7. Examinations and Assessments

7.9. External Examiner and Examiners’ Reports

The Examination Board contains three External Examiners, appointed by the Vice Chancellor, who act as external arbiters of standards. In particular, national guidance requires external examiners to report on three major areas:

  1. whether the standards set are appropriate for the institution’s awards;
  2. the standards and comparability of student performance in the programme concerned;
  3. the extent to which procedures for assessment, examination and the determination of awards are sound and have been fairly conducted.

Students are strictly prohibited from contacting external examiners directly. If you are unhappy with an aspect of your assessment you may make a complaint or appeal (see the University Academic Appeals Procedure: https://academic.admin.ox.ac.uk/academic-appeals).

Following an examination, the examiners write a report which provides statistical information and feedback to the department and the University. Reports on previous examinations are made available to students, see https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/members/students/undergraduate-courses/examinations-assessments/examiners-reports.