need to notify your School.

For students starting degree courses in January 2024, the final deadline to check and request changes to all modules registrations is Friday 19 January 2024. Noting that changes to registrations may be exceptionally permitted after this with the agreement of the Department up until the end of the Spring Term; Thursday 28 March 2024.

If you find any errors you must contact your School immediately so that the registrations can be corrected. 

Types of Assessment

Modules are assessed in a variety of different ways to test that students have met the learning outcomes of the module. The table below summarises the key types of assessments that run for students on taught degree courses. Noting that this list is not exhaustive and other assessments may be undertaken as outlined in the course and module specifications.

College Invigilated Exams

  • In-person formal invigilated examination
  • Duration up to 4 hours
  • To be held Monday-Friday during Term Time in the Univeristy Assessment Periods
  • Extensions are not permitted
  • Late Submission is not permitted
  • Exams usually start at 9:30am or 2pm (UK Timezone)

In-Class Tests & Exams

 

  • In-person invigilated tests or examinations
  • Duration up to 4 hours
  • To be held Monday-Friday during Term Time in timetabled teaching sessions
  • Extensions are not permitted
  • Late Submission is not permitted

Open Book Exams

 

  • Open book exams to be distributed and returned electronically
  • 23 hour period for completion – usually launched at 11am with a deadline of 10am the following day (UK Timezone)
  • Exam designed to be completed within 4 hours or less
  • To be held during Term Time during the Univeristy Assessment Periods (or very exceptionally within 1 week of the start/end of Term)
  • Extensions are not permitted
  • Late Submission is not permitted - if you have technical difficulties on the day of an online assessment which may prevent you from submitting in time you must contact your School as soon as possible for advice

Online Exams

 

  • Exam to be distributed and returned electronically or completed online
  • Exam time is appropriate for completion of the exam plus a period of additional time for uploading where required.  The maximum exam duration, including upload allowances, is 6 hours.
  • Usually launched at 10am (UK Timezone)
  • To be held during Term Time during Univeristy Assessment Periods (or very exceptionally within 1 week of the start/end of Term)
  • Extensions are not permitted
  • Late Submission is not permitted - if you have technical difficulties on the day of an online assessment which may prevent you from submitting in time you must contact your School as soon as possible for advice

Online Tests

 

  • Tests and quizzes completed online
  • Window for completion with an in-built timer for the duration of the exam which starts when the student begins the test
  • Duration as appropriate to the assessment
  • Includes MCQ Tests and Quizzes
  • To be held during Term Time or very exceptionally within 1 week of the start/end of Term
  • Extensions are not permitted
  • Late Submission is not permitted - if you have technical difficulties on the day of an online assessment which may prevent you from submitting in time you must contact your School as soon as possible for advice

Practical, Oral & Performance Exams and Individual & Group Presentations

 

  • Practical examinations as appropriate to the discipline
  • To be held during Term Time
  • Extensions are not usually permitted
  • Late Submission is usually not permitted

Coursework

 

  • Any form of written assessment including essays, reports, dissertations and short assignments including video essays
  • Deadlines to be set during Term Time or very exceptionally within 1 week of the start/end of Term
  • Extensions can be permitted in line with the University Extension Policy – please see Part 4 for details
  • Late submission penalties apply as outlined in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Regulations.

The College Examinations & Assessment Timetable

The Spring Term Assessment Period (SP-AP) in 2023/24 will take place from Monday 8 to Friday 12 January 2024. Invigilated, Online and Open Book Exams will be held in this period.

The Summer Term Assessment Period (SU-AP) in 2023/24 will take place from Monday 29 April to Friday 31 May 2024. Invigilated, Online and Open Book Exams will be held in this period.

Timetables for Invigilated, Online and Oben Book Exams in these periods will be published on the following dates:

  • Spring Term (SP-AP) examinations:         10:00am Wednesday 29 November 2023
  • Summer Term (SU-AP) examinations:      10:00am Wednesday 20 March 2024

Students will be e-mailed on the day the timetable is released.

Modules assessed by assessment types other than written Invigilated, Online and Open Book Exams , and those examined outside the College Examination and Assessment period, will not be listed on the timetable, but information about these will be available from your School. 

Our Examination Timetabling Policy includes important information about the main College Examination and Assessment period and the process for timetabling examinations. As the policy explains; the College appreciates the importance of exams and will do whatever it reasonably can to ensure that the exam schedule is as fair as possible. However, having multiple exams in a short space of time is not regarded as being detrimental to performance in exams and it’s just as important that you have a realistic expectation of what demands your exam timetable may place on you so that you are able to plan for this in advance in your studies and revision time.

Accessing the Timetable

When you log in to Campus Connect you’ll be able to find your exams timetable  the 'My Studies' section under the heading ‘Exam Info’.  Please read the examination information provided and make sure you scroll down fully to see all of your exams.

For each exam the following information will be listed:

  • Exam title and module code
  • The date of exam
  • The start time of the exam - For example 09:30 is 9:30am UK Time
  • The venue of the exam - For invigilated exams this will be the venue on campuus where your exam will take place. Open Book Exams and Online Exams do not have a venue, as they are completed online. This will state 'Open Book Exams' or 'Online Exam'
  • The duration of the exam in hours and minutes - For example 0130 is 1 Hour 30 Minutes and 2300 is 23 Hours

Assessment Adjustments including Exam Access Arrangements

The Disability & Neurodiversity team are available to support all disabled students who have registered their disability, including adjustments to assessments. A number of different adjustments can be made for invigilated exams and these are known as ‘Exam Access Arrangements’. Arrangements are also available for other types of assessment, including marking guideline adjustments for students with a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia & dyspraxia) and additional time to respond to oral questions, for example, when delivering a presentation.

The Disability & Neurodiversity team should be contacted regarding any adjustments. They can assess the requirement and determine whether requested adjustments can be put in place. Email disability@royalholloway.ac.uk fo further advice.

Exam Access Arrangements

There are three main groups of students who might need alternative examination arrangements: 

Students with a medically diagnosed disability/condition

Students who have a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010 and are registered with Disability and Neurodiversity team will only need to apply once to be considered for and allocated Exam Access Arrangements appropriate for their disability or condition. These Exam Access Arrangements will then be carried over from one year to the other for the duration of their study at the College, unless there is a change in their impairment.

Students with a specific learning difficulty e.g. dyslexia

Students with Specific Learning Difficulties who have registered with the Disability & Neurodiversity team will automatically be allocated Exam Access Arrangements in accordance with the recommendations contained in the Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teachers report. These Exam Access Arrangements will be put in place for the duration of their study at the College, unless there is a change in their circumstances.

Students with a temporary condition or illness

Students who are not registered with Disability & Neurodiversity team but have a short or medium-term condition may apply for Exam Access Arrangements for a single assessment period. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible so that arrangements can be put in place in good time and where at all possible by the appropriate deadline for the assessment period.  We cannot guarantee Exam Access Arrangements where applications are made after these dates..

Avoiding Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is anything which is against the rules which govern the assessment of work, and includes things like plagiarism, commissioning and collusion. There are definitions of all these words in the Regulations on Academic Misconduct.

The College takes allegations of academic misconduct very seriously. We will be checking assessments for academic misconduct as for all coursework assessments and any suspected offences will be investigated.

It is important that all students take steps to ensure that they do not commit academic misconduct, unintentionally or otherwise. Please remember:

  • The work submitted is expected to be your own work and only your work. You may not ask for help with the assessments from any source, including  commissioning a person or artificial intelligence tool (paid or unpaid) to write or rewrite work for you.
  • Avoid plagiarism: Don’t copy and paste someone else’s words into your notes or drafts; including your own words from previous assignments.
  • Avoid collusion: You must not discuss your work or give help to anyone else, including sending them any parts of the questions or copies of your solutions, even after the time period has finished.
  • If you are completing a set duration online exam you must not communicate with anyone for the duration of the examination, in the same way that you would not be allowed to talk during an examination on campus.

You are strongly encouraged to undertake the Avoiding Plagiarism course in Moodle and to familiarise yourself with the principles of academic integrity and good scholarly practice.

 

Important dates
2022/23

Autumn Term (and full year) Module Registration Deadline

Friday 13 October 2023

Please note that the above deadline is a central University deadline. Your school may set an earlier deadline for module registrations 

Spring and Summer Terms Module Registration Deadline

Friday 26 January 2024 

Please note that the above deadline is a central University deadline. Your school may set an earlier deadline for module registrations   

Exam Access Arrangement Application Deadline

For SP-AP (spring term) assessments- 

Friday 17 November 2023

 

For SU-AP (summer term) assessments

Friday 26 January 2024

SP-AP (Spring term) Timetable Published 

Wednesday 29 November 2023

SU-AP (Summer term) Timetable Published

Wednesday 20 March 2024

SP-AP (Spring Term Assessments 

Monday 8 - Friday 12 January 2023

Summer Term Assessment Session

Monday 29 April – Friday 31 May 2024

 

Support & Advice

Advice and support is available from a variety of sources in the College.

If you have further questions about your assessments please contact your School.

For further information on our support services please see our Help & Support webpages.

The Advice and Support Centre in the Student's Union also provides  free and independent advice for all students.

If you need guidance locating your exam venue, please refer to this map.