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Marking and Assessment Boycott
CONCLUSION OF MARKING AND ASSESSMENT BOYCOTT
Queen’s and UCU have reached an agreement to end the Marking and Assessment Boycott – the first settlement of its kind across the UK. This local outcome is the result of several weeks of intensive work between the two sides and means that those students affected will receive their classification as a matter of urgency. Marking will be completed as soon as possible and by 7 August to allow exam boards to finalise all results by the end of the summer.
UPDATES
General Information (All Students)
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Is the marking boycott over?
Yes – the University and the Queen’s branch of the UCU have reached an agreement to end the Marking and Assessment Boycott – the first settlement of its kind across the UK. This local outcomes is the result of several weeks of intensive work between the two sides and means that those students affected will receive their classification as a matter of urgency. Marking will be completed as soon as possible and by 7 August 2023. After this Boards of Examiners will meet to ratify the marks so that they can be published to you by the end of the summer.
- Will my work now be marked and when will I get my results?
Yes – a commitment has been made that work will be marked by 7 August 2023 for all students impacted by MAB including graduating students, pre-final year students and postgraduate students. Once the work has been marked it will then have to go to a Board of Examiners so that the marks can be ratified. The dates for the Boards of Examiners will vary between Schools depending on how many modules have been impacted and therefore how many results have to be processed. Schools are working on arranging Board of Examiners during August and it is our aim that students will have their confirmed marks published by the end of the summer.
We know that for some of you, you are hoping to progress to further study or graduate jobs and need your classification as soon as possible – we are working as hard as we can to get marks ratified as soon as possible. But in the meantime, the information in the section below in relation to Employment, placements and Further Study is still relevant.
For information on how Boards of Examiners work and why we still need to have them please see below.
- Why can I not get my marks on 7th August 2023?
Once work is marked the marks then need to go through a range of quality checks before they can be published. The quality checks are undertaken by a Board of Examiners. Schools are currently arranging additional Boards in August following the conclusion of marking. The ease with which a Board can be organised will depend on how many modules have been impacted in a School and across how many subject areas. Professional regulations for some subject areas also have additional criteria for the Boards depending on the accrediting body – but we know you want your results and are working hard to get the Boards organised as soon as is reasonably possible.
For more information on the work of Boards of Examiners please see below.
- What is a Board of Examiners, and how does it determine final marks?
Each Subject has a Board of Examiners, which is drawn from the academic staff teaching the subject, and also includes an external examiner. The external examiner is normally a senior academic from another University or, where relevant, a senior practitioner.
The University uses a conceptual equivalents scale for the assessment of student work and the marking of all summative assessments should be in alignment with the relevant descriptors and criteria. The use of this scale promotes accuracy, reliability and transparency in marking and fairness in the way all students are assessed which is crucial to maintaining academic standards and ensuring a high-quality degree. Work normally has a first and second marker. Once marks are agreed they are submitted to the Board of Examiners for approval.
Boards of Examiners agree final marks for all modules in their subject by ensuring that appropriate moderation procedures have been applied. Normally, these procedures include:
- The production of assessment criteria for each module.
- Internal procedures for marking and checking of marks.
- Internal procedures for ensuring consistency and equity of marking, both within a cohort and over time.
During this period, Boards of Examiners are encouraged to take additional measures to ensure the normal moderation procedures take account of the general impact of industrial action. These measures include:
- Recalibration of the assessment criteria, where necessary, so that academic standards are maintained at the appropriate level while taking account of the degree of impact of the industrial action.
- Increased scrutiny of the average result of each assessment taken to ensure they are comparable with previous cohorts.
External examiners play an important role in assuring the Board that its assessment standards are comparable with those of other institutions. External examiners provide formal feedback to the University via annual reports which are made available to students.
If you have specific questions regarding your School’s Board of Examiners, please contact your School Office.
- Can I appeal a decision of my School Board of Examiners to the Faculty Student Appeals Committee?
Under the Academic Appeals Regulations (Taught Programmes), you may appeal a decision of the Board of Examiners about progression, assessment or awards.
However, you cannot challenge academic judgement. Therefore, you cannot appeal a mark you have been assigned, the decision not to assign a mark, or the decision not to apply the concession relating to progression requirements. Additional marks will not be awarded as a result of an appeal.
If you have marks on your transcript noted as PAS or MNA or if you have been completed with Classification Pending or with Title Provisional Classification Pending: your marks/degree classification/degree title are currently unconfirmed and cannot be appealed at this time. Once confirmed, you will be advised of your right to submit an appeal under the Academic Appeals Regulations (Taught Programmes). You will also be advised of the deadline for appeal.
Further information on the appeals process is available on the Academic Affairs website.
2022-23 Final Year Students
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I am a final year undergraduate student. When will i receive my final degree?
It has been agreed that work will be marked by 7th August to allow marks to be processed by Exam Boards and published later in the summer. Results will be published no later than 29 August 2023. You will then be issued with your degree title and classification.
As a final year undergraduate student in 2022-23 who was impacted by the marking and assessment boycott, there are a number of possible outcomes in relation to the award of your degree:
- Where marks were available for all of your modules (either final or assigned marks) and you met the relevant programme requirements, you have been awarded your Degree with Classification for the programme on which you were registered. If assigned marks were used to calculate your classification, this classification was provisional until final marks were confirmed. However, we made a commitment that your classification would not be lowered. Where an assigned module mark is replaced by an improved final module mark now that marks are available and where this impacts on the degree classification awarded to you, this will be referred to the Programme Board of Examiners for ratification.
- Where some of your marks were unavailable because of the boycott, your degree outcome was dependant on the number of credits that you were awarded overall (either by final or assigned marks). Each module you have taken on your programme is worth a specific amount of credit points (typically 10, 20 or 40 credits).
- Where marks were not available for up to 40 credits, and you met the relevant programme requirements, you will have been awarded your Degree with Classification Pending for the programme on which you were registered. This confirmed that you had met the minimum requirements to be awarded your degree but that we were unable to calculate your classification as all results are not available at the time. Now that final marks are available, your classification will be determined and awarded where all modules have been passed. If you have failed modules that were initially returned as MNA as boycott related missing marks, you will be provided an opportunity to resit these modules. Your School will be in touch with you to confirm details of these. If you opt not to undertake the resit opportunity provided, the failed module mark(s) will be used to calculate your degree classification. You should discuss the impact undertaking the resit assessment will have on your degree classification (if any) with your School. For example, you may not need the credit to complete your programme and raising the module mark to a capped mark may not improve your final classification.
- Where marks were not available for up to 80 credits, you will have been awarded a Degree with Title Provisional Classification Pending. Now that final marks are available, we will confirm your degree title and classification where all modules have been passed.
- If you have failed modules that were initially returned as MNA as boycott related missing marks, you will be provided with an opportunity to resit these modules. Your School will be in touch with you to confirm details of these. If you opt not to undertake the resit opportunity provided, your degree will be awarded in line with the below you may be eligible to be awarded your degree for the programme on which you were registered, depending on the number of modules you have passed and your programme requirements, or you will awarded an Ordinary Degree. You should discuss the implications of not undertaking your resit assessment with your School. When your current classification is updated, a new parchment will be issued. You will receive an email from etranscripts@qub.ac.uk no later than 31 August 2023 with your updated electronic transcript. Please ensure that you check your Queen’s email account.
- Will I get a parchment for my true classification once my marks are returned and what will it say?
Yes – we will issue you with a full parchment which will include your degree title and classification once your full marks have been ratified. Your degree parchment will be posted to you from week commencing 4 September 2023. Please refer to email from etranscripts@qub.ac.uk when you receive your updated electronic transcript for instructions regarding postage/collection.
Resits
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When will be resits be scheduled?
If you need to retake any assessments that were disrupted by the marking and assessment boycott, these will be scheduled as early as possible. You must take all resits by the end of the 2023-24 academic year. Resit assessments will be completed under the standard Study Regulations and will be capped at the pass mark for degree classification purposes. Your resit assessments may be in an alternative format to the original assessment method, but rest assured that the same learning outcomes will be assessed.
Resit assessments may be offered outside of the normal assessment periods. However, we recognise that some students may require additional flexibility to complete these in the supplementary assessment period.
We recognise, in particular, that final year students from 2022-23 may require additional flexibility on when you attend the resit assessment within the opportunities offered in 2023-24, given that you may now be in full-time work or further study.
Employment, Placement or Further Study
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I have an offer of employment that is conditional on a degree classification or want to move into employment after graduation. What support is available to me?
Support available from our Careers, Employability and Skills team
In supporting your transition from Queen’s into employment, you can make an appointment to speak with one of our team, via MyFuture and select Marking and Assessment Quick Query.
Helping you search for employment
If you don’t yet have an employment offer, you can search job vacancies on our MyFuture platform.
You can also make an appointment with our CES team for Careers advice and guidance by selecting the Careers Service consultation appointment option in the MyFuture platform.
Getting in touch with the Careers, Employability and Skills team
The Careers, Employability and Skills Service is open throughout the summer and all of the Services are set out on our webpages.
You can also contact the team in person via the Student Information Point on Level 1 in One Elmwood Student Centre.
If you need a transcript to evidence your performance to date please see the FAQ above.
- I am a final year student studying at Queen’s and I have applied to progress on to postgraduate study at Queen’s. What should I do?
If you have applied for postgraduate study with us and have been adversely impacted by the marking and assessment boycott, we are here to help.
Please be reassured that the University will consider all applicants wishing to progress to postgraduate study at Queen’s, based on whether they have completed and passed all modules for which their marks are currently available.
We will make our assessment on your application based on your weighted average and will exercise flexibility within current University regulations. We already have your academic transcript so there is no need for you to send this to us.
If you want to contact us, please send us an email to: postgrad.admissions@qub.ac.uk
- I am a final year student studying at another UK university and I have applied to progress on to postgraduate study at Queen’s. What do I need to do next?
If you are completing your undergraduate studies at another UK university and have been adversely impacted by the marking and assessment boycott, we are here to help you.
We will assess your application on the same basis as we do for Queen’s students progressing to postgraduate study.
We require a letter from your UK university confirming that you have completed your studies.
We will also need a copy of your academic transcript, so please forward this to postgrad.admissions@qub.ac.uk.
This will allow us to complete the assessment of your application as soon as possible.
- I am a final year student at Queen’s and I have applied to another university for progression to postgraduate study. The university I am applying to requires a letter of completion and my academic transcript to consider my application. What do I need to do?
Although we have now confirmed that you will have your marks at the end of the summer, we will still issue you an interim transcript to help you apply for further study at another university. Between 3rd and 9th July, Queen’s Registry Services will issue your official transcript with a supporting letter to your Queen’s email address; you do not need to apply for one. If you have already requested a transcript through the normal process and paid the fee this will be reimbursed to you.
The documents will confirm that you have successfully graduated from the University and explain why your transcript is currently incomplete. This is very much an interim measure to help you progress your further study applications. Once the marking and assessment boycott is over and we can confirm your marks, you will be issued with your final degree certificate.
You will be able to share this information with the university you have applied to.
Graduation
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When I get my classification will I able to attend another graduation ceremony in order to celebrate my classification?
Yes- we are also committed to providing the option of attending a future graduation ceremony for those students who have been impacted and details will be provided as soon as possible. You will receive an email from etranscripts@qub.ac.uk when further information becomes available on this.
- Where can I find out more information about graduation?
For questions relating to Graduation please go to the Graduation FAQ page where you will find more information on how to register – and the fee waivers which have been applied this year.
Pre Final Year Students
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What happens if, when published, my missing marks are fails – can I still progress to next year in those circumstances?
Yes- though you will have to still pass the failed module(s) at some point. Your School will advise you once the marks have been published when you will be given the opportunity to resit your failed modules.
Where you have fails on modules which were not impacted by MAB, these will normally need to be passed before you progress to next year. (see section below relating to Supplementary Assessment Period).
International Students
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What happens if I am applying for the graduate route visa and I do not have my marks?
If you are marked as successfully complete on Qsis, the Immigration Support Service (ISS) will report your eligibility for the Graduate Route Visa to UKVI and confirm this by emailing you directly. If you are not marked as complete on Qsis please email isscompliance@qub.ac.uk for advice.
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What is the impact of cancelled activities on sponsored students?
There will be no impact to your student visa due to cancelled activities. If you are required to engage with your studies during the summer months, the normal engagement monitoring arrangements will be in place. If you require further guidance, please email isscompliance@qub.ac.uk
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Student visa holders and the Graduate Route
Student visa holders who are eligible for and intend to make an application for the Graduate Route have been granted a concession by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) over delays to grades.
Students planning to make a Graduate Route application but who are not eligible to graduate due to the marking and assessment boycott will be able to apply to extend their Student visa permission from within the UK whilst they wait for their results.
The University will automatically confirm to UKVI if you have successfully completed your course.
Information on the Graduate Route can be found here: https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/iss/OtherVisas/Graduate-Route/.
Support available to youThe Immigration Support Service offers drop-in sessions at the Student Information Point on level one, One Elmwood Student Centre, Monday to Friday, 2.00pm - 3.00pm or you can email the team directly at immigration@qub.ac.uk
The Immigration Support Service team will directly contact a small number of students who are not able to graduate at this time.
Postgraduate Research Students
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My Viva was cancelled due to the marking and assessment boycott as my External Examiner is participating in the marking and assessment boycott – what happens now?
Your School will be in touch to re -arrange your Viva as soon as possible.
The marking and assessment boycott continues at other universities. Therefore, if your external examiner is participating in this strike action, this may still have an impact on your viva. Schools will continue to liaise with students impacted. If you are a student visa holder and are concerned that this may delay your studies past your visa end data, please contact immigration@qub.ac.uk for advice.
You are encouraged to speak to your supervisor, in the first instance, if you have any specific concerns.