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Asssessment and External Examining

SHORTCUTS: Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes | Faculty information on Assessment | Feedback to Students | External Examining

Assessment is at the heart of the learning experience for students. Many purposes are served by assessment, including providing a means for measuring student achievement, enabling students to obtain feedback on the quality of their learning and giving staff the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching.

Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes: rules for assessment, progression and award of a qualification

The Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes ('the Code'), summarises the University's expectations for the conduct of assessment, progression and the award of a qualification in its taught programmes > >

* See accompanying memo from Professor Nick Lieven (Pro Vice-Chancellor), September 2012 [pdf, 41kb]

Note: The common rules to calculate the final programme mark and degree classification for undergraduate programmes came into effect from the start of the 2010-11 academic year for all new registrations, meaning that the first cohort of students (on three year or on intercalating programmes) that are covered by these rules will graduate in 2012-13. See Annex 2 for the dates by which new university policy will be implemented.

The Code is monitored and updated annually by the Assessment Standing Group on behalf of Education Committee.

Faculty Handbooks

Faculties supplement University level policy on assessment, progression and the award of the qualification with their own information, as follows: 

Faculty Undergraduate level Taught Postgraduate level
Arts Undergraduate Handbook Postgraduate Handbook
Engineering Undergraduate Handbook Postgraduate Handbook
Medical & Veterinary Sciences Undergraduate Programmes Handbook Postgraduate Handbook
Medicine & Dentistry MBChB Programme Handbook
Science Undergraduate Handbook Postgraduate Handbook
Social Sciences & Law Undergraduate Handbook Postgraduate Handbook

Feedback to students

Feedback is a vital element of the learning process, helping students to evaluate their current level of performance and how to improve it. Information here provides further advice and details of good practice on delivering formative feedback. More >>

External Examining for all taught programmes

Code of Practice for External Examining of Taught Programmes at the University of Bristol

The external examining system is one of the most important ways of ensuring that the programmes we are running are academically sound, that the students are acquiring the correct level of teaching and that programmes and that results are comparable to those in similar higher education institutions. At least one external examiner is appointed for each subject or group of subjects forming part of a degree programme. Further information and forms.

External Examining for all research programmes