Arrangement for seeking feedback on exams after the publication of results
14 July 2014
Introduction
You may wish to consult your lecturer or tutor after publication of results, to advise you on how
to improve your exam performance and your knowledge of the subject matter of the unit.
Before approaching your lecturer or tutor, you should first engage in a process of self‐
assessment of your exam performance. The purpose of this assessment is to enable you to
evaluate and correct your own work, and to identify the areas in which you need to improve.
This is a valuable skill for law studies and for professional life.
In each unit, arrangements will be made to provide general feedback to students on what the
examiners were looking for in answer to each exam question, and how students performed.
The feedback may be provided in a class held after release of results, or your lecturer may
provide a sample student answer or examiner’s notes.
Look on the unit webpage for details of the arrangements for the particular unit.
Request for copy of examination script
You can apply to receive a scanned copy of your exam script. You can then review your exam
responses, having re-read the exam paper. See the application form in the ‘Examinations’
section at http://www.law.monash.edu.au/current-students/assessments/.
The procedure
1.
Review both the exam questions and your responses (and for some units, the sample
student answer or examiner’s notes). Consider how you responded to each exam
question.
The following questions may assist your thinking:
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Did you answer all the required questions and allocate your time effectively in
accordance with the instructions in the exam paper?
Did you analyse the facts correctly to identify the legal issues?
Did you discuss issues that were not raised by the question?
Did you place undue emphasis on some issues and insufficient emphasis on others?
Did you identify and apply the right legal principles?
Did you formulate the legal principles correctly and cite authority for them?
Did you discuss any difficulties or ambiguities in the application of the principles?
If the authorities relevant to the question were in conflict, did you discuss the conflict
and evaluate the weight of each authority?
If you raised a pertinent issue, did you deal with it fully and accurately or did you just
raise it in a general sense without dealing with it fully?
Did you reach some sort of conclusion on each issue that you identified?
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2. If you identify deficiencies in your knowledge of the unit content, you should review your
notes and reading guide to find the information and clarify your understanding.
3. In the exam viewing session you may want to take notes, setting out the areas on which
you feel you need advice on how to improve. You can then use these notes after the exam
viewing session, to prepare a written memorandum to your lecturer or tutor.
4. Write your memorandum which will serve as the agenda for your interview with your
lecturer or tutor to review your exam performance. Identify specifically, wherever possible,
where you had a problem in the exam.
Eg: ‘I didn’t know how to deal with the conflict between the majority and minority views of
the judges in Smith v Smith as it related to the validity of the notice to quit in question 2( b).’
5. When you have prepared the memorandum, make an appointment with your lecturer or
tutor. It would be useful to email it to your lecturer before the interview, so that he or she
can consider it when reviewing your paper.
You should note that marks that have been notified by the Board of Examiners are final, and
are not subject to amendment except in cases of error.
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