Examinations and Assessment

Assessment Criteria

You can view the generic undergraduate and postgraduate assessment criteria grids which can be used as a guideline to show what lecturers are looking for when marking your work. 

Also included are the generic Guideline Criteria for Assessment of Examinations which are used by lecturers when they are marking examination papers.

Link to Assessment and Examination Criteria

Exam timetables

Dates of the main examination periods are published in the HE Student Handbook.

Draft examination schedules will be posted outside on the Examinations Notice Board (opposite L54) and on MyWi well in advance of the exams. Please report any examination clashes to the Examinations Office (Room L64) immediately so that schedules can be altered.

Final schedules giving the exact time, date and location of examinations will be posted on the Examinations Notice Board and on MyWi by a notified date (normally a minimum of ten days before start of examination week). Copies of the timetables will also be sent to School Administrators and Learner Services, and posted on School Noticeboards. Do not assume that the exam will be held on the same day of the week as the timetabled module.

Once the final version is published you should be able to see a personalised exam timetable on MyWi, follow the link “get exams for student” on the home page. If the link is not showing it is possible that you removed it by mistake. On the top right hand side of MyWi home page is a Favourite links box, select Manage and restore defaults.

For exams which are timetabled in more than 1 room, consult the Examinations Noticeboard, where candidate lists will be available for those exams only.

All communication about exams is via your College E-mail account so make sure that the mailbox is not full.

For further information see the HE Student Handbook section 2.3 Teaching and Examination Timetables

What to bring to your exams

Do not forget to bring your Student ID Card to the exam.  You will need this to prove your ID and also because it has your examination number.This is the number you enter/use on the exam book (rather than your name or student number) to ensure that scripts are marked anonymously.

Also bring stationery items such as pens (more than 1), pencils, eraser, ruler, calculator. Exam answer books, graph paper etc will be supplied

Please bring as little as possible with you to your examinations - you will be asked to leave all bags and personal possessions other than those permitted at the examination desk in a designated area.  Mobile phones, personal audio or messaging devices must be switched off and left with other possessions in the designated area.

If you cannot attend an exam on the day

Students who are unable to attend College on the day of their exam through illness or any reason must notify the Examinations Office before the start of the examination wherever possible. You can telephone the Examinations Office or use the following College examinations e-mail address: exams@writtle.ac.uk

The HE Student Handbook makes clear that documentary evidence will required for absence due to illness. See Section 3.5 of the Handbook for further details about the Extenuating Circumstances procedures and forms: 3.5 Extenuating Circumstances

Please note that absence from assessment without prior permission or a medical certificate will be treated as a non-achieved assessment and may result in module failure or at best, a maximum of only a bare pass mark (40% undergraduate, 50% postgraduate) - see the HE Academic Regulations for more information:

Higher Education Regulations Undergraduate

Higher Education Regulations Postgraduate

It will be for the relevant Modular Examinations Board to decide whether you would given a penalty of a maximum of a bare pass mark for the whole module or, in cases with extenuating circumstances, such as medical certification, be reassessed without penalty, as if sitting for the first attempt.  In all cases refer examinations, whether taken as a first attempt (e.g. because of absence for medical reason) or following failure to achieve, can only be taken during the identified resit examination weeks.

Help and support for examinations

Your teaching staff will help you with preparation for exams and you can speak to your Course Manager or Personal Tutor for further guidance.  You may also find the examinations section of your Course Handbook helpful.

If you are feeling anxious about your exams, you might like to read some guidelines on Managing Exam Anxiety (link to University of Essex and other websites).  You can also speak to staff in Learner Support.

Access arrangements for students with disabilities

Access arrangements can be made for students with disabilties or specific learning difficulties, such as separate exam rooms or extra time for examinations.  Please speak to the staff in Learner Support for further details and also see Section 3.7 of the HE Student Handbook: 3.7 Access arrangements for students with disabilities

Please note that students requiring access arrangements for exams (for example a reader, additional time or separate rooming) are required to contact the Learner Services Department no later than 3 weeks prior to the examination date.

Examination results

The College policy for release of examination results is published in Section 2.6 of the HE Student Handbook, Release of Examination Results