Guide to assessment
Helping you prepare for your assessments
- Remember to check your online exam timetable regularly and in advance of the exam period.
- You can contact our Exams Team for advice and support, including via Live Chat (click the button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page)
- See our information about exam arrangements.
If you have any questions about your assessment or your course or modules, please contact the Professional Services team in your Department or School. They are there to support you so please do make the most of them. They have a wealth of knowledge on all the support available in your Department or School and can help if you’re not sure how or who to contact.
Please remember to contact your Personal Tutor if you need them. You can talk to them if you have any questions about your course or if you’re having any difficulties with your studies.
We provide a wide range of academic skills support. There are webinars and individual support sessions provided by the Skills for Success team. Events are bookable via CareerHub. Please book a place, or if you have a specific enquiry, please ask the Student Services Hub: we are here to help.
You can also talk to our Library Team, they are there to help you and provide advice about resources to support your exam preparation.
Your academic success matters to us as does your wider experience and wellbeing as a member of the Essex community. Our Student Services Hubs for Colchester, Southend and Loughton can provide information on our range of mental health and emotional support services.
You can also seek free and independent advice from the helpful staff in SU Advice.
Reassessment
Undergraduate students
If you need to undertake reassessment this will be offered in the following Academic Year, you will not be able to progress to your next year of study until you have successfully completed your reassessment and have met the requirements to progress.
If you have attempted reassessment in your failed modules, you can be considered for carrying or trailing the reassessment. This is only permitted where you have failed up to 30 non-core credits, which includes any previously carried failed credits. This means if you previously carried 30 credits, you would not be able to trail or carry any credits in future years, or if you previously carried 15 credits, you could only be considered for carrying or trailing a maximum of 15 non-core credits.
Carrying credits means progressing to your next year without undertaking any further reassessment in your failed credits. The fail will remain on your Higher Education Achievement Report and you will not be offered any further opportunities for reassessment in these failed modules in the future. You can only fail a maximum of 30 non-core credits across your whole honours degree to still be eligible for the award.
Trailing reassessment means progressing to your next year and having another reassessment attempt, I.e., resubmitting coursework or undertaken a resit examination, to recover the fail in the trailed module.
Postgraduate students
If you need reassessment in up to 60 credits, the Board of Examiners will offer you a choice of when you wish to undertake this reassessment. This may be at the earliest opportunity offered by the department, or after the Final Exam Board has met.
How reassessment will be offered
Your module mark will be capped at the relevant pass mark (40 for Undergraduate students and 50 for Postgraduate students). All resits count as one of your attempts at assessment in a module, please note there is a maximum number of attempts at assessment you are allowed in a module (three for Undergraduate students and two for Postgraduate students). If you are offered reassessment due to Extenuating Circumstances, this will be for uncapped marks and will not count as one of your attempts at assessment.
Minimum requirements
You must meet minimum requirements to be eligible to be offered reassessment. Except where there are accepted Extenuating Circumstances, the minimum requirements must be met for reassessment opportunities to be offered. You will be withdrawn and considered for an exit award, where:
- You are an Undergraduate student and achieve a year mark below 20;
- You have failed a module at the final attempt permitted (third for Undergraduate and second for Postgraduate students unless otherwise stated in the Variations);
- You have not engaged in any of your assessments or reassessments;
- Offering you reassessment would result in you being unable to complete your studies within your maximum study period.
- You are a Postgraduate student who has not passed the specified number of credits at a first attempt to be eligible for either an award or an exit award.
Courses with external professional or regulatory requirements
The Board of Examiners may be limited in the outcomes or reassessment that can be offered and the action it is able to take in the case of Extenuating Circumstances where there are external professional or regulatory requirements or other restrictions.
Contact your your department if you are unsure whether your course has such requirements and, if it does, to enquire into what these are.
