Board of Examiners' outcomes (undergraduate students)

During your studies you’ll take a number of modules, which are assessed by coursework (including in-class tests and presentations) and/or exams.

Each module will be made up of units of assessment which will each have their own weighting towards the overall module aggregate. When calculating the module aggregate the marks for all units are combined according to their weightings. For information on module weightings, you can use the Module Directory.

In most cases the pass mark for each module is 40. If your reassessment is capped the maximum mark you can achieve for the affected module, following reassessment, is the pass mark, i.e - 40.

It’s important to know that there are variations to the Rules of Assessment in different departments. For example, in some modules, achieving the standard pass mark of 40 may not be sufficient to achieve a pass overall in that module.

All reassessment offered is capped, unless you have been offered an uncapped ‘First Sit’ due to accepted extenuating circumstances. Please note, whilst named a ‘First Sit’, this is only in reference to the fact that it does not count as one of your three attempts at assessment in a module, previous marks and attempts may still appear on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). For full details on the above and any departmental variations that may apply please see the Rules of Assessment.

If your results show that you have a decision to make on the outcomes you've been offered and/or which reassessment you will be undertaking, there are set deadlines by which you must select your choices on the web results page.

For the September 2023-24 reassessment period the main decision deadline is midnight on Wednesday 2 October. 

If you do not make a decision by Wednesday 2 October, an outcome will be imposed for you based on the options you have been granted. If you are appealing your outcomes, we would still advise you choose your preferred outcome by the relevant deadline. If your appeal is successful, your outcome will be amended accordingly.

Please note that this deadline may be different for some courses. Please check the information in your Board of Examiners outcome email or contact your department to confirm your deadline.

In the 2023-24 Academic Year we will hold in-person examinations for the majority of our modules, although some may be remote. If your assessment was in- person in the Summer, your reassessment will also be in-person.

Details on whether a module will be holding in person or remote examinations can be found on the Module Directory.

If you had an accepted extenuating circumstances claim, the action taken by the Board of Examiners will be noted on your results webpage.

If the Board of Examiners decides that your reassessment will be treated as an uncapped ‘First Sit’, due to extenuating circumstances, then your mark will not be capped upon reassessment.

The Rules of Assessment state that you have a maximum of three opportunities to undertake assessment in a module, however, the Board of Examiners can grant additional attempts where there are accepted extenuating circumstances.

If you decide to undertake reassessment over the Summer, or without attendance, in a module in which you have already had an academic offences penalty applied; this penalty will continue to apply to your reassessments. Please bear this in mind when selecting your progression option.

It is essential for your continued progression on your course that you undertake all compulsory reassessment that you have been offered.

If you choose to undertake any of the voluntary reassessment you have been offered, but then you change your mind, you need to email examboards@essex.ac.uk  as soon as possible so that we can advise you on next steps.

If you do not undertake the voluntary reassessment you have chosen to undertake and do not let us know, the Board of Examiners can reinstate your previous module mark, however this will show as an attempt at assessment on your HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report).

If you choose to undertake a combination of compulsory and voluntary reassessments, it is important that you prioritise passing your failed modules, particularly any modules which are core for your course. You will not be able to progress to your next year of study, or be awarded your full Honours Degree, without passing all core modules and achieving the required number of credits.

If you have been offered voluntary reassessment, but you’ve decided not to take it, you will retain your current marks. Please note, you are not able to request this reassessment at a later date.

If you undertake any reassessment, compulsory or voluntary, all attempts at your assessment will show on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), even where undertaken as a ‘First Sit'.

If you choose to accept the voluntary reassessment you are offered, but do not undertake it, your HEAR will show your previous assessment mark but will count the missed reassessment as an attempt.

Academic transcript

Your academic transcript will be available electronically as part of your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) within five working days of your results being released. If you have been given a choice of outcomes, your HEAR will not update until five working days after you have confirmed your decision. Please note, the HEAR will not update if you are undertaking further reassessment this Academic Year, I.e., over the Summer, until your final marks for this year have been released after the September Reassessment Boards. We therefore advise that, if you are undertaking Summer reassessment, you take a screenshot of your results page for your information.

You can access your HEAR and securely share it with others via your GradIntelligence account.

We no longer issue hard copies of students’ transcripts as standard. Please contact award-docs@essex.ac.uk should you require further assistance.

Award certificate

Your electronic award certificate will be available on your GradIntelligence account, alongside your HEAR, within five working days of your award being conferred. If you have been given a choice of outcomes, this will be available five working days after you have confirmed your decision to accept the award.

If after reassessment you have been granted a higher award, or have improved your classification, you will receive a new hard copy award certificate which will be sent to you.

The Graduation and Awards Team will contact all graduates via their Essex emails to confirm where the certificate should be posted. If you do not confirm your address by the deadline stated by the Graduation and Awards Team when they contact you, your certificate will be posted to your home address on MyEssex.

Please contact award-docs@essex.ac.uk if you require further assistance.

Graduation ceremonies

We are very pleased to confirm that we are running Spring Graduation Ceremonies between Monday 7 and Friday 11 April 2025 on our Colchester Campus. All expected graduates will be contacted with information about when their ceremony will be and how to book in due course. Please ensure your external email address is up to date in MyEssex so that we can stay in touch. All updates will be published on our Graduation website. Please contact graduation@essex.ac.uk should you have any queries in the meantime.

The Board of Examiners applies the Rules of Assessment and makes decisions based on academic grounds. It is not always possible for a sponsored student to choose some of the academic options offered by the Board of Examiners due to the immigration rules, regulations and guidance. It is your responsibility to check our immigration pages and outcome guide for guidance on how possible outcomes may affect your visa.

If you complete your course earlier than expected the University will be required to report this to the UK Home Office, which may mean your visa will expire early. The International Services Team will email you when a report is made to the UK Home Office to advise you further. In the meantime, if you require advice, please contact our International Student Advisors by completing the online immigration enquiry form.

As a student sponsor, the University must comply with all Home Office requirements. Please read our immigration guidance on Board of Examiner decisions. If it is recommended or you would like clarification before making your choice, please contact our team via the online enquiry form.

• If you are a Law student there are specific rules which apply concerning the number of assessment attempts you are permitted, the modules you can carry fails in, and the amount of time you can complete your course within when you are on an accredited course, known as a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD).
• If you fail one of the Foundations of Legal Knowledge subjects, and do not retrieve this fail, you will no longer be eligible for a QLD without a successful application for exemption to the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority or Bar Standards Board.
• The lack of a QLD will affect you if you are hoping to qualify as a barrister or solicitor in England or Wales. This may also have implications for the recognition of your degree in other countries.
• If you choose to graduate carrying a fail in a Final Year Foundations of Legal Knowledge module, you will be offered only ONE additional reassessment attempt. If you are successful, your degree will be updated to a QLD.
• If you decide to carry the fail in a Foundations of Legal Knowledge module in Year One or Year Two, or are unsuccessful in your Final Year reassessment attempt in a Foundations of Legal Knowledge module, you will be offered ‘Reassessment for Professional Purposes’ in the next available reassessment period. If you are successful, you will get confirmation that you have completed the required module and we will notify the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board, via the Joint Academic Stage Board, however, your transcript and degree will not be updated to a QLD.
• Please note, that you can only be offered Reassessment for Professional Purposes where you have not already had three attempts at the assessment for that module, except where you have been offered an additional attempt due to accepted extenuating circumstances.
• To obtain a QLD you must also complete your degree within the required time frame, which is the length of your course plus two years. For three-year courses this means you have a maximum of five years, and for four-year courses six years to complete your degree.

We understand that results time can be disappointing and that this can be a difficult time if you’ll be leaving the University before the anticipated end of your studies.

It’s important that you access our range of student support services, so you have the right information to weigh-up the options and decide on your next steps.

• The Student Services Hub is available to offer guidance on accessing your results, deadlines and making decisions via the online portal. This team can also be contacted via Live Chat.
• Our friendly and supportive Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service is on-hand to talk through any issues you might have by emailing wellbeing@essex.ac.uk
• SU Advice provides expert and independent advice on University policies and procedures as a free service to all students. Contact them by emailing suadvice@essex.ac.uk.
• Other good points of contact to talk through your next steps are your departmental personal tutor and the University’s Careers Services.

You may decide that you want to continue your studies at another institution. Your Higher Education Achievement Record provides a record of your achievements at our University, which you can make available to another institution.

If you are repeating the year or repeating modules on a part-time basis you will be able to register online in the normal manner.

If you are undertaking reassessment without attendance, you will be registered automatically.

Find out more about registration.

Tuition fees

If you are entitled to the Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance England, this will cover the tuition for the ordinary duration of your course, plus one additional year (known as a ‘gift year’), minus any previous years of study at Higher Education level.

You will be eligible for tuition fee funding for a repeat year or part-time repeat, where you have not yet used your additional year of funding or had previous Higher Education funding prior to your current course. If you have previously studied at Higher Education level or already used your additional year of funding, you will need to fund your own tuition fees during any repeated studies, i.e. a repeat year or if repeating modules on a part-time basis.

When funding is affected by previous study, you will not be able to get a tuition fee loan but should still be able to access the maintenance loan and additional grants such as the Parents Learning Allowance or Disabled Student Allowance as usual.

Compelling personal reasons

There is an exception to the previous study rules, which is if you have had extenuating circumstances for not completing a year of study. If this applies to you, you can write to Student Finance England to request an additional year of funding. Student Finance call this ‘compelling personal reasons’. You need to write a letter to explain how the compelling personal reasons have affected your studies and submit supporting evidence. UK Home funded students can submit this request via their online account, EU students need to post it. If your request is successful, your tuition fee loan will be reinstated.

You only need to submit a ‘compelling personal reasons’ request if you have already used your ‘gift year’ or have studied previously.

Please contact the Funding Team (funding@essex.ac.uk) for further advice on compelling personal reasons if required.

If you are undertaking reassessment without attendance, you will not be fully registered or liable for tuition fees, you’ll only need to pay the relevant resit costs and therefore this will not count as a year’s funding entitlement. As such you will not be eligible for any funding from Student Finance England as they generally only provide support for students in attendance.

Any student who is in debt to the University will normally be required to pay the debt before registering for the next academic year. If you are unable to pay the debt, you should contact the Student Services Hub for advice and support.

You can request to change your course via the Student Request Portal - where you can also find out more about:

• requesting a special syllabus
• intermitting
• withdrawing

If the Board of Examiners require you or have offered you the option to change course and continue your studies and you select this outcome, you will not need to request a course change to action this, it will automatically be actioned for you. For information on course changes due to Board of Examiners outcomes please see the relevant pages which will be linked to on your web results outcome page.

For further information, see the changing course webpages.

If you are considering making an appeal against a decision made by the Board of Examiners, it’s important to be aware that there are limited grounds and strict deadlines for submitting an appeal. Check the deadlines as soon as possible on the appeals webpage.

You are encouraged to discuss your results with your department. You can also contact the SU Advice team for support with completing your appeal by emailing suadvice@essex.ac.uk.