Academic Registry

Assessment and Examination

Assessment and Examination

On these pages you can find a guide to assessment at BNU, how coursework assignments and exams contribute to your overall result (at both module and course level), as well as information on the marking and moderation process.

You will also find information about the operation of exams, including details of exam weeks, venues and what can and cannot be taken into the exam room. You will also find information about the way in which the University promotes assessment integrity and in particular how you can properly reference sources you use in your assignments.

On a practical level, you can find out what steps you can take if you are taken ill unexpectedly or have another type of exceptional circumstance, as well as what options are available to you if you fail a particular piece of work or module.

Finally, we have put together a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the assessment process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Details of all assessments for a module should be provided to you at the start of the year in your Programme Handbook.

For each assignment you will also receive a written ‘assessment brief’ which will give you the following information:

  • The nature of the assignment to be undertaken
  • The format for presentation, e.g. electronic submission or hard copy
  • How the assignment relates to the learning outcomes to be assessed
  • Constraints or restrictions on the assignment, e.g. word count limits
  • Other requirements, e.g. referencing of sources, confidentiality
  • Assessment criteria against which the quality of your assignment will be marked
  • The procedure, date and deadline for submission of your assignment
  • The expected date and format for return of feedback on your assignment

You are strongly advised to keep a copy of all work you have submitted for assessment.

Your assessment brief will give you instructions as to how, when and where to submit your assignments. In most cases, you will be expected to submit written coursework electronically via Turnitin.

You are strongly advised to keep a copy of all your work submitted for assessment.

If you have a specific learning disability you may be able to request ‘reasonable adjustments’. You will need to provide a diagnostic assessment indicating the extent and the ways in which your disability affects your performance.

Please contact Disability Support and refer to the Reasonable Adjustments for Disabled Students Policy for information on the adjustments that you may be entitled to and how to submit a request.

Please refer to the Exceptional Circumstances section.

Yes. If your work is to be given a percentage mark, you can submit your work up to 10 working days after the submission date using the same submission instructions as on your original assignment brief even if you have not had a formal extension agreed.

The work will be marked as if it was submitted on time, but the mark will subsequently be ‘capped’ or restricted to a maximum mark of 40%. Work submitted after 10 working days will not be marked and will be recorded as a ‘non-submission’.

If your work is going to be marked on a Pass or Fail basis only (i.e. it is not given a percentage mark), then late submission is not allowed. This is to ensure that you do not gain an advantage by submitting late.

Late submission is not permitted for reassessment work.

If you have a mark of 40% or above (or a ‘Pass’ grade) you are deemed to have passed the assignment and you are not normally allowed to submit the work again to improve your mark. An exception is if you have had mitigating circumstances accepted for the work – in which case you can choose to resubmit the work in the normal reassessment period after the Assessment Board. You will not be penalised by taking this course of action and will always receive the higher mark.

In case of failed assignments (a mark of under 40%), the Assessment Board will decide whether you are able to undertake reassessment work, taking your overall academic profile into account. Reassessment limits are indicated in the regulations that apply to your award, normally the Academic Assessment Regulations.