Regulations for the Conduct of University Examinations: Part 16 Marking and Assessment

Adjudication on the merits of candidates

16.1.

• (1) Every examiner who takes part in adjudicating on the merits of a candidate shall give careful attention to the examination of such candidates.

• (2) No examiner adjudicating on the merits of any candidate shall take account of any circumstances, not forming part of, or directly resulting from, the examination itself, except as provided in Parts 12 or 13 of these regulations.

• (3) The work of any candidate to whom Parts 12 or 13 of these regulations applies shall be assessed with due and careful regard to the circumstances of that candidate and any relevant code of practice or guidelines adopted by the University in relation to such candidates.

• (4) If the Student Disciplinary Panel or Academic Conduct Panel has imposed a penalty and/or given any direction to the examiners in relation to a candidate’s examination, under section 10 or section 19 of Statute XI, the examiners shall apply the penalty to the candidate’s work and act as directed.

Examination conventions

16.2.

• (1) In adjudicating on the merits of candidates the examiners shall follow and apply the conventions approved under regulation 8.1 subject to the right of the Board of Examiners in exceptional circumstances to make minor adjustments to the conventions during any particular Examination.

• (2) In cases of doubt or difficulty arising under (1), the examiners shall consult the Proctors.

• (3) Nothing in this regulation shall affect the authority of the examiners in the making of academic judgements on the performance of each candidate.

Viva voce Examination

16.3. In any University Examination in which candidates are examined viva voce the examiners shall determine the order in which they are to be examined.

16.4. Only one candidate at a time shall be examined viva voce in any one University Examination, but in cases approved by the Proctors the examiners in any University Examination may be permitted to divide themselves into groups which may examine candidates simultaneously.

16.5.

• (1) Except in the circumstances referred to in paragraph (2) below no examiner, other than an examiner in the Preliminary Examination in Medicine or in the Second Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Medicine, or in the Honour School of Oriental Studies shall examine viva voce any candidate who belongs to any college in which they are tutor or in which they have been tutor during the previous two years or who has been instructed by them (otherwise than at a lecture or class open to all members of the University) within the previous two years.

• (2) The Proctors may relieve any Board of Examiners of the restriction imposed by this regulation if it would cause difficulty in the conduct of the Examination in question.

Submission of theses or other exercises: exceeding word limits and departure from title or subject-matter

16.6.

• (1) Where a candidate for any University Examination in which a thesis (or other exercise) may be, or is required to be, submitted as part of that Examination presents a thesis (or other exercise) which exceeds the word limit prescribed by the relevant statute, or regulation, the examiners, if they agree to proceed with the examination of the work, may reduce the mark by up to one class (or its equivalent).1

• (2) Where a candidate submits such a thesis (or other exercise), the title or subject matter of which differs from that which was approved by the supervisory body concerned, the examiners (if they agree to proceed with the examination of the work) may similarly reduce the mark by up to one class (or its equivalent).1

Illegible scripts

16.7.

• (1) If a chair of examiners considers that a script of a candidate in an examination is illegible (whether the whole script or any part thereof as identified by the chair), they shall inform the Senior Tutor of that candidate's college.

• (2) Should the Senior Tutor dispute the illegibility of any such script (or part thereof as identified by the chair of examiners), the question shall be referred to the Proctors, whose ruling on the question shall be conclusive.

• (3) Where it is accepted that a script (or part thereof) is illegible, the Senior Tutor shall either:

  • (a) arrange with Student Registry for the script to be transcribed in accordance with the procedure agreed between the Proctors and Student Registry;

  • or

  • (b) arrange for the candidate to dictate their script (or each required part thereof) to a typist under the invigilation of a Master of Arts of the University or any other person who is deemed by the Proctors to be suitable, having first submitted in advance to the Proctors proposals for (i) the appointment of a typist and an invigilator for the transcription of the script and (ii) the timing and venue for the exercise.

• (4) It shall be the responsibility of Student Registry or the Senior Tutor, as the case may be, to ensure that the transcription exercise is conducted in accordance with the arrangements approved by the Proctors.

• (5) During the transcription exercise the candidate shall dictate their script (or each required part thereof) to the typist in the presence of the invigilator, with the exception (unless otherwise identified by the chair of examiners) of work which constitutes rough notes. The candidate shall ensure that the typescript is in every respect identical in form and content to the original script. The use of any recording device is not permitted. Only one fair copy shall be made of each dictated script (or required part thereof), for submission to the examiners.

• (6) Academic dress and sub-fusc clothing need not be worn by any of the participants during the transcription exercise.

• (7) The cost of the typing and invigilation shall not be a charge on the University.

• (8) Following completion of the transcription exercise, it shall be the responsibility of Student Registry (for transcriptions under (3)(a) above) or the Senior Tutor (for transcriptions under (3)(b) above) to make available to the chair of examiners both the original script and the typescript.

• (9) The examiners shall read the typescript page by page with the original script beside it and shall immediately report any discrepancy to the Proctors.

16.8.

• (1) If in voting upon the place to be assigned to a candidate in any Results List the examiners shall be equally divided, the chair of the examiners in that Examination shall (unless paragraph (2) below applies) have a second or casting vote.

• (2) If the candidate in question shall be of the same college as the chair of the examiners or of any college in which they are tutor or in which they have been tutor during the previous two years, or shall have been privately taught by them during the past two years, then the casting vote shall be with the senior of the examiners who is not disqualified on that ground.

16.9. Candidates whose performance is not sufficient for the award of Honours but have satisfied the examiners at ‘pass’ standard shall be awarded a pass.