How Do I Progress?

We provide information on the requirements needed to pass each course in the Course Guide - handed out at the start of each course.  

• Some courses require you to pass BOTH the exam and the in-course assessment elements - averaging a pass mark will not necessarily be sufficient.
• In some courses there may be additional requirements, for example, regular attendance.

What if I fail part of a course but my average meets or exceeds the pass mark?

If you fail to meet a specific requirement to pass the course but average more than 40, your mark will be returned to Registry as, for example 48U (unclassified).

This means you have failed even though your overall mark was 48. You will receive instructions on what you need to do next and will be automatically be registered for a resit. You can also take the resit examination if, for legitimate reason, you were absent from the first sit of the examination.  

Resits

All full-time students obtain 120 credits in each year of study.

If you fail a course in your first or second year you will automatically be registered for a resit. You can also take the resit examination if, for legitimate reason, you were absent from the first sit of the examination.  

Resits

Core courses MUST be passed to enable progression

• Students who do not attain this minimum (after resits) do not have the automatic right to progress or to repeat a year.
• In these cases, is unlikely that the student will be allowed to progress into the next year of study but may be allowed to return in the following year to take their failed course(s).  

If you have failed an optional course 

• If a student is 20 credits short of the required total (achieved 100 credits and passed the core courses at the end of their first year) or has achieved 220 credits at the end of second year, they should seek guidance from their Student Adviser.  
• In most cases the student will be permitted to progress into the next year of study and either carry the failed course as ‘assessment/exam only’ or be enrolled in a new course to make up for the credit shortfall. 
• You may only re-take a course as “Examination or Assessment Only” in the current academic year or in the academic year immediately following the year in which it was first attempted, with legitimate special circumstances.  
• However, the Senior Tutor may decide that after considering the academic record that the student should be excluded from further study. 

A student will be required to attend an interview with the Senior Tutor to discuss their academic progress if they have:  

• Obtained 100 credits but have failed a core course.
• Obtained less than 100 credits at the end of first year.
• Obtained less than 220 credits at the end of second year.

Year 1 and Year 2 students will be given a ‘Programme Guide for Years 2 and 3’, which contains lists of required courses for each honours programme. Students will be asked to register their course choices for the following year. 

At the end of Year 2, students will also be asked for their choices of honours programme, ranking their choices 1 to 4. Students are placed in the highest ranked programmes for which they are qualified by the Progression Board who will meet in June and again in September.  

Full details of the procedure for registering your choices will be given at a meeting during the year.  

For progression into Junior Honours (Year 3) students must have a minimum of 220 credits but will have to make up any missing credits. In addition, a student must pass all the required Year 2 courses to qualify for admission into a programme.  

Students who fail to obtain 80 credits and to average at least 40% will have failed to pass Junior Honours (Year 3).  

• It is not permitted to retake exams which contribute to Senior Honours classification.
• Therefore, students who fail Junior Honours at the first attempt will not be able to graduate with an Honours Degree.
• They will be entitled to resit Junior Honours examinations in August to allow them to gain 360 credits and to graduate with an Ordinary Degree.  

The Year 3 Examination Board meets to ratify and confirm the marks in all assessments for Year 3 courses. When you pass a course, the credits for that course are awarded.  

The Progression Board considers the overall performance of the students on the Biological Sciences Degree Programme. It receives marks for any outside courses taken and then confirms which students qualify to progress into the final Senior Honours year (Year 4) and decide if credits are to be awarded for any courses which they have failed.  

• Progression into the final year is largely a matter of satisfying the criteria laid down by a programme and by the University Regulations.
• All students must have 360 credits (and 120 credits at level 9/10) before they can enter Year 4.  
• No one can carry a course from an earlier year into the final year. In addition, a student must pass all the required courses to qualify for admission into a programme.
• Failure to meet programme-specific requirements will mean that admission into Senior Honours is left to the discretion of the Progression Board.  

However, the regulations allow the Progression Board to award credits for a course which has not been passed, providing:  

• The student has attained at least 80 credits in level 9/10 courses in the year.  
• The average mark for the 120 credits at level 9/10 courses is at least 40.  
• For progression into Senior Honours in Biological Sciences, you must obtain at least 80 credits in Biological Sciences.  
• A significant attempt has been made to pass the course.  

A student who attends nothing and submits no assessment material will obtain a mark of zero.  

The procedure of awarding credits, as described above, must be followed to allow a student to progress into the final year.