Marking and feedback

The University marking scale and its interpretation give a detailed account of the type of work that will achieve the appropriate grade.

All assessments in the Department of Management are subject to a six-stage process, as follows.

  1. Assessed coursework and exam scripts are marked according to the marking scales.
  2. A sample of scripts is 'moderated' (second marked) by a member of staff in the Department with a close knowledge of the subject area to ensure objectivity.
  3. The first and second markers discuss their marks and agree the final mark.
  4. A sample of scripts representing the different marking categories, any failures and any problem scripts (for instance, where the first and second markers cannot agree) are sent to the relevant External Examiner for the module in question. External examiners are senior academics associated with the relevant subject areas and employed at other UK universities. External Examiners are responsible for 'balancing and checking' to ensure consistency. The system of external examination is in place UK-wide and all Higher Education Institutions employ this system.
  5. A final stage follows which involves Examination Board meetings at the end of semester one and semester two attended by members of staff and the External Examiners for all undergraduate programmes. Every student's achievement in coursework and examination is scrutinised and approved by the examination board. Any special circumstances, including requests for S-coding modules, that students wish to have noted as potentially adversely affecting their academic performance, are discussed in confidence at meetings of the Special Circumstances Board, which meets prior to each Examination Board meeting.
  6. The Department  of Management then submits these final approved module grades to the University Examinations Officer and student academic records are updated accordingly.

Most coursework and all examination papers are marked anonymously. Therefore, it is important that you do not include your name anywhere on your assessments prior to submitting them. When submitting coursework, whether individual or group work, you should use the coursework cover sheet, which can be found on the Handbook home page for your programme. Please do not include your name on any part of your assessment.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on any work that you have submitted. For details of the University's feedback process, see Feedback on assessed work.

Feedback should involve mutual respect between staff and students. Feedback is designed to improve your learning and future performance. There is an explicit relationship between feedback, assessment criteria and intended learning outcomes. Feedback may be generic, for the whole class, or specific to individual students. Feedback opportunities can include written commentaries on submitted work, individual face-to-face discussion or electronic feedback, for example through Moodle.

If you wish detailed feedback on an examination script, you should contact your Module Coordinator to arrange a suitable time to meet. Dates for returning feedback are communicated to students on submitting their work. Any delays to feedback will be communicated to students.

Students are also entitled to request a hard copy of any of their own completed examination scripts. If a photocopy of the script is required for personal reference, please contact the relevant programme administrator and a photocopy will be provided for you within five working days. Such requests should be made by the end of Week 3 of the semester that follows the examination diet.

Programme administrator contacts: