University Examinations

Information about procedures

  • OUSU officers suggested that it would be helpful if the Proctors’ Office provided all students with information about procedures for setting up special examination arrangements and for the Proctors to deal with complaints about examinations.
  • what follows is aimed mainly at students taking taught-course examinations. Further information is available in section 9 of the booklet Essential Information for Students (Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum) available on the web at www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors, and in the published Examination Regulations.
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Special examination arrangements

  • the Proctors have discretion to approve a variety of special examination arrangements, ranging from provision of special chairs or desks in the examination room, to use of a word-processor where the candidate is unable to write papers in the usual way, to dictation of papers, to changing the examination timetable, through to extra-time allowances in case of conditions such as dyslexia or certain medical problems. Special arrangements can cover the hand-in dates for assessed work as well as the procedure for taking written papers.
  • there are three basic principles. First, all special arrangements must be requested through Senior Tutors and college offices. Second, if the request relates to a known condition or problem, it must be made not later than when the student enters for the examination concerned. (But there are also provisions for handling new information or emergencies, up to the time of the examination.) And third, where appropriate the request must be supported by independent professional opinion, e.g. a College Doctor, or an Educational Psychologist for dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties.
  • a candidate who does not submit examination work for assessment (by the scheduled date or any later date agreed by the Proctors) is considered under the Regulations to have failed the entire examination; reinstatement is only allowed exceptionally, and is likely to entail a late-submission fee and marks penalty.
  • a special examination arrangements permission relating to an on-going condition or problem will be valid for the whole of the student’s degree course.
  • a candidate taken ill during a written paper will not be allowed to resume the paper later on; he or she will need to obtain a medical certificate to explain why the paper could not be completed.
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Factors affecting performance

  • the Proctors can authorise the Examiners to take into account exceptional factors that may have affected a candidate’s performance, e.g. ill-health occurring in the run-up to written papers or while papers are being taken. Applications have to be made through Senior Tutors and College Offices, and these need to be received by the Proctors before the Examiners hold their final meeting to decide results. Where appropriate, the request must be supported by independent professional opinion, e.g. a College Doctor.
  • important note: at the end of the day the Examiners are marking candidates anonymously and can only assess examination performance on the basis of the work submitted to them: they cannot guess how a student might have performed in different health or other circumstances. Medical certificates and similar indicators of factors affecting performance are mainly likely to help the Examiners to understand anomalies in a candidate’s run of marks (e.g if he/she was ill on particular days), or to form a judgement on borderline performance.
  • if a student is not fully fit and able to do himself or herself justice in the examination, it may be better to defer taking the examination until a subsequent year. Such decisions should be made in careful consultation with tutors (once written papers have started, a candidate is allowed to withdraw only with college permission).
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Queries and complaints

  • the Proctors (but not candidates, tutors, or examiners) are authorised to deal with queries and complaints about University Examinations. They can look into the conduct of the examination, to make sure that everything was done fairly and in accordance with the regulations, and provide an appropriate remedy if they are not satisfied with what they find. The Proctors cannot challenge the academic judgement of the Examiners.
  • any concern about the conduct of an examination should be raised as soon as possible (preferably, before results are announced) with the Senior Tutor of the student’s college, who can then activate the procedure for contacting the Proctors.
  • the Proctors will arrange for an administrative check of a candidate’s marks to be carried out if appropriate; but they will not authorise re-marking of papers or re-consideration of a candidate’s notified result unless they believe that there may have been a failure of due process. Candidates are sometimes disappointed with their marks for particular papers or hand-in work (and their tutors agree with them), but this does not itself provide a reason for the Proctors to authorise the Examiners to re-mark or re-consider.
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Appeal procedures

  • a candidate who is dissatisfied with the Proctors’ decision on a request about special examination arrangements or forwarding information to the Examiners has the right to appeal to the senior university body, the Education Committee. This must be done, by the candidate or college acting on his/her behalf, within 14 days of the date of the Proctors’ decision.
  • a candidate who is dissatisfied with the outcome of the Proctors’ investigation of a complaint about an examination has the right to appeal to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for higher education institutions. This can only be done once all internal university avenues have been exhausted, and within 3 months of the date of the letter notifying completion of internal procedures.

17/11/10

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