Your academic work will be graded using several different modes of assessment, including but not limited to; examinations (MCQ, short answer and essay questions), coursework essays, lab reports, short arguments, research proposals, posters and oral presentations. You will be given instructions for each piece of work in the relevant course unit (see Syllabus booklet).
5.1 Examinations
There are three examination periods each academic year. The dates for 2017/18 are:
Semester 1 Examinations 15–26 January 2018
Semester 2 Examinations 16 May–6 June 2018
Summer Examinations 20-31 August 2018
You must ensure that you are available during all examination periods. Exams can fall at any point within an examination period, so avoid booking holidays that overlap. Information on the exact dates, times, and locations of your individual examinations is provided directly to students by the Examinations Office. You are responsible for checking your exam timetable and ensuring that you attend the correct exams.
5.1.1 Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Examinations
Some examinations assess performance using multiple choice questions (MCQs). These are marked using a marking scheme in which marks are awarded for correct answers but incorrect answers carry a penalty. This is done to take into account the fact that people can guess the answer correctly in an MCQ exam; subtracting marks for incorrect answers tries to ensure that the final mark is not unduly swayed by these “lucky” guesses.
The following is an example of how your MCQ exams will be marked. For the sake of illustration, in this exam there are 10 questions and all of these are worth 1 mark. So, if you answer a question correctly you will be awarded 1 mark. However, you will be penalised by 1/3 of a mark if you answer a question incorrectly. If you choose not to answer a question then there will be no penalty but you will obviously not be awarded any marks for that question. The final mark is then calculated as the difference between the points awarded and the penalty points. Let’s say you answer 6 questions correctly, 3 questions incorrectly and choose not to answer 1 question. Your mark would then be calculated in the following way.
- Awarded: 6 × 1 mark = 6 marks awarded
- Penalised: 3 × (1/3) mark = 1 mark penalty
- Final mark = 6 – 1 = 5 marks (i.e. 5 out of 10 or 50%)
Note: in some exams not all questions are worth an equal number of marks. In such cases the final mark calculation varies slightly from the example given above. If you are taking a course with this type of exam then you will be given more information on the marking scheme in the lectures and on the course’s Blackboard site.
5.1.2 Exam Timetable
The examination schedule is produced using dedicated software for which the overarching factor is the production of a timetable with no, or as few as possible, student clashes. While attempts are made to ensure that students have a spread of examination dates throughout the examination period, in many cases this is not possible given the institutional constraints on the numbers of examination venues that are available, the number of examinations that are scheduled to take place and the options available to students on any particular programme of study. Therefore you should expect to have some exams on consecutive days where this is unavoidable.
5.2 Coursework
5.2.1 Submission
The main coursework deadlines are issued at the beginning of each semester and are published in the Syllabus booklet, on Blackboard and reminders and instructions for submission are sent by e-mail. Unit leads will also make you aware of specific deadlines relating to the submission of smaller pieces of assessment (for example online quizzes). Please ensure that you make a note of these dates and times, as we have strict rules for the submission of all assessed coursework. The majority of coursework will be submitted electronically via the relevant course unit space on Blackboard.
Coursework must be submitted to Blackboard by 3pm on the day of the submission deadline. Instructions on how to submit your work on Blackboard will be sent to you as part of the e-mailed reminders. All work is submitted to Blackboard via Turnitin and you will receive an electronic receipt. If you do not receive a receipt via email within 24 hours of submission, please contact Kamar Hussain (kamar.hussain@manchester.ac.uk) who will be able to check that your work has been submitted successfully. Your electronic receipt acts as proof that you submitted your work, so please make sure that you keep a copy. If you have any problems submitting your work, contact Kamar Hussain (Kamar.Hussain@manchester.ac.uk). Late submissions will be penalised according to the tariffs outlined in section 3.2.2. Please allow adequate time to submit your work online; computer issues or problems getting online will not be accepted as grounds for mitigation.
For some units, you may be asked to submit hard copies of particular coursework assignments. In such instances, you will be notified of the procedures for this in advance via e-mail.
Please be aware that we do not read drafts of assessed work. However, you will have opportunities to ask for guidance via dedicated Discussion Boards and/or Drop-In Sessions. You should also take the opportunity to raise any queries or concerns about specific assessments during class time, particularly seminars and lab classes.
5.2.2 Word Limits
All assessed coursework is subject to a strict word limit, specified along with the individual assignment details (NB there is no word limit for work produced in examinations). You must indicate the total word count on the first page of all submitted coursework.
Work which exceeds the word limit will be awarded a mark of zero.
There are several reasons for this policy. (1) One of our objectives is to encourage you to acquire the skill of expressing ideas in clear and concise written prose. Writing within a word limit imposes a discipline on your work. (2) For any given type of work we can only apply fair and consistent marking standards when everyone is writing within the same constraints. If we were to allow over-length work then people who had kept to the word-limit would be disadvantaged. (3) Imposing word limits communicates clear expectations (4) word limits are commonly encountered in the world you enter following graduation, so this is preparation for real-world tasks.
When declaring the word count you should include everything in the main body of the text (i.e. in-text citations, subheadings, information presented in tables or charts, table titles and figure captions are all included in the word count). The only elements that are not included in the word count are (i) identifying details, e.g. student number, course unit title (ii) the title of the work, (iii) the reference list (iv) any appendices (e.g. for raw data, rough notes, or transcripts, or similar, which are necessitated by the nature of the assignment). The general rule is that if you expect staff to read it, it counts!
There is no excuse for handing in over-length work. Checking your word count is simple: take the document, make a copy, delete the title and the references, go to the tools menu in Microsoft Word and click on ‘word count’. The word count indicated must be equal to or less than the word limit for the piece of work. This is the word count you should report on the first page of the coursework.
Coursework that is submitted electronically will automatically be checked for over-length work and plagiarism. If we find over-length work it will be awarded a mark of zero. Please note, if over-length work is otherwise of an acceptable standard, it will not prevent you from being awarded course credits (i.e. it will not prevent you from progressing to the next year of study). However, the grade of zero awarded for that work will contribute to your grade for that course unit (and in turn impact on your average grade for the year).
There are no penalties for ‘under-length work’ (much shorter than the specified word limit). However, it is reasonable to expect that such work would be unlikely to gain high marks for other reasons.
For the final year project, you are expected to write a report that is of an appropriate length for the investigation reported and which is concise and well-focussed. The word-limit for quantitative reports is 6000 words, and the word limit for qualitative research projects is 8000 words. However, many project reports will be significantly shorter than this, and writing a concise report is an important part of the marking criteria, so shorter reports may receive higher grades. You should discuss the appropriate length for your project report with your supervisor.
5.2.2 Word Limits
If, for any reason, you are unable to submit a piece of coursework by the published deadline, you should complete and submit the work at the earliest opportunity. However, please note that the latest possible time point for submission of coursework, regardless of mitigating circumstances, is 12 noon on the coursework handback date (published along with submission deadlines). Work submitted after 12 noon on the handback date will not be marked.
PLEASE NOTE – THERE ARE NO EXTENSIONS
Late work will initially be assessed without regard to its lateness, receiving a grade and feedback which reflects the quality of the work. However, a note will be kept on file, recording the delay to submission, and the relevant penalties will be applied prior to the Exam Board (though please see section 6 regarding mitigating circumstances).
Penalties will be applied to late work as follows; your grade will be reduced by 10 marks for each day that it is late, for up to 5 days, after which a grade of zero will be awarded. For example, a piece of work which would have been awarded 65%, if submitted on time, would be reduced as follows:
| Number of Days Late | Mark Awarded |
| 1 | 55% |
| 2 | 45% |
| 3 | 35% |
| 4 | 25% |
| 5 | 15% |
| 6 | 0% |
Please note that the lateness of your submission is determined by the timestamp given by Blackboard (not the clock on your own computer). For a 3pm deadline, your submission is still on time when the timestamp reads 3:00PM. Your submission will be considered late when the timestamp reads 3:01PM. This means that even when you miss the deadline by 1 minute, your coursework will be considered 1 day late and your coursework will lose 10 points.
Please be aware that the consequences of late penalties on your grade for a course unit will depend on the weighting of the individual component of assessment within the unit; the higher the weighting of the assessment to the overall unit grade, the greater the impact of late penalties.
More crucially, it is important to realise that the impact of late penalties on your final degree result will vary according to your Year of study. This is because Final Year units are typically worth more credits than units in Years 1 and 2, and because Final Year makes a larger contribution to your final degree grade calculation (see section 7). The following examples serve to illustrate this variation in impact:
- You are 1 minute late to submit a piece of coursework in Year 2 (which counts as 1 day late), incurring a 10 point reduction in grade for that coursework. The coursework is weighted at 70% and the unit is worth 10 credits. Because Year 2 contributes 33% to your final degree grade, the impact is a drop of .1925 points.
- You are 1 minute late to submit a piece of coursework in Final Year (which counts as 1 day late), incurring a 10 point reduction in grade for that coursework. The coursework is weighted at 33% and the unit is worth 20 credits. Because Final Year contributes 67% to your final degree grade, the impact is a drop of .3685 points.
- You are 1 minute late to submit your Final Year Project report in Final Year (which counts as 1 day late), incurring a 10 point reduction in grade for your project. The report is weighted at 70% and the Final Year Project unit is worth 40 credits. Because Final Year contributes 67% to your final degree grade, the impact is a drop of 1.563 points.
You should note that submitting your Final Year Project just 1 minute late (as illustrated in example 3) could mean the difference between a final degree grade of 70.1 (awarded as a 1st class) and a final degree grade of 68.5 (awarded a 2.1).
It is your responsibility to ensure that you allow yourself adequate time to complete and submit coursework. If you are aware of a future circumstance that will result in absence before a submission deadline, you should make plans to submit your coursework in advance of your absence. If this is not possible (for example, if the coursework details have not been released to students), you should contact your Year Lead to make alternative arrangements. If unpreventable and unforeseeable circumstances mean you cannot submit work on time, you should submit the work as soon as possible and follow the mitigating circumstances procedures outlined in Section 6. However, please be aware that, even in cases where appropriate grounds for mitigation do exist, the latest possible deadline for submitting work is 12 noon on the coursework handback date (published along with submission deadlines). If mitigating circumstances prevent you from submitting work before this deadline, you should contact your Year Lead to make alternative arrangements.
5.3 Academic Malpractice, Including Plagiarism
As a student, you are expected to cooperate in the learning process throughout your programme of study by completing assignments, of various formats, that are the product of your own study or research. For most students this does not present a problem, but occasionally, whether unwittingly or otherwise, a student may commit what is known as plagiarism or some other form of academic malpractice when carrying out assessment. This may come about because students have been used to different conventions in their prior educational experience or through general ignorance of what is expected of them.
This section is designed to help you understand what we regard as academic malpractice and hence to help you to avoid committing it. You should read it carefully, because academic malpractice is regarded as a serious offence and students found to have committed it will be penalised.
What is academic malpractice?
Academic malpractice includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results and anything else intended by those committing it to achieve credit that they do not properly deserve.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is presenting the ideas, work or words of other people without proper, clear and unambiguous acknowledgement. It also includes self-plagiarism (which occurs where, for example, you submit work that you have presented for assessment on a previous occasion), and the submission of material from ‘essay banks’ (even if the authors of such material appear to be giving you permission to use it in this way). Obviously, the most blatant example of plagiarism would be to copy another student’s work (see Collusion, below). Hence it is essential to make clear in your assignments the distinction between: the ideas and work of other people that you may have quite legitimately exploited and developed, and the ideas or material that you have personally contributed. The appropriate way to do this is to include a reference which clearly acknowledges the source of any material you have consulted to inform your points. Crucially, when drawing from source material, you are still expected to express the information conveyed or the ideas this has generated in your own words; paraphrasing too closely from source material, even when accompanied by a reference, can constitute plagiarism. On occasion, you may want to make use of a computer program, a diagram, a graph, an illustration, etc. taken from another source. Again, the use of this material must be appropriately acknowledged.
There are a number of referencing systems; the BSc Psychology programme requires that you follow the American Psychological Association (APA) conventions. Further details about this referencing system are available in the following guide: https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lesson/serve/69dUWqLwCGFpNX/html
Year 1 students will be required to review online materials relating to academic malpractice and plagiarism as part of the Professional Development unit. However, students in all years of study are encouraged to revist this guide, accessible here: https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lesson/serve/u6aWQqKVHtzsUh/html. Students can also seek further support from staff on the programme, including their Academic Advisor.
Collusion
Collusion is any agreement to hide someone else’s individual input to collaborative work with the intention of securing a mark higher than either you or another student might deserve. Where proved, it will be subject to penalties similar to those for plagiarism. It is also collusion to allow someone to copy your work when you know that they intend to submit it as though it were their own, doing so will lay both you and the other student open to a charge of academic malpractice.
Please note that collaboration is a perfectly legitimate academic activity and you will be required to work in groups in the preparation of some assignments (e.g. joint research projects). If you are asked to carry out such group work and to collaborate in specified activities, it will always be made clear how your individual input to the joint work is to be assessed and graded. Sometimes, for example, all members of a team may receive the same mark for a joint piece of work, whereas on other occasions team members will receive individual marks that reflect their individual input. If it is not clear on what basis your work is to be assessed, to avoid any risk of unwitting collusion, you should always ask for clarification before submission.
Turnitin plagiarism detection software
The majority of your assessed coursework will be submitted via TurnitinUK, an electronic system for the purposes of detecting plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice. This system provides the first check for plagiarism, but further checks can be made where deemed necessary. The University also reserves the right to submit other work you have submitted for formative or summative assessment to TurnitinUK and/or other electronic systems used by the University. Please note that when work is submitted to the relevant electronic systems, it will be copied and stored in a database to allow appropriate checks to be made.
Fabrication or falsification of results
For many students, a major part of their studies involves laboratory or other forms of practical work, and they often find themselves undertaking such activity without close academic supervision. If you are in this situation, you are expected to behave in a responsible manner, as in other aspects of your academic life, and to show proper integrity in the reporting of results or other data. Hence you should ensure that you always document clearly and fully any research programme or survey that you undertake, whether working by yourself or as part of a group. Results or data that you or your group submit must be capable of verification, so that those assessing the work can follow the processes by which you obtained them. Under no circumstances should you seek to present results or data that were not properly obtained and documented as part of your practical learning experience. Otherwise, you lay yourself open to the charge of fabrication or falsification of results.
Penalties for plagiarism and academic malpractice
If you are found to have committed academic malpractice the penalties can be very severe. The most severe penalty will result in you be excluded from study at the university. The penalties differ according to the year of study, the extent of the malpractice and the number of offences. The University follows a very strict set of regulations to deal with accusations of academic malpractice and, if the accusation is upheld, a clear set of regulations governing the award of penalties is followed.
It is your responsibility to take steps to avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice. As a starting place, you should read the University’s guidance to students:
http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=2870.
Understanding and avoiding academic malpractice will also be covered in the First Year Tutorials. You are also encouraged to seek advice from a member of staff, at any point in your degree, if you would like further guidance on this matter.
5.4 Marking and Return of Assessed Work
5.4.1 Responsibility for Marking
With the exception of MCQ examinations, which are marked automatically, all the work you submit for assessment will be marked by a member of staff. In Years 1 and 2, this may be a PhD student, employed as a Teaching Assistant. In Final Year, the marker will always be a Lecturer or, where appropriate, a Postdoctoral Tutor. Given the large student numbers on the Psychology programme, multiple markers will be involved in most pieces of assessment. In all cases, the member of staff responsible for setting the assessment (typically the Unit or Lab Lead) will coordinate and provide guidance to the markers. Staff new to the programme, including all Teaching Assistants, are also given general training on how to apply grades and provide high quality feedback.
5.4.2 Applying Grades
Different marking criteria exist for each type of assessment you will be asked to complete on the degree (e.g., essays, lab reports, posters). Markers will refer to those criteria when deciding what grade your work should be awarded. The criteria outline the different elements that markers will be considering when assessing your work (e.g. structure, argument, style) and provide qualitative descriptors for the award of grades in each band. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these criteria before submitting assessed work. You will find the marking criteria are available to students via Blackboard (on the BSc Psychology community space and in Blackboard spaces linked to individual units).
The grades applied to individual pieces of work are based on a categorical marking scheme, which was originally based on a lettering system (e.g. B+, B, B-). This means that we do not use all the possible numbers between 0 and 100, but (in most cases) restrict grades to a 17-point scale. This scale is applied across the University and helps to ensure consistency across markers. The table below details the 17 grades it is possible to be awarded using this scale.
| Degree Classification | Grade | Letter-based Equivalent |
| First Class | 100 | A++ |
| 90 | A+ | |
| 80 | A | |
| 74 | A- | |
| Upper Second Class | 68 | B+ |
| 65 | B | |
| 62 | B- | |
| Lower Second Class | 58 | C+ |
| 55 | C | |
| 52 | C – | |
| Third Class | 48 | D + |
| 45 | D | |
| 42 | D – | |
| Fail | 38 | F + |
| 32 | F | |
| 20 | F – | |
| 0 | X |
5.4.3 Return of assessed work
Marked coursework will typically be returned to you via Blackboard. Dates for the return of marked work are published alongside coursework submission deadlines (typically 3 working weeks after the submission deadline). However, coursework which is submitted late may be returned to students after this.
For most assessed coursework, you will receive written feedback in addition to your grade (see the relevant unit specification, available in the Syllabus booklet, for details). Reading and reflecting on this feedback is crucial for your academic development. Although you will not be asked to submit the same coursework in the future, the feedback will provide guidance on more general elements of the work, which will be applicable to future assessments (for example, how to structure essays or present the results of research). If you do not understand your feedback, or struggle to see how to apply the advice in future assignments, you should contact the Unit Lead for further guidance.
Examination results are published via the Student Self Service System in February for Semester1 and June/July for Semester 2. If you are required to take any exams during the summer examination period, you will be notified via email, so please ensure you check your emails regularly.
In addition to your grade, you can request further feedback on your examination performance by contacting the Psychology Office, following the release of results. The feedback provided on written examination scripts will be less extensive than the feedback provided on your coursework, but you may still find it useful for planning your approach to future examinations.
Due to Data Protection requirements, Examination results will not be given by telephone or by e-mail.
5.5 Course Unit Grades
For some units, there will be a single component of assessment, weighted 100%, and the grade you receive for that assessment will be your unit grade. For other units, there will be multiple components of assessment and your unit grade will be calculated by combining the grades you achieved for each component, according to their weighted value.
Your course unit grades will be used to determine whether you can progress to the next year of study and to calculate your final degree result (see Section 7).
The pass mark for course units is 40%. If your grade on an individual piece of assessment falls below 40%, but your combined unit grade is higher than 40%, you will have passed the unit. That is, you do not need to pass each individual component of assessment in order to pass the course unit. The only exception to this rule relates to assessment marked on a pass/fail basis. For such assessments, you must pass that individual piece of work in order to pass the course unit. Further details about pass/fail assessments is provided in the relevant Unit Specifications, available in the Syllabus booklet.
5.6 What Happens if I Fail a Course Unit?*
This section refers to situations where a student fails to pass a course unit (or units) and there are no extrenuating circumstances (e.g. illness) which can account for this failure. Where students do not pass a course unit (or units) as a result of such extrenuating circumstances, this is not considered a fail (see Section 6 on Mitigating Circumstances).
Please note that there are no resit opportunities for Final Year course units and so any reference below to resit assessment applies only to the 1st and 2nd years of the degree programme.
The pass mark for all course units is 40%. Where unit marks fall below 40%, the unit has been failed (though see Section X for details of the Mitigating Circumstances policy).
5.6.1 Compensation of Failed Units
If you fail an individual course unit, but the mark falls between 30-39%, the credits for this course unit may be compensated. This is referred to as a ‘compensatable fail’. A maximum of 40 credits can be compensated in any year of study. Compensated units will keep the original mark and this will be recorded on the transcript and used in the weighted average for the calculation of the final classification.
5.6.2 Qualifying for Resits
If you fail a course unit and the mark is not compensatable (either because the grade achieved was less than 30%, or because you have exceeded the compensation limit), you may be given an opportunity to resit the unit. Crucially, you must pass course units worth a total of at least 40 credits, at first attempt and excluding compensated units, in order to be offered the opportunity to resit (i.e. you can resist a maximum of 80 credits in any year of study). If you fail to obtain the required 40 credits at first attempt, you will be withdrawn from the programme (see Section 7).
5.6.3 Resit Assessment
The pass mark for resit course units is 40%. Where resit unit marks fall below 40%, the unit has been failed and no further resit opportunities will be available (though see Section X for details of the Mitigating Circumstances policy).
As noted above, some course units are made up of multiple components of assessment. If you fail such units (and qualifying for a resit attempt), you will only be required to resit those individual assessment components where your original grade fell below 40%. In determining whether you have passed such units at resit, we recalculate your unit grade by combining the grades you have obtained for the individual assessment components (replacing grades for components which were originally failed with the grades you have achieved at resit).
You will be contacted in July with details of any resit assessments you are required to complete. If you have failed any course units, you should look out for the email communicating this information. Resit attempts for both coursework and examinations take place over the summer examination period, regardless of whether the course unit fell in Semester 1 or 2 (see Section 3.1 for specific dates). For this reason, it is crucial that you check you will be available to complete coursework or attend exams during this period.
5.7 Quality Assurance of the Assessment Process
5.7.1 Moderation
Moderation is a quality assurance process, which takes place at two points in the assessment process. An internal moderator is assigned to each course unit and is responsible for working with the unit lead to ensure that the assessment is appropriate and fair.
Before any coursework task or exam script is set as assessment, the moderator reviews it to ensure that it addresses the learning outcomes for the unit, allows students’ fair opportunity to meet the marking criteria and is free from error.
Marking takes place anonymously for both coursework and exams. The marker applies the marking criteria to assign a grade and as a guide to appropriate feedback. At this stage the scripts are moderated. The moderator reviews a sample of the marking, which includes scripts from each marker falling within every grade band, plus all scripts awarded a fail. The moderators responsibility is to ensure that:
- the level of assessment was appropriate
- the grades applied have resulted in an appropriate ranking of scripts
- the grade boundaries have been set in accordance with the marking criteria
- each individual marker has correctly applied the grade boundaries
- feedback is provided for each attribute set out in the marking criteria (e.g. SQUAWK for essays)
- the level of feedback given is adequate
The moderator cannot change individual grades. If a problem with the marking is identified, the moderator can recommend one of two actions to the Unit Lead: where the ranking of scripts is appropriate but the grades applied are too high or too low, the grades can be ‘scaled’ (i.e. all scripts are given a higher/lower grade); where the ranking of scripts is not appropriate, the scripts must be re-marked.
Following the release of results to students, the Unit Lead will publish the mean and standard deviation of the grades awarded by each of the markers.
All assessment results remain provisional until the Examination Board. Although moderation typically takes place before scripts are released to students, in exceptional circumstances it may not be possible to complete moderation in time for the handback deadline, and in this situation grades are subject to adjustment.
5.7.2 External Examination
External Examiners are individuals from another institution or organisation who monitor the assessment processes of the University to ensure fairness and academic standards. They ensure that assessment and examination procedures have been fairly and properly implemented and that decisions have been made after appropriate deliberation. They also ensure that standards of awards and levels of student performance are comparable with those in equivalent higher education institutions.
The External Examiners for the BSc Psychology are Dr Fraser Milton (University of Exeter) and Dr Myles Jones (University of Sheffield).
Please note that it is inappropriate for students to make direct contact with External Examiners under any circumstances, in particular with regards to a student’s individual performance in assessments. Other appropriate mechanisms are available for students, including the University’s appeals or complaints procedures and the UMSU Advice Centre. In cases where a student does contact an External Examiner directly, External Examiners have been requested not to respond to direct queries. Instead, External Examiners should report the matter to the School contact who will then contact the student to remind them of the other methods available for students. If students have any queries concerning this, they should contact the Psychology Office.
External Examiners’ reports relating to the degree programme are shared with student Reps at the Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC), where details of any actions carried out by the programme team/School in response to the External Examiners’ comments will be discussed. Students should contact their student Reps if they require any further information about External Examiners’ reports or the process for considering them.