Assessment FAQs

All programmes are made up of a number of units. The size of each unit is measured in credits. At BU most units comprise 20 academic credits or multiples of 20. For exchange students, European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credit values are shown on your transcript.   

All your unit results will be presented and formally agreed at an Assessment Board. The Board is a meeting of internal and external examiners for your programme responsible for considering all student outcomes alongside the Standard Assessment Regulations and any Exceptions to these that apply to your programme (as below). 

Assessment Boards are also called Programme Boards within Academic Policy documentation. 

Every programme of study is governed by a set of assessment regulations which are followed by faculties and applied by the Assessment Board.  

The regulations that are applied to your programme can be found in your programme handbook. For Standard Assessment Regulations see the ‘Assessment’ section on the Important Information page. 

This is the final decision of the Assessment Board after reviewing all of your unit results and considering the assessment regulations that apply to your programme. It is a clarification of your progression.

These provide details about what you are required to do following the Assessment Board Decision. These notes are printed on the individual ‘Results Summary email’ which is sent electronically to your university email address. 

A mark will normally be ‘capped’ when the piece of assessment being undertaken is a reassessment, a repeat unit, or a unit being completed by carrying credit. The recorded mark cannot exceed the pass mark (%). The pass mark is normally 40% for Undergraduate programmes and 50% for Postgraduate programmes. 

This means you will be allowed to continue into the next level/year of your programme and you must repeat the unit stated in the board notes at the same time as the units in the next level/year of your programme. If your next year of study is a placement year, you will repeat this unit alongside your placement. There are situations where ‘carry credit’ is not permitted in the standard regulations for a programme, including where there are Professional, Regulatory or Statutory body requirements. 

Carry credit units will be capped at the pass mark unless otherwise stated by the Assessment Board. Contact the unit leader for information on the unit's taught sessions as you should attend if your timetable allows, and to understand the assessment you are required to complete. 

To understand exactly what this means for your situation, you are advised to discuss your outcome with your Programme Leader.

There is no fee attached to a unit where you are ‘carrying credit’. 

When a query at the Assessment Board cannot be resolved during the Board, the Board agrees to resolve this outside of the Board through a Chair’s Action. You will be notified of the Chair’s Action decision once it has been made. 

This is the final outcome for your programme of study. The Information on how this is calculated can be found in the Standard Assessment Regulations on the Important Information web page.  

You did not achieve a high enough mark to pass the unit but the Assessment Board has agreed to award you the credit; your mark will not be changed. Compensation may not be permitted on specific degree programmes. 

‘Continue’ may appear as part of your board decision if you have not reached an interim award, reached a specified progression requirement or have incomplete assessments at the time of the board.  

Each award has interim qualifications associated with a level of study or number of credits studied. If you leave your programme before completing all of the required credits for the degree, you may be eligible for an interim award, such as a ‘Diploma of Higher Education’. 

This could be used to enter another programme of study or transfer credits to a new course in the future, either at BU or another institution. You can find out more on the gov.uk website.  

You may have advised the Assessment Board of individual circumstances that have affected your ability to study and your performance in a specific assessment. For more information, please see the Exceptional Circumstances Policy and Procedure, or visit the Exceptional Circumstances page.

The assessment regulations for a programme limit the number of attempts that you are able to make on an assessment. The board will make it clear to you that this is your final attempt to pass this assessment. Failure to pass this assessment will result in your withdrawal from your degree/programme of study. 

A unit includes one or more assessments that may have a percentage or may be pass/fail. These formal elements will appear in the Results Summary, for example, coursework (CWRK) or examination (EXAM). 

You are expected to submit your coursework before the published deadline. If you miss the deadline, penalties will apply. 

Within 72 hours:
If you submit your work within 72 hours of the deadline, your work will be marked. However, this applies to a first submission/submission as if for the first time only. Feedback will be provided, but the maximum mark that you will be awarded is the unit pass mark. This is usually 40% for undergraduate programmes and 50% for postgraduate programmes.  

After 72 hours:
If you submit your work more than 72 hours after the deadline, it will be considered as a non-submission and receive a mark of 0%. If work is submitted within three weeks of the deadline, you may be informed of the mark you would have received if it had been submitted on time.

Any late resubmission(s) will be regarded as a fail. A mark of zero (0%) will be recorded for coursework resubmitted after the specified resubmission deadline. 

You are expected to submit your coursework before the published deadline. If you miss the deadline, penalties will apply. If you do not attend an exam, it will also be classified as a non-submission. 

If you do not submit coursework within 72 hours of the deadline, then the work will be recorded as a non-submission (see above for late submission information). 

If you have had exceptional circumstances accepted for coursework or an exam that you have already passed, the Assessment Board may offer you the opportunity to have an additional attempt. If you choose to accept this opportunity, the mark for the additional attempt will stand, even if it is lower than the original mark. You can choose not to take up the opportunity for the additional attempt; it is optional. Make sure to discuss this decision with your personal tutor or programme leader. 

The Assessment Board has noted that your results must be discussed with your Personal Tutor, Programme Leader or other member of staff for advice on your results. You should contact the named person at the earliest oppportunity. 

A general term used to mean resubmit or resit. It indicates that you have not yet passed the piece of work and you will need to do it again. There is a limit on how much reassessment is allowed within an academic year depending on the level of study.  

This means you must repeat the unit(s) stated in the Board notes and will not be permitted to continue onto the next level or stage of your programme until those unit(s) are successfully completed. 

The mark for the unit(s) that you need to repeat will be capped at the pass mark (unless stated otherwise). There will be a fee for repeating the unit and you will be expected to attend all teaching and complete all pieces of assessment again. More information can be found on the What happens if I need to repeat a unit? web page 

This means you must take an assessment again, as specified in the Board Notes. The mark will be capped at the pass mark. 

For invigilated examination papers, information will be published each year on the exam timetable webpage.  

The details for in-class tests or other assessment classified as an exam will be available on the Brightspace unit. If you are unable to locate the details of an exam, please speak to your Unit Leader or Personal Tutor. 

Coursework resubmission briefs will be available in the Brightspace unit. This will include the deadline for resubmission. It may not be the same brief as completed before, so make sure to carefully read the resubmission brief in full.  

If you are unable to locate your resubmission brief speak to your Unit Leader or Personal Tutor. Any late resubmission(s) will be regarded as a fail. A mark of zero (0%) will be recorded for coursework resubmitted after the specified resubmission deadline.

This means you must complete an assessment again as stated in the Board Notes and the mark will be treated as if you are taking the assessment for the first time. This is normally granted where exceptional circumstances have been accepted and therefore the mark will not be capped at the pass mark.  

Exams have a set timetable and information will be published each year on the timetable webpage. 

The details for in-class tests or other assessment classified as an exam will be available on the Brightspace unit. If you are unable to locate the details of the exam, please speak to your Personal Tutor or Unit Leader. 

Formal elements may be sub-divided into sub-elements. You can fail a sub-element and it will not have to be reassessed, provided the final calculated mark for the formal element is a pass. 

The mark received for a piece of assessment is the actual mark you achieve. This is the mark you will achieve for a first attempt at a piece of assessment provided it is submitted before the deadline. You may also receive an ‘uncapped’ mark if you are completing a piece of work for the second time and it has been confirmed that you had exceptional circumstances that impacted your assessment on the first submission or sit. 

Assignment and exam mark return dates are published in your student handbook, which can be found on the Brightspace - Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

All written assignments (with the exception of dissertations/projects) must be marked and returned to students within three weeks from the submission date in accordance with the University’s three-week service standard for assessment feedback. Examination papers must also be marked within three weeks from the examination date although answer scripts are not routinely returned to students but can be requested via Programme Support Teams. End of Semester 1 examinations may follow a four week assessment turnaround.

For full details view the Marking, Independent Marking and Moderation: Policy and Procedure - under the Assessment section of the Important information page.

Assessments happen throughout the year and will vary for your course - check your programme handbook on Brightspace for specific details and dates. 

If you have a query regarding your result, you should refer to your Programme Support Officer in the first instance. If you are unsure who this is, you can check on Brightspace, or contact AskBU.

For more information on receiving results after an Assessment Board, please view our webpage. 

If you are not happy with your mark, you should first contact your Lecturer and make an appointment to go through your work so that they can explain why the work did not achieve a higher mark.

If following this you feel you have grounds to make an appeal, information regarding our appeals procedure and available support can be found on our Making an Appeal web page.

You can only appeal against your academic results if you believe there has been a material irregularity or significant administrative error in the assessment process; if the assessment wasn't conducted in accordance with the regulations for the programme; or if your performance was affected by illness or other factors which, for valid reason(s), you were unable to divulge before the meeting of the assessment board.  The BU Appeals procedure does not allow students to question academic judgement.

For information on the Appeals Procedure, including how & when you are able to make an appeal, please visit the Important Information page on our website.

Please review the 6A Standard Assessment regulations for your level of study from within the Assessment section on the Important information page.

Unratified grades and feedback for assessment are available from Brightspace. For further information about provisional unit results please contact your Programme Support Officer.

Access Brightspace, click on the specific unit, click on Grades.

Only units taught at BU will count towards your final classification.

Please read the assessments policy on the Important Information webpages  for further information.

In the relevant unit in Brightspace - Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), select My Grades. Click on the submission title or the mark to load your assignment and feedback.

You should contact your Programme Support Officer directly for further information.

If you don't have their contact details, please contact AskBU.

Please contact the IT Service Desk to log a job.

Alternatively call us on (01202) 965515 (available 24/7) or freephone 0808 196 2332.

It is not possible to resit an exam in order to improve your result if you passed on your first attempt.

For more information on our regulations relating to assessments and resits please visit the Important Information webpages. 

A resubmission brief, where applicable, will be found on Brightspace after the Assessment Board has been held.

It will not be available before this date for any reason.

If you have failed any assessment, you may be asked to resit the examination or resubmit the assignment.

For information on our assessment regulations, please see the Important Information webpages, and select the assessment regulations relevant to the course you are studying.

Yes, you can email your Unit Leader/Tutor/Lecturer to arrange an appointment to discuss your feedback.

If you do not have their email address, please contact AskBU who will be able to assist you further.