Awarding Credit
See also:
All modules are assigned a credit weighting e.g. 10 credit points, 20 credit points etc. You must aim to accumulate these credit points as they are instrumental in determining whether or not you can progress from one Level/Part of Study to another or, for instance, whether you are eligible to be considered for the award of a degree or other award.
Specific Information – Undergraduate Students
It is the Progression Board (or in the case of final-year students, the Award Board) which determines whether or not you are to be awarded the credit for the modules which you have studied. During its deliberations the Board takes into account the mark scored in individual modules and your overall performance in all modules. The Board will award credits:
- for modules which you pass, i.e. satisfy the assessment and other specified requirements. A mark of 40% + will indicate that you have passed a module.
- for failures which are compensated by the College Examination Board. A failure can be compensated if the examiners are satisfied that there are extenuating circumstances to account for an unusual under-performance. This applies to substantial illness, bereavement, accidents etc. that happen during or immediately prior to an assessment period. Documentary evidence must be presented to the Personal Tutor/Head of College (or nominee) as soon as is practically possible, and before the meeting of the College Examination Board. You are reminded that the College Examination Board must be convinced that your performance was adversely affected by the circumstances. A lower limit of 30% has been set for a failure which can be compensated and a maximum of 4 x 10 credit point modules (or their equivalent) can be compensated per Level of Study. The mark of the module(s) will be raised to the bare pass mark if a failure is compensated.
Specific Information – Postgraduate Taught Programmes Students
For Masters degree programmes it is the Part One Progression Board which determines whether or not you are to be awarded the credit for the modules which you have studied, and whether the overall average mark is sufficient to permit you to progress to Part Two (Dissertation). For this, 120 credits are required (with toleration in up to 40 credits, specific rules apply) with a weighted average of 50%. For Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma programmes the Award Board will award credit for modules passed and determine the Award. During its deliberations, the Board will take into account the mark scored in individual modules and your overall performance in all modules. The Board will award you credits for modules which you pass, i.e. satisfy the assessment and any other specified requirements in accordance with the marking scales. Depending on your overall performance at Part One, it may be possible to tolerate failures in up to 40 credits. Conditions apply and these are clearly stated in the Progression Rules which appear in the Assessment Regulations. You will find in your College handbooks statements about the consequences of not completing all the assessment components of a module, and it is important to ensure that you know your College’s policy. If a module has been designated as a ‘core’ module, then you must obtain a mark of at least 50% in order to gain credit for the module.
