Assessment and Progress
Assessment is about how your work is marked and what the marks mean. When you get a mark for a piece of work, or for a unit, or for a year's study, or for your final degree, it will be a percentage mark between 0 and 100 on the standard University scale, which is:
0 to 39 Fail 40 to 49 Third class (BSc/MEng1-3) or Fail (MEng4/MSc) 50 to 59 Lower second class (BSc/MEng) or Pass (MSc) 60 to 69 Upper second class (BSc) or Pass (MSc) 70 to 79 First class (BSc/MEng) or Distinction (MSc) 80 to 89 represents work above and beyond the call of duty 90 to 99 represents work of publishable quality 100 represents the absolute limit of human achievement
The scale is non-linear, in order to represent the whole range of ability and achievement within the 0% to 100% limits. That means, in general, you should expect the first few marks for an assessment to be particularly easy to obtain, and the last few marks to be increasingly difficult to obtain.
The kind of work you do is varied, and is assessed in a variety of different ways. To do well, you need to build up a consistent performance across a range of subjects, and across a range of skills.
Progress is about passing your units and thus passing each year of study, which allows you to continue into the next year of the course. Your main aim should be to pass all your units. If you fail any unit, you will normally not be allowed to continue in your course. A summary is given here, and more details can be found on the faculty Web site (for undergraduate degrees).
To pass a unit or a year of study, you need to get an average mark of at least 40% (Levels 1, 2 and 3) or 50% (Level M). To pass a year of study, you normally need to pass all the individual units, not just get an average pass mark. Thus passing all your units is necessary to ensure a smooth progression through your degree.
Registering for units
At the end of each year, in May/June, you will be asked to register your choice of units for the following year. This is done on the web and you will be e-mailed by the Faculty Administrator at the appropriate time. This need not be a final decision, and it may include more units than you need. However, whenever you change your mind about a unit, you need to tell us straight away, so that we know whether to expect coursework from you for that unit or not. You can check which units you are currently registered for at any time on your personal page on the department Web site.In the second term, by about week 15, you will be asked to confirm finally which units you are taking. If you have been taking more units than required, you must decide at this stage which ones you are actually offering for assessment. This confirmation is important for us, so that we can prepare the exam timetable with a minimum of clashes and make other administrative preparations.
How Each Unit is Assessed
Units are assessed by a mixture of examination and practical work. The relative weightings are given in the individual unit descriptions.Exams
Most exams are held in May/June, in about week 6 or 7 of the Summer term; some are held in January. There are also resit exams in early September which some students may be allowed to take if they fail at the first attempt.Exams are held in a variety of places around the University, and some exams are split across two or more rooms, so it is essential to check your personal exam timetable to find out when and where each of your exams is being held.
In the exams themselves, make sure you know your exam number, and sit at the desk with that number on it. You need to switch off mobile phones etc. and leave such personal belongings at the front of the room, not by your desk. If want to take a calculator, you need to get it approved. Your first priority is then to fill in the front of the pink or blue answer booklet. The most important parts are your name in the top right corner and your exam number in the large box at the top left; these allow your exam paper to be marked anonymously. In some exams, you will be asked to fill in separate booklets for separate sections, so check the front of the question paper; this is to speed up marking. In the Engineering Faculty, unlike in some other faculties, you will then normally be allowed to read the exam paper until the time to start writing.
Rough work should be done in the back of the answer booklet (though in Engineering, unlike some other faculties, you may be offered separate sheets for rough work if you really need it). Your answers to the parts of any one question should be kept together, so space your answers out, starting each question at least on a new page. (The cover of the booklet says to leave at least two lines between questions, but this is aimed at essay subjects rather than technical ones.) If there are blank pages left between answers, you may wish to cross them through at the end of the exam to ensure that markers do not miss later pages.
You will not normally be allowed to sit the exam if you are more than 30 minutes late, nor can you leave the exam in the first 30 minutes (this is for security reasons). Also, you cannot leave in the last 15 minutes (to avoid disturbing others). At the end of the exam, moisten and stick down the top right corner of your booklet and leave it on the desk; don't take it away with you by mistake.
If, for any reason, you are more than 30 minutes late for an exam, miss an exam completely, or have an exam clash, contact the exams officer in the Department as soon as possible; the sooner you get in touch, the easier it is to do something about it.
In some circumstances, for example if you have been diagnosed as dyslexic, you
may be allowed extra time at the start or end of each exam (you must check
which). Exam information and old exam papers
are available online at
http://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/Teaching/Exams/.
Coursework
Major pieces of practical work are handed in by the published deadlines and marked shortly afterwards, as specified in the chapter on coursework. Check regularly that your coursework marks are correct, and that exercises are ticked off where necessary. You will be able to track your coursework progress on the Web, and see the average coursework mark to date for each unit. If this is less than 40% in any unit, you may be sent warnings and asked to talk to your tutor to review your progress, and, if appropriate, about finding a strategy for improvement.Passing a unit
The unit descriptions specify the weights of coursework and exams. You generally pass a unit and gain the credits for it when you score 40% (non-Level M units) or 50% (Level M units) on the weighted average. However, if you take a unit given by another department or faculty, the rules may be different; you may pass a unit with a lower score, or fail a unit because of missing work with a higher score.Students who take all aspects of their course seriously generally do well. You should make every effort to hand all pieces of practical work in on time and study in a consistent and conscientious way throughout the year. If you follow this advice, you will pass all units and make easy progress throughout your university career. If you don't, life can get very complicated for you. For example, an Examination Board can ask you to retake examinations or resubmit coursework, or both, to ensure that you reach a required standard before you progress to the next year, or may ask you to leave the University (e.g. if you average less than 30%). Resits will mean that you will need to spend a lot of extra time working if you wish to continue your studies. By far the simplest approach is to avoid all these unpleasant possibilities by taking your course seriously from the beginning. Remember: make sure you pass all your units!
If you fail a unit, the failure may be waived, or you may get a second chance. The rules for this are complex, and depend on the type of degree. For failed units in the first and second years of an undergraduate degree, you may be offered a resit, which means you will be asked to retake the exam, and/or redo some or all of the coursework and hand it in for marking. Resits may be in September, or the following academic year with a year out. Resits in MSc degrees normally have to be the following year. There are no resits in the third and fourth years of an undergraduate degree.
For undergraduate degrees, September resits allow you to work over the summer, pass a failed unit, and get the credits for it before the next academic year starts in October. It is better to avoid these resits if possible, because even if you pass the mark you get is discarded and a bare pass mark is carried forward towards your final degree. Also the extra work has to be done on your own without the usual resources and support available, and really messes up your summer.
How Each Year of Study is Assessed
For each year of study, you normally take units totalling 120 credits (UG) or 180 credits (MSc), and you get an overall mark which is the average of the marks for all the units you take during the year, weighted according to the number of credits they are worth. This means that to do well, you need a consistent performance across all your units. The faculty board has the final word, seehttp://www.fen.bris.ac.uk/faculty/handbook/progression.htm.
BSc/BEng progression
To pass the year and progress to the next year, you need to be awarded all the credits by passing all your units. If you pass units worth 100 credit points, score at least 30% on any failed units, and score an average of at least 40% you are normally allowed to progress to the next year. If you don't fail too badly, you may be allowed resits in September. If you fail badly, e.g. you have more than 60 credits of failures, you may have to take the resits the following year, which effectively means taking a year out. If you fail the year very badly, for example with an average mark of less than 30%, you may be required to leave. In exceptional circumstances, you may be allowed to retake the year.MSci/MEng progression
The rules are those for the BEng/BSc progression, except for one additional requirement: if you score less than 50% on average in year 2 then you will be required to transfer to a 3-year programme. If you score less than 50% on average in year 3, you will be dealt with as if you have completed a 3-year programme. In addition, if you are on a degree with study in Continental Europe, then you must score at least 50% in your first year.How Your BSc / MEng Degree is Assessed
Your class of degree is usually determined by your overall mark. The overall mark is an average of the marks obtained for the individual years of your course, excluding the first year. The contributions of later years is:
Year 2 3 4 BSc G400, H626 20% 80% BSc GG14 30% 70% MEng G401, G402, H624 10% 20% 70% MEng G403, H622 10% 40% 50% MSci GG1K 10% 30% 60%
However, your class of degree may be determined by other considerations besides the mark. There are departmental and faculty examiners' meetings at which each case is treated on its merits, following certain guidelines. The main points are given here. If you need more details, contact your tutor or the Examinations Officer.
If you fail any third or fourth year units, there is not normally any opportunity for a second attempt. Failed units in those years may affect your progression or degree classification. Also, any illnesses or personal problems which you may have encountered during your course and which have seriously affected your work may be taken into consideration. For this reason, you should keep your tutor informed of any such problems, and make sure that documentary evidence is lodged with the Department.
Each degree course has an External Examiner. One of the responsibilities of External Examiners is to help decide your degree classification in cases where you are on the borderline between classes. For this purpose, you may be asked to attend a viva with the External Examiner shortly after examinations have finished, before the Faculty examination board meeting.
You have the right to appeal against results which you think are incorrect or unfair. You should approach the Deputy Head as soon as possible after the results appear. If the Department cannot help directly, you can appeal to the Dean of the Engineering Faculty. As a last resort you can appeal to the Council of the University.
A detailed transcript will be available from the department after you obtain your degree. This gives the results of all your units, including the first year results. Employers will want to see this transcript, so it is in your interests to make sure that you do your best in all of your units, in order to make a good impression.
How Your MSc Degree is Assessed
In order to be awarded an MSc degree, you must have satisfied the examiners in both the taught part of the course and in the project, and have obtained 180 credit points overall. All exams and coursework are marked on the standard University scale. Your performance in the taught part determines whether you are allowed to continue with your project and submit a dissertation.The taught part is worth 120 credits. Your overall mark for this is the average of the marks for all the units you take, weighted according to the number of credits they are worth. To pass the taught part you must score an average of at least 50%. In addition, you must pass each unit individually: the pass mark for Level M units is 50%, while the pass mark for non-Level M units is 40%. However, you are allowed to fail a maximum of 30 credits of units (as long as you obtain a mark above 40% for Level M or 35% for non-Level M units), provided your overall average for the taught part is at least 50%. If your average mark is less than 50% or you fail more than 30 credits of units, you fail the taught part. If you fail less than 60 credits, you may be offered one chance to resit the failed units, normally in the following year. If you fail more than 60 credits you will be required to withdraw. If you pass all failed units at the second attempt, you pass the taught part. The full rules are at http://www.fen.bris.ac.uk/faculty/handbook/msc-crit.htm
Your mark for the project part is worth 60 credits. The assessment is based on a demonstration of the work that you have done and a dissertation. To pass the project part you must get a mark of at least 50%.
If you pass the taught part and the project part, you will be awarded an MSc.
If your weighted average for the taught part is 65% or more, and your project mark is 70% or more, and your weighted average for both parts is 70% or more, then you will be awarded an MSc with Distinction.
Other possible outcomes are that you may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma if you have passed 120 credits of units, including at least 90 credits of Level M units, or a Postgraduate Certificate if you have passed at least 60 credits of Level M units.
Academic Prizes
There are some prizes which you may be awarded; these are generally worth a small amount of cash, and they change from time to time. For example, there are two prizes for the best second year students on the G400 and GG14 programmes respectively, there is a prize awarded to those students who produce the best group project on the Software Product Engineering unit in the second year, a prize shared between those students who produce the best group project in the third year of the G403 programme, and prizes awarded to final year students with the best projects in various fields. Also, there are some general Engineering Faculty prizes, for social as well as academic achievement, which the Department may enter you for.Illness and Personal Problems
Make sure that your tutor and/or other members of staff know about your personal circumstances, including any illness or personal problems which affect your work. If a member of staff knows about your circumstances or can produce evidence, this can tip the balance in your favour at an examiners' meeting.In the case of a serious problem, try to produce documentary evidence such as a doctor's certificate at the time. It is often not possible to get certificates at a later date. If you miss an exam for medical reasons, you need to obtain a medical certificate to pass to the exams officer or department administrator straight away. Anything submitted after the main faculty exam board meeting will not be accepted.