Assessment Periods
The Portfolio Review Programme approved the following principles for activities within the assessment periods:
1. All summative assessments, with the exception of those for students with an agreed extension or DNS, must be completed by the end of the relevant assessment period in the semester(s) in which the module is taught. This means that all due dates for Semester 1 assessments must be before the start of Semester 2 and all due dates for Semester 2 assessments must be before the end of the academic year. For any modules that have been agreed to be taught across both semesters (e.g. long and thin 20 credit modules), it is expected that at least one piece of summative assessment would be complete before the end of Semester 1, and this could be either in the teaching weeks or in the Semester 1 assessment period.
2. Any centrally timetabled exams must happen within the dedicated assessment periods and, as such, the scheduling of exams must take priority within these weeks.
3. For modules using an In Class Test (i.e. a test organised and administered by the School / Programme Team) as a summative assessment, these must be planned during the teaching weeks in the relevant semester and, if they require timetabling*, they need to be scheduled on the T&L timetable.
*Some tests that take place during teaching weeks may not be scheduled on the timetable, e.g. those that that are online over an extended period.
4. Based on forecasted volumes for AY 24/25, it is expected that centrally timetabled exams will be spread across the full 3 weeks of each assessment period. Therefore, for cohorts of students who are studying programmes that have either compulsory or optional modules with any exams, these weeks must be fully available to schedule exams (including Wednesday afternoons). .
Schools must not arrange field trips for these weeks or plan to extend teaching / revision sessions into these weeks. If required, revision sessions should be planned in advance to take place during teaching weeks.
Students on either micro or mini placements will need to ensure that they don’t commit to working on days during the assessment periods until their exam timetable is confirmed.
5. The exams timetable will be produced centrally to optimise the use of the available time and space (for in-person exams) for students in all Schools and taking into account, where it is possible to do so*, reasonable adjustments that have been agreed by the Disability Advisory Service. As such, it won’t be possible to accommodate requests for specific dates for exams.
*Where it is not possible to accommodate reasonable adjustments, alternative arrangements will be made.
6. For any cohorts of students who are studying programmes that do not have any centrally timetabled exams*, it is likely to be possible to schedule other assessment activities (e.g. practicals) within the assessment periods. Additionally, for these cohorts, there may be opportunities to schedule other teaching related activities (e.g. workshops preparing for future placements or dissertations) on T&L timetables in these weeks as well.
*Please note that if modules from other Schools/Departments (e.g. UWMs) are offered to students, these may well include some exams. Consideration also needs to be given to Joint honours students who may have exams in subjects taught by another Department.
7. For programmes where students have a mix of exams and other types of assessments, it is likely to be much more challenging to schedule any assessment activities (other than exams) in the assessment periods. Therefore this will only be possible on an exceptions basis and will be agreed in advance by the T&L Timetabling team, taking into account available space as well as scheduling restrictions (e.g. flexible sessions that allow students to select a slot that works in conjunction with their exam timetable).
8. Taking into account that assessment workload should be spread throughout the module, it wouldn’t be expected that the due dates for both assessments (in the example of a 20 credit module with 2 pieces of summative work) would fall in the assessment period. Typically it would be expected that deadlines would be set before the start of the assessment period in the following scenarios:
a. For any coursework assignments in modules with both exams and coursework
b. For any practicals / presentations / orals in modules with an element of one of these and a coursework assignment or exam.
c. For at least one coursework assignment in modules that are 100% coursework assessment.
9. Assessment dates must be set in advance so that students can plan their workload and to enable professional services teams to set assessments up on the system. In some cases, it may be unavoidable that a student has a coursework deadline on the same day as an exam.
10. Any coursework submission dates that are in the assessment period should be reviewed once the exam timetable is released and only moved where there is a real imperative to do so, i.e. to avoid bunching of large assessments and to improve the student experience.
11. Once they have been communicated to students, submission dates for summative assignments should not be brought forward, even within the assessment periods, and therefore, dates should be set such that, if they are required to be moved, this would only be later than originally advised.
12. It is expected that the need for alternative assessment for incoming Study Abroad students will reduce with the change in academic year structure. However, depending on their home University semester dates, it is recognised that not all incoming Study Abroad students will be able to stay in Reading for the Semester 1 assessment period, and will therefore require an alternative assessment pattern to be in place.
13. Any formative assessments that are required to be scheduled, such as in class tests, presentations & practicals, must take place within the teaching weeks of the relevant semester, and planned well in advance to enable them to be timetabled without negatively impacting student experience.
14. Any time delineated assessments longer than 8 hours* should be classed as coursework (i.e. assessment type 'CW' in RISIS and subject to any conditions that apply to coursework such as turn-around times and late penalties), and therefore administered locally by the School / Programme Team. For these assessments, particular consideration should be given to the timing, taking into account other activities that are relevant for the cohort and ensuring that students have sufficient notice to enable them to plan accordingly:
a. Time delineated coursework assessments that are longer than 8 and up to 72 hours should take place in the teaching weeks for the relevant semester. This is to ensure they are clearly distinguished from exams from a student perspective and to avoid potential clashes with centrally timetabled exams.
b. Time delineated coursework assessments that are 72 hours or longer can take place either in the teaching weeks or assessment periods for the relevant semester, noting that it will not be possible to take into account any coursework dates when exams are scheduled.
*The maximum duration allowable for an (online) exam is 8 hours.
15. Where Study Abroad opportunities are offered for UoR students in Semester 2, and the host University starts their second semester in January then there may be a requirement for an alternative assessment pattern to be in place.
16. Any teaching or preparatory sessions that are required to be timetabled in the preceding academic year, or preceding semester, (e.g. for placements or dissertations) will, where possible, be scheduled in the teaching weeks. However, these sessions will be timetabled after the teaching & learning sessions relating to the relevant semester have been scheduled to ensure minimum disruption to the pattern (i.e. the timing & location) of T&L activities for current modules. Where possible, Schools should consider using a timeslot during week 11 or week 12 that has been used throughout the semester for delivery of modular teaching. This will ensure that these sessions are in place when the T&L timetable for the semester is published so that students have visibility of them.
17. If it is not possible to accommodate preparation sessions relating to modules in the next academic year (or the next semester) in the teaching weeks of the preceding semester then, in consultation with Schools, these may be timetabled in the assessment weeks. However, for cohorts with any exams, it will not be possible to confirm the timing of these sessions until after the Exams timetable is in place.
18. Any summative oral assessments that involve one (or just a few) student(s) in a viva voice or presenting an individual case study / project to one or two members of staff, where sessions are scheduled locally by the academic and take place in the member of staff’s office, can take place either in the teaching weeks or the assessment periods.
19. The timing of any viva voces or individual presentations that are scheduled in the assessment period, may need to be reviewed and, if necessary, re-scheduled once the exams timetable for the semester has been published. Consideration should also be given to the timing of these assessments to ensure the relevant mark entry deadline can be achieved.
20. Any scheduled summative assessments (excluding centrally timetabled exams) that need to be re-arranged for individual (or a small group of) students who have been granted this outcome as the result of an exceptional circumstance request, can take place either in the teaching weeks or the assessment periods. This includes in-class tests, presentations, and practical assessments. Module Convenors determine the date of a re-arrangement and advise the relevant student/s accordingly.
21. If assessments are re-arranged to take place in the assessment periods, then these should be scheduled after the exam timetable has been published to avoid clashing with centrally timetabled exams. Also, as far as is reasonably possible, consideration should be given to the most suitable date for the re-arranged assessment, taking into account any other coursework due dates and student workload across the assessment weeks and likely marking time in relation to meeting mark entry deadlines.
Approved principles for activities within the re-sit period are:
22. Within the new semester structure, there will continue to be a defined period (normally 2 weeks) during the Undergraduate summer vacation when centrally timetabled exams are scheduled for students who are eligible to re-sit, or have been granted a DNS, for exam(s) for either semester 1 &/or semester 2 modules. The dates for the re-sit period will be confirmed via the Exams Key Dates document (for AY 24/25, this will be published by September 2024) but are typically in August / early September.
23. Given that students could be eligible to re-sit any number and combination of exams from both semesters, the re-sit period must remain available for the scheduling of exams. Therefore, for any cohorts (UG or PGT) who have any modules (compulsory or optional) with an exam, Schools should not plan activities such as field trips, placements, or other preparatory work for the forthcoming academic year, within the re-sit period.
Where applicable, other (non-exam) re-assessment should ideally be scheduled (or the due date set for coursework) before the start of the re-sit period to ensure there are no clashes and to allow students to focus on exams during that period. Where it is unavoidable that re-assessments (such as practicals or in-class tests) are scheduled during the re-sit period, these must be arranged locally, after the exams timetable is in place. It will not be possible to accommodate individual scheduling requests during the re-sit period.
1. All summative assessments, with the exception of those for students with an agreed extension or DNS, must be completed by the end of the relevant assessment period in the semester(s) in which the module is taught. This means that all due dates for Semester 1 assessments must be before the start of Semester 2 and all due dates for Semester 2 assessments must be before the end of the academic year. For any modules that have been agreed to be taught across both semesters (e.g. long and thin 20 credit modules), it is expected that at least one piece of summative assessment would be complete before the end of Semester 1, and this could be either in the teaching weeks or in the Semester 1 assessment period.
2. Any centrally timetabled exams must happen within the dedicated assessment periods and, as such, the scheduling of exams must take priority within these weeks.
3. For modules using an In Class Test (i.e. a test organised and administered by the School / Programme Team) as a summative assessment, these must be planned during the teaching weeks in the relevant semester and, if they require timetabling*, they need to be scheduled on the T&L timetable.
*Some tests that take place during teaching weeks may not be scheduled on the timetable, e.g. those that that are online over an extended period.
4. Based on forecasted volumes for AY 24/25, it is expected that centrally timetabled exams will be spread across the full 3 weeks of each assessment period. Therefore, for cohorts of students who are studying programmes that have either compulsory or optional modules with any exams, these weeks must be fully available to schedule exams (including Wednesday afternoons). .
Schools must not arrange field trips for these weeks or plan to extend teaching / revision sessions into these weeks. If required, revision sessions should be planned in advance to take place during teaching weeks.
Students on either micro or mini placements will need to ensure that they don’t commit to working on days during the assessment periods until their exam timetable is confirmed.
5. The exams timetable will be produced centrally to optimise the use of the available time and space (for in-person exams) for students in all Schools and taking into account, where it is possible to do so*, reasonable adjustments that have been agreed by the Disability Advisory Service. As such, it won’t be possible to accommodate requests for specific dates for exams.
*Where it is not possible to accommodate reasonable adjustments, alternative arrangements will be made.
6. For any cohorts of students who are studying programmes that do not have any centrally timetabled exams*, it is likely to be possible to schedule other assessment activities (e.g. practicals) within the assessment periods. Additionally, for these cohorts, there may be opportunities to schedule other teaching related activities (e.g. workshops preparing for future placements or dissertations) on T&L timetables in these weeks as well.
*Please note that if modules from other Schools/Departments (e.g. UWMs) are offered to students, these may well include some exams. Consideration also needs to be given to Joint honours students who may have exams in subjects taught by another Department.
7. For programmes where students have a mix of exams and other types of assessments, it is likely to be much more challenging to schedule any assessment activities (other than exams) in the assessment periods. Therefore this will only be possible on an exceptions basis and will be agreed in advance by the T&L Timetabling team, taking into account available space as well as scheduling restrictions (e.g. flexible sessions that allow students to select a slot that works in conjunction with their exam timetable).
8. Taking into account that assessment workload should be spread throughout the module, it wouldn’t be expected that the due dates for both assessments (in the example of a 20 credit module with 2 pieces of summative work) would fall in the assessment period. Typically it would be expected that deadlines would be set before the start of the assessment period in the following scenarios:
a. For any coursework assignments in modules with both exams and coursework
b. For any practicals / presentations / orals in modules with an element of one of these and a coursework assignment or exam.
c. For at least one coursework assignment in modules that are 100% coursework assessment.
9. Assessment dates must be set in advance so that students can plan their workload and to enable professional services teams to set assessments up on the system. In some cases, it may be unavoidable that a student has a coursework deadline on the same day as an exam.
10. Any coursework submission dates that are in the assessment period should be reviewed once the exam timetable is released and only moved where there is a real imperative to do so, i.e. to avoid bunching of large assessments and to improve the student experience.
11. Once they have been communicated to students, submission dates for summative assignments should not be brought forward, even within the assessment periods, and therefore, dates should be set such that, if they are required to be moved, this would only be later than originally advised.
12. It is expected that the need for alternative assessment for incoming Study Abroad students will reduce with the change in academic year structure. However, depending on their home University semester dates, it is recognised that not all incoming Study Abroad students will be able to stay in Reading for the Semester 1 assessment period, and will therefore require an alternative assessment pattern to be in place.
13. Any formative assessments that are required to be scheduled, such as in class tests, presentations & practicals, must take place within the teaching weeks of the relevant semester, and planned well in advance to enable them to be timetabled without negatively impacting student experience.
14. Any time delineated assessments longer than 8 hours* should be classed as coursework (i.e. assessment type 'CW' in RISIS and subject to any conditions that apply to coursework such as turn-around times and late penalties), and therefore administered locally by the School / Programme Team. For these assessments, particular consideration should be given to the timing, taking into account other activities that are relevant for the cohort and ensuring that students have sufficient notice to enable them to plan accordingly:
a. Time delineated coursework assessments that are longer than 8 and up to 72 hours should take place in the teaching weeks for the relevant semester. This is to ensure they are clearly distinguished from exams from a student perspective and to avoid potential clashes with centrally timetabled exams.
b. Time delineated coursework assessments that are 72 hours or longer can take place either in the teaching weeks or assessment periods for the relevant semester, noting that it will not be possible to take into account any coursework dates when exams are scheduled.
*The maximum duration allowable for an (online) exam is 8 hours.
15. Where Study Abroad opportunities are offered for UoR students in Semester 2, and the host University starts their second semester in January then there may be a requirement for an alternative assessment pattern to be in place.
16. Any teaching or preparatory sessions that are required to be timetabled in the preceding academic year, or preceding semester, (e.g. for placements or dissertations) will, where possible, be scheduled in the teaching weeks. However, these sessions will be timetabled after the teaching & learning sessions relating to the relevant semester have been scheduled to ensure minimum disruption to the pattern (i.e. the timing & location) of T&L activities for current modules. Where possible, Schools should consider using a timeslot during week 11 or week 12 that has been used throughout the semester for delivery of modular teaching. This will ensure that these sessions are in place when the T&L timetable for the semester is published so that students have visibility of them.
17. If it is not possible to accommodate preparation sessions relating to modules in the next academic year (or the next semester) in the teaching weeks of the preceding semester then, in consultation with Schools, these may be timetabled in the assessment weeks. However, for cohorts with any exams, it will not be possible to confirm the timing of these sessions until after the Exams timetable is in place.
18. Any summative oral assessments that involve one (or just a few) student(s) in a viva voice or presenting an individual case study / project to one or two members of staff, where sessions are scheduled locally by the academic and take place in the member of staff’s office, can take place either in the teaching weeks or the assessment periods.
19. The timing of any viva voces or individual presentations that are scheduled in the assessment period, may need to be reviewed and, if necessary, re-scheduled once the exams timetable for the semester has been published. Consideration should also be given to the timing of these assessments to ensure the relevant mark entry deadline can be achieved.
20. Any scheduled summative assessments (excluding centrally timetabled exams) that need to be re-arranged for individual (or a small group of) students who have been granted this outcome as the result of an exceptional circumstance request, can take place either in the teaching weeks or the assessment periods. This includes in-class tests, presentations, and practical assessments. Module Convenors determine the date of a re-arrangement and advise the relevant student/s accordingly.
21. If assessments are re-arranged to take place in the assessment periods, then these should be scheduled after the exam timetable has been published to avoid clashing with centrally timetabled exams. Also, as far as is reasonably possible, consideration should be given to the most suitable date for the re-arranged assessment, taking into account any other coursework due dates and student workload across the assessment weeks and likely marking time in relation to meeting mark entry deadlines.
Approved principles for activities within the re-sit period are:
22. Within the new semester structure, there will continue to be a defined period (normally 2 weeks) during the Undergraduate summer vacation when centrally timetabled exams are scheduled for students who are eligible to re-sit, or have been granted a DNS, for exam(s) for either semester 1 &/or semester 2 modules. The dates for the re-sit period will be confirmed via the Exams Key Dates document (for AY 24/25, this will be published by September 2024) but are typically in August / early September.
23. Given that students could be eligible to re-sit any number and combination of exams from both semesters, the re-sit period must remain available for the scheduling of exams. Therefore, for any cohorts (UG or PGT) who have any modules (compulsory or optional) with an exam, Schools should not plan activities such as field trips, placements, or other preparatory work for the forthcoming academic year, within the re-sit period.
Where applicable, other (non-exam) re-assessment should ideally be scheduled (or the due date set for coursework) before the start of the re-sit period to ensure there are no clashes and to allow students to focus on exams during that period. Where it is unavoidable that re-assessments (such as practicals or in-class tests) are scheduled during the re-sit period, these must be arranged locally, after the exams timetable is in place. It will not be possible to accommodate individual scheduling requests during the re-sit period.
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Email: examinations@reading.ac.uk
Telephone: 0118 378 5522
Visit us: Room G30, JJ Thomson Building, Whiteknights