THE PREPARATION AND CONDUCTION OF EXAMINATIONS

 

Examination preparation

The following policies govern the preparation of examination papers.

The Module Co-ordinator is responsible to his/her Head of School for the production of any sessional examination(s) associated with a module.
The Module Co-ordinator will set an examination paper(s) which is appropriate for the level of the module and which addresses some or all of the learning outcomes for the module. The format of the paper and the rubric should be consistent with the module handout.
The style and format of an examination paper shall be in accordance with that required by the University Examinations Office. Advice on this style and format can be sought from the School Offices, which will supply a template.
All examination papers contributing to the award of a degree or diploma must be submitted to the appropriate External Examiner, through the Course Director. The Module Co-ordinator is expected to respond to the comments from the External Examiner (if any) and revise the examination paper as necessary. The Course Director will have responsibility for ensuring that this process is completed satisfactorily.
Each module is the responsibility of only one external examiner and the allocation of modules to examiners should be determined when examiners are appointed. For modules that are taken by students from more than one course, the examination paper(s) should only be sent to the responsible external examiner. After an examination paper has been scrutinised by an external examiner and revised in line with the comments it may be made available, for information, to all external examiners associated with the programmes with students taking the module.
The Course Director shall keep archive copies of all correspondence with their External Examiners pertaining to the setting and revision of examination papers until the end of the December following graduation.

Courses delivered by open and distance learning should have an explicit policy statement regarding the steps taken to ensure that the work assessed is that of the student enrolled.

 

Marking of examinations

The following conventions will be adopted:
   
Every page of each answer booklet submitted by the candidate shall bear some marking to demonstrate that the examiner has assessed the work.
Where a question is composed of multiple parts, the marks for each part should be indicated on the script. A total for the question as a whole should be recorded adjacent to the beginning of the answer to that question and also recorded on the front of the answer booklet. A grand total for the examination should be determined by the Module Co-ordinator and clearly indicated on the front of the answer booklet.
Sufficient comments should be added to answer booklets to allow a second marker to check the accuracy of the marking.

Where a candidate has attempted more than the required number of questions, all questions attempted will be marked. Credit will then be given for those questions carrying the highest marks that do not offend against the rubric of the examination paper.

 
Reporting the outcomes of examinations
The Module Co-ordinator shall be responsible for ensuring that the marks are entered into the University’s examinations marks system.