Students Studying for Lancaster University Or Pearson BTEC Awards Only

Students studying for Lancaster University or Pearson BTEC awards only

Notes to accompany notification of results

Please read carefully as some regulations have changed – changes in red text

Your Student Results Record is a statement of your results and overall recommendation after all processes of internal and external examining have been completed, and after the relevant Board(s) of Examiners have met to discuss your results and make recommendations. It is possible that as a result of second marking and moderation, the marks shown will not be the same as the provisional marks given in feedback during the year.

Please note that the recommendations of our boards remain subject to the final approval of the awarding institution.

Students often have difficulty in interpreting their recommendation, so a handy crib is given below.

Keyword(s) Meaning Award The board of Examiners has recommended that an award should be made. The nature of the award will also be specified. Award CertHE The Examiners have recommended the award of a Certificate of Higher Education following the irrevocable failure of a Foundation Degree Award DipHE The Examiners have recommended the award of a Diploma of Higher Education following the irrevocable failure of an Honours Degree Condone One or more modules have been failed but the Examiners recommend that this should be forgiven. Continue You have not reached the next point at which your continuation on your programme will be decided. The marks listed are now agreed but no other decision was required at this time. Deferred No decision was taken in your case for the reason specified. Exit The inclusion of this word indicates that the award recommended will terminate your registration for the award you originally intended to achieve Fail You have failed your course and are not permitted to repair or repeat your studies Fail, Repeat Year You have failed your course but are permitted to repeat the level that you have just completed. All previous marks for this level will be deleted and no limits are placed on the marks you can achieve at the next attempt.

Students on Lancaster University awards have a new right to one automatic repeat of a failed level 4. If you have failed level 4 and have this right your results will show “Fail, Repeat Year”. In these cases, student have the right to one of the following:

 A complete retake of level 4 as stated above  External reassessment of failed elements. This involves no additional support or attendance, students merely complete the new versions of failed assessment (including attending any necessary examinations). Only one attempt at each failed assessment is permitted. Students undertaking external reassessment incur no fees but are not entitled to student loans. If successful after external reassessment, students progress to their main programme at the next entry point paying full fees and with normal student loan entitlements.  Start another programme at level 4. Entry to another programme is entirely at the discretion of the relevant programme team, who are under no obligation to accept students they do not consider would be successful. No further repeat of any level 4 would be permitted.

If you intend to exercise any of these rights you must contact your course team within 14 days of your results being published. Students studying for Lancaster University or Pearson BTEC awards only

Proceed You have reached a point at which you need the formal permission of the Examiners to proceed on your programme and have been granted this permission Reassess for Pass Degree You have failed an honours degree by too large a margin for any degree to be awarded but are granted permission to repair your failed modules in order to be able to qualify for a degree without honours. Reassessment Required You have failed one or more modules but have been granted permission to repair these in order to qualify for an award (or to proceed) at the next board. Your mark for the module will be capped at a pass. Recent changes in regulations result in this decision having different meanings at different levels of awards.

At level 4 Students at level 4 have a right to reassessment of any/all failed modules no matter how badly they are failed. Reassessment is mandatory, if it is refused or failed then the affected modules are failed.

At level 5 All students at level 5 have the right of reassessment in any/all failed modules. This used not to be the case for students studying for Foundation Degrees or Ordinary Degrees. For students progressing from level 5 to level 6 of an honours degree programme reassessment is mandatory and if it is refused or failed the affected modules are failed.

For students studying for Foundation Degrees or Ordinary Degrees there can be circumstances where reassessment is optional and if reassessment is declined a condoned degree can be awarded. All such students will show ‘Reassessment Required’ on their results, but will have been contacted by email at their student email addresses to explain their rights. If you do not receive such an email within 7 days of your results being published then you do not have the option to decline the reassessment. Students who do not reply to this email by the deadline stated in it will be made the condoned award at the next board. Students who are eligible for a condoned award may opt to take reassessment in order to improve their failed module grades to a pass. If this results in an improvement in their overall classification then the higher classification will be awarded at the next board.

At level 6 Reassessment is only permitted in limited circumstances where a degree has been failed and the extent of failure could be redeemed. Reassessment at level 6 is mandatory. If the reassessment is declined or is attempted and failed the degree will be failed.

Refer to Committee of Senate You have failed more modules than can be Condoned by the Examiners and as a result have failed your degree. However, the Examiners have referred your case to the University's Committee of Senate with a request that the committee considers whether it should use its powers to permit the award of a degree notwithstanding the failures. The final decision as to whether or not to award a degree and, if so, in which class rests entirely with that committee.

Repeat Year Approved You have been granted a repeat year, for example as a consequence of a Mitigating Circumstances application. You are permitted to repeat the level that you have just completed. All previous marks for this level will be deleted and no limits are placed on the marks you can achieve at the next attempt.

This decision is not a ‘Fail, Repeat Year’ as detailed above. There is no implication of failure and the new rights and requirements relating to level 4 repeats do not apply. Students studying for Lancaster University or Pearson BTEC awards only

Appeals & Queries

Students do not have the right to appeal against the academic judgement of Examiners providing that this is properly exercised, but do have the right to appeal against academic decisions on one or more of the following grounds:

 material administrative error or irregularity in conduct of assessment which has affected your results. • the production of significant new evidence concerning extenuating or mitigating circumstances, which for good reason had not been available to boards of examiners. • other grounds where unfair treatment or discrimination is alleged which is outside the exercise of academic judgement and which for good reason had not been brought to the attention of the boards of examiners.

Any appeal you make must be in writing and must specify what precisely you are appealing against and how your appeal falls within the grounds permitted above. Appeals are strictly evidence-based and are heard by a panel. The panel considers the strength of the evidence provided, the impact of the circumstances disclosed on your results and the extent to which any disadvantages that are proven have already been adjusted for within the normal assessment, marking and moderation processes before deciding whether an appeal is rejected or upheld. If an appeal is upheld the panel will recommend any remedy that it determines to be justified.

There is a strict time limit for appeals. If you wish to appeal against the decisions contained in your Student Results Record you must discuss your concerns with your programme leader (of if that would be inappropriate with the head of school) within 14 days of the day on which notification of the decision is posted to your Moodle account.

If that discussion does not resolve your concerns you can launch a formal appeal in which case I must receive a written appeal within 28 days of the day on which notification of the decision is posted to your Moodle account, by mail at the address below or by email to [email protected].

I will confirm receipt of any appeal within 7 days of receipt and will pass on further details of the appeals processes and timescales at that point.

Dr Steven Wright Academic Registrar University Centre at Blackburn College University Close Blackburn College BB2 1LH