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University policy on examinations and assessment is set out in Policy & guidance for examiners and others involved in University Examinations. Guidance and reminders specific to MPLS are set out here.

Supporting and preparing students 

Preparing students for exams model answers, peer marking: Guidance on information that should be provided to students in advance of examinations (conventions, examiners reports), recommendations on peer marking, and the context in which model answers and exemplars of examination essays might be provided. 

Supervision of undergraduate or PGT projects: Revised divisional guidance on the information and advice given to students on how to select a project and carry out their project; on standard marking schemes for projects; on student / supervisor contact hours and feedback; on the provision of feedback on draft dissertations; on supervisor involvement in project assessment; and on reports from supervisors to examiners and assessors.  This revised guidance includes the procedures departments must follow if a project supervisor is also an assessor of a undergraduate or a postgraduate taught student project.

Examination conventions

A revised template for examination conventions has been approved by Education Committee, which is available from the Education Policy support website. This builds on and replaces the previous MPLS guidance. Departments must include progressive penalties for late submission within their conventions.

Qualitative descriptors for MPLS subjects

 

The Examination process

Guidance on scaling was updated by Education Committee in 2014/15

New procedures for medical certificates were introduced by Education Committee in 2014/15

Guidance on Student collusion in practicals (PDF)

Procedure to be followed where the chair of examiners is also chair or vice-chair of the departmental academic committee or of the faculty: In some circumstances this might result in a conflict of roles, and ideally the situation is to be avoided. Where an individual does hold both roles, the department should have a conflict of interest policy; for example, the departmental academic committee might provide for a vice-chair to be able to take the chair, and for the chairman of examiners to leave the room during the consideration of the relevant examiners’ reports, if appropriate in the circumstance.

 

Examiners reports and outcomes

Procedures for Examiners reports, circular to academic administrators in MPLS, 2015 (pdf)

The Chair of Examiners will need to report on the spread of classifications in that year, compare this to a rolling average of past years, and comment on outcomes by gender. Past FHS data for each course is available to staff online. Please contact bulvinder.gurm@mpls.ox.ac.uk to access this report.

Examination results by paper by gender are also available.

 

Feedback

Feedback on dissertations for theses for PGT students - template: For providing written feedback to students on postgraduate taught courses for dissertations or theses of 5,000 words or over. The template was approved by MPLS Academic Committee in Hilary term 2013, following consultation with the Junior Proctor.

There are University requirements for the provision of feedback on postgraduate taught courses.