12. Analysis of Marks

Examination marks will be reported to candidates in the form of University Standardised Marks. The object of the USM is to allow direct comparison between the results of examination in different subjects. Examiners may recalibrate raw marks to arrive at the USMs reported to candidates and the USMs reported to candidates for each paper should be symmetrically rounded.

The examiners may choose to scale marks where in their academic judgement:

  • a paper was more difficult or easier than in previous years, and/or
  • a paper has generated a spread of marks which is not a fair reflection of student performance on the University's standard scale for the expression of agreed final marks, i.e. the marks do not reflect the qualitative marks descriptors.

Such scaling is used to ensure that all papers are fairly and equally rewarded. Scaling will only be considered and undertaken after moderation of a paper has been completed, and a complete run of marks for all papers is available.

When scaling the raw marks on a paper the examiners will consider the following:

  • the relative difficulty of the paper compared to the other papers;
  • the report submitted by the assessor who set and marked the paper.

Examiners will use their academic judgement to ensure that appropriate USMs are awarded and may use further statistics to check that the marks assigned fairly reflect the students' performances on a paper. The Board of Examiners may also review a sample of papers either side of the classification borderlines to ensure that the outcome of scaling is consistent with the qualitative marks descriptors. On each paper, any recalibration of marks should be done without disturbing the order of candidates.

Classification Conventions

Let AvUSM denote the weighted average of the dissertation plus the 6 other best USMs achieved (symmetrically rounded, 62.49 will be rounded down and 62.50 will be rounded up), at least 3 of which will have been assessed by written examination and at most two of which will be units from the Department of Computer Science. Where a student has taken a double-unit course in addition to the dissertation, this will be counted as two separate USMs when calculating the AvUSM. Then the classification criteria agreed by the Supervisory Committee for OMMS are as follows:

  • Distinction: AvUSM ≥ 70;
  • Merit: 70 > AvUSM ≥ 65;
  • Pass: 65 > AvUSM ≥ 50;
  • Fail: 50 >AvUSM.

Note: Students who fail one paper or more contributing to AvUSM will not be eligible for a distinction or a merit.

Extra Units Over the Required 8

As already indicated, students are required to complete 8 units on OMMS, but may completed an extra 1 or 2 units if they wish. Such extra units will not contribute to AvUSM and nor will failing these extra units preclude students from achieving a distinction or merit overall, provided they have passed all the units contributing to AvUSM. The extra units may be assessed either by written examination or by mini-project so it is possible to complete more than 3 mini-projects, provided that 3 courses assessed by written examination are also completed and contribute to AvUSM.  

Resits

A student who fails the MSc in Mathematical Sciences course may resit on one, but no more than one, subsequent occasion. This resit attempt shall normally be taken at the next opportunity, but may be deferred once, i.e. it must be taken at one of the next two opportunities. In such a case, a student will not be eligible for a merit or distinction on the whole course. The examiners will specify at the time of failure which of the assessed components of the course may or must be redone. A candidate who resits a unit for which a technical fail mark was originally awarded (a unit for which no work was submitted or a written examination was missed) will have the mark for that unit capped at 50.

No student who has satisfied the examiners in any one of the examinations may enter again for the same examination. 

If a student fails one particular unit, there is no provision for the candidate to resit that unit during the same academic year.

Where a course is no longer being offered in the year of the resit, the Examiners will be responsible for arranging provisions. For more information, please see Part 14 of the Examination Regulations.