Examinations

Most honours level modules offered by the School involve an exam at the end of the semester the module is taught in. All end-of-semester examinations within the School will be assessed by an in-person examination. Before sitting examinations, all students must ensure that they have read and fully understand the University's Examinations policy.

Exam papers are checked by School staff, and by our external examiners to ensure they are appropriate. Honours exam papers typically contain a mixture of "straightforward" questions (typically ~20%), problems similar to that seen in tutorial problems (typically ~20%), "new" problems (typically ~40%), and problems requiring transfer of knowledge to new contexts (typically ~20%). Students should therefore expect that some material in exams is not immediately familiar, and requires them to demonstrate their ability in applying their understanding and skills in new situations. Additional information for students on exams can be found on the School's webpage.

Past papers (typically the last three years of exams) can be accessed via the University's MySaint portal. The School's Current students webpage contains an examination paper archive with one past examination paper and one sample solution for most current modules.

Exams may be scheduled close together, and so work to be on top of the entire semester's material well before the exam weeks start.

Students whose first language is not English may request access to an English-foreign language dictionary, provided by themselves, during examinations. Such students should contact the School's Examinations Officer.
 

 
Deferred examinations

Deferral of an assessment refers to taking it after the end of the corresponding semester. This is not a right and permission will be granted only when the School judges that genuine and compelling grounds for deferral exist.

Requests for deferred exams in Physics and Astronomy should be directed to the School's Director of Teaching, at physdot@st-andrews.ac.uk. Please also copy in the School's Examinations Officer panda-exams@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Deferred exams for Honours modules will have the same format as the original exam. For both semesters, deferrals will take place immediately after the Semester 2 exam diet. The dates may be found in the University's Key Dates for Students, in which it's called the "extended exam diet". These exams are organised by the University's Exams Office.

If you are permitted to defer an exam, then you will be expected to be available in St Andrews at the time the deferred exam is scheduled, and to make suitable travel arrangements where necessary. You are advised to check your email regularly to ensure that you do not miss the deferred exam.

Deferrals beyond the academic year will only take place in truly exceptional circumstances and will require the approval of the Deans. The School will refer the student to Student Services, the Registry Officer (Student Support), or the appropriate Associate Dean Students (UG students) or Associate Provost Students (PGT students).
Please note that deferral beyond the academic year can have significant implications for progression, and may require a leave of absence.
 

 
Reassessment

Honours students who receive a module grade between 4.0 and 6.9 (inclusive) on a module which involves an exam, have failed the module but have the right to reassessment.

Soon after the original assessment, they will be invited to an re-assessment which consists of an oral examination. The oral reassessment may may take place within days of the invitation for a reassessment.

The oral examination is normally conducted by an instructor who taught on the module together with a member of staff nominated by the Year Coordinator. The oral examination is an opportunity for a student demonstrate they have sufficient command of the material to be eligible for a grade 7.0 pass. Oral reassessments will normally be held in person and the reported grade for the re-assessed module cannot be any higher than 7.0.

Students who do not achieve grade 4.0 in a module, or who achieve less than grade 7.0 in a module which is entirely continuously assessed, are not eligible for re-assessment or academic credit for that 3000-, 4000-, or 5000-level module at that sitting, which can have significant impact on the degree programme.