How do students receive their assessment/exam results?
Students receive a full summary of their assessment/exam results after the Exam Board has sat after the exam period at the end of the second semester. The results are available for students to view on MAP (My Aston Portal) and a paper copy of their transcript is set by post to their home address.
Any coursework that is set during the academic year will be marked and returned to students with feedback normally within 6 weeks of the work being handed-in.
What happens if they fail an exam?
In order to proceed to the next year of study students are required to have 120 credits, i.e. they must have obtained a pass for each module. If a student fails an exam (i.e. scores less than 40%) they will normally be required to retake the exam in the referred examination period which is held before the start of the next academic year. Referred exam results are capped at 40%, which means that the highest mark that will be recorded for the module is 40%. Students are given three attempts to pass an exam. If they are unable to pass by the third attempt the student will have to repeat the whole academic year.
What happens if they miss an exam?
If a student misses an exam through no fault of their own (e.g. they are ill) and the absence can be verified by evidence (e.g. a doctor’s note), then the student should write to the Exam Board to explain the absence. Normally, the Exam Board will allow the student to take the missing exam as a ‘deferred’ exam. That means that the exam will not be capped at 40%.
However, if a student misses an exam through avoidable circumstances (e.g. forgetting to set the alarm clock), the Exam Board will not normally allow the exam to be ‘deferred’. They will request the student to retake the exam as a referred exam and the result will be capped at 40%.
What are “Extenuating Circumstances”?
Extenuating Circumstances are factors that are outside of a student’s control which may affect a student’s performance in a module. Such circumstances could involve either long term issues, such as a prolonged illness which has meant that a student has missed several lectures, a bereavement which could adversely affect a students general performance or a one-off incident which just affected the day of the exam, such as a minor car crash which has left the student shaken but he/she has attended the exam.
It is important for the student to bring to the attention of the Exam Board (by writing a letter of extenuating circumstances) any factor that they think has affected their performance in a module. This must be done before the Exam Board sits i.e. before the results are released. This can then be taken into account in reference to assessment.
When are exams held?
There are two key examination periods throughout the year for students. The first is at the end of the first semester, which falls after the Christmas vacation, and the second is at the end of the second semester (normally around end of May/beginning of June). If students have to sit referred exams, these normally take place at the end of August/beginning of September. Students are provided with an academic year calendar which details the exam periods for each year. This is distributed at the beginning of each year.
Every student is also provided with a personalised examination timetable approximately three weeks prior to their first exam. It is important that they check this timetable to ensure there are no clashes. We cannot change the times of examinations to suit student travel arrangements and it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they are in the right place at the right time.
What teaching methods are used at Aston University?
The teaching methods used at Aston University include; lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work, independent study, research
What assessment methods are used at Aston University?
The assessment methods used at Aston University include; class tests, online assessments, exams, essays, case study, report writing, research projects etc. The method of assessment used in modules is clearly detailed in the module outline, which students will have access to from the beginning of the academic year.
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