Handbook for Chairs and Secretaries of Boards of Examiners’ Meetings and Pre-Boards
Undergraduate Boards
Registry
Published
June 2016
1
List of Contents
This document should be read in conjunction with the documents entitled
‘Assessment Policies for Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Awards’ and the
additional annual advice provided to departments.
http://www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/offices/registry/rps/ASSESSMENTPOLICIES_june%2015.pdf
New or revised sections are shown in yellow
1 Powers of the Boards of Examiners
2 Use of Discretion
3 Guidelines for pre-board meetings
4 Quorum for a Board of Examiners
5 Agenda and Order of Proceedings
6 Dealing with extenuating circumstances
7 Marks Scaling
8 Confirmation of X9 module aggregate marks
9 Aegrotat Degrees
10 Managing the Discussion on Candidates
Inc dealing with allegations of academic offences
11 Boards of Examiners Acting outside the Rules of Assessment
12 Voting
page 3
page 3
page 3
page 3
page 3
page 4
page 5
page 5
page 5
page 6
Appendix A
page 8
page 6
page 7
Role and Responsibility of all staff who attend Boards of Examiners’ meetings
(includes the briefing note on the roles of External Examiners)
Appendix B
Good Practice in Minute-taking at Boards of Examiners’ Meetings
page 10
2
1
The Powers of the Boards Of Examiners
Senate has delegated to Boards of Examiners for undergraduate and taught postgraduate
courses the power (i) to approve pass lists, and the continuation of candidates to the next
year of their course of study, (ii) to determine degree classifications and determine that
degrees be conferred. Boards of Examiners also have the power to make the final decision
on a student’s progress (i.e can require students to withdraw or repeat year).
2
Use of Discretion
Under the new UG Rules of Assessment Boards of Examiners cannot vary the Rules of
Assessment or condone marks below the pass mark, even in cases where a student has
only failed by a narrow margin. Discretion can only be used in cases of extenuating
circumstances.
3
Guidelines For Pre-Board Meetings
The guidance can be found in section 7 a) of the Assessment Policies document
http://www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/offices/registry/rps/ASSESSMENTPOLICIES_june%2015.pdf
4
Quorum for the Main Boards of Examiners’ Meetings
The quorum for a Board of Examiners is four members. External Examiners are included in
the quorum in the case of undergraduate schemes. The Chair is always included. For further
information on composition and attendance at meetings please see section 6 of the
Assessment Policies document for full details
http://www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/offices/registry/rps/ASSESSMENTPOLICIES_june%2015
.pdf
5)
The Agenda and Order of Proceedings
There should be an agenda for the meeting. At the start of the Board of Examiners’ Meeting
the Chair should:





check that all the members are present
introduce and welcome any External Examiner(s) to the rest of the Board
check that everyone has the right documentation
explain the running order of events
explain the way in which extenuating circumstances forms have been considered
The Chair should then move to the consideration of the candidates. A representative from
the department should be asked to take the members through the grids:

Note any changes to marks as a result of errors having been notified to the Chair
in advance, or disputes over marks having been resolved.
3
6)

Remind the Board where extenuating circumstances are present and provide the
Pre-Board’s recommendation.

The Chair must ensure that a clear result has been arrived at for each candidate.
In cases where a student has failed any modules, the Board of Examiners should
take into account any recommendations about extenuating circumstances, and
other relevant information.

Seek agreement of the Board on the candidate's result, where necessary by
means of a vote. The External Examiner(s) should always be asked for their
views first.

Confirm whether there are any prizes to be awarded.

Confirm which students in the Preliminary and Stage One should be awarded a
Distinction.

Confirm candidates for inclusion on the Dean’s List.

Ask the External Examiners if they have any general comments to make at the
end of the meeting.

Remind the Externals that they need to sign the grid coversheet.
Dealing with Extenuating Circumstances
a) Handbook
For more detail about the procedure for considering claims and the decisions that Boards
can make, see the handbook at:
http://www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/offices/registry/rps/Extenuating_Circumstances_Handbook_may%
2015.pdf
b) Providing Guidance to the Board
AQSC noted the following in its minutes (Jan 2015)
“AQSC highlighted the importance of the role of the Chair in explaining how
extenuating circumstances should be dealt with, and that the Exam Board made the
final decision, taking into account the recommendation from the Pre-Board.”
Chairs should therefore explain this at the start of the meeting.
AQSC noted the key role that Chairs and Secretaries play “…in ensuring consistency
and alignment with policy across the University, and that Exam Boards were provided
with the amount of information required on each case to make an informed decision,
while remaining respectful of the anonymity of the students involved.”
c) Anecdotal evidence about extenuating circumstances
It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Board of Examiners of any extenuating
circumstances which he or she believes have had a material affect on his/her work. If the
student has not submitted an extenuating circumstances form, then it is not for individual
members of the board to decide to raise extenuating circumstances on a student’s behalf,
4
although this is less likely to happen with anonymised grids. A student has the right to
choose whether or not to bring things to the attention of the board, and some students
choose not to do so. The procedures for reporting extenuating circumstances are well
publicised and are included in the notes for exam candidates that go out to every student.
Sometimes the nature of the circumstances is such that a description of the situation would
inevitably reveal the identity of the candidate to the majority of the Board members.
However, it should still be possible to deal with the case anonymously. The Chair may wish
to preface any discussion of extenuating circumstances with a clear statement that Board
members should not introduce additional information into a discussion and should confirm
comments to the extenuating circumstances and an assessment of their impact on the
student’s work.
d) Minuting the discussion
Please ensure that the secretary has sufficient time to minute any discussion in relation to
extenuating circumstances before moving onto the next candidate. It is important that we
accurately record discussion in tricky cases and note the reasons why action wasn’t taken if
a claim is fully or partially rejected.
7)
Marks Scaling
See section 4f of the Assessment Policies document for full details.
http://www2.essex.ac.uk/academic/offices/registry/rps/ASSESSMENTPOLICIES_june%2015.pdf
Scaling must be applied in such a way that it makes sense when it appears on a transcript.
8)
Status of x9 marks
The University requires that departments review the status of x9 module marks in all stages
of study. Where the mark is confirmed as x9 the following codes will appear in the ‘flag’
column in the grid:
MC = x9 mark confirmed.
X9 = Remains x9 as work unavailable.
Where x9 marks can have an impact on pass/fail, classification borderlines, merit/distinction
borderlines, there must be a flag on the grid. If the x9 hasn’t been considered, the Board will
have to make the outcome ‘WAIT’ until the department reviews the work.
9)
Aegrotat Degrees
(This is a summary of regulation 6.25 – please see the full text in the University Calendar.)
Where illness or other sufficient cause affects an undergraduate candidate after the
sixth week of the spring term and before the end of the final examination period, the
Board of Examiners may confer on them an aegrotat degree. Such a candidate may
re-sit the examinations in the following year.
The aegrotat regulation should be interpreted by Boards of Examiners in such a way that a
candidate affected by extenuating circumstances over his or her entire period of study is not
5
awarded an aegrotat, degree but considered for a classified degree. (ASC.M.350/01 - 5
December 2001)
Note
The Board must ensure that the student has met the overall learning outcomes for
the degree (taking into account any variations for the student’s course). The Board
must specify the reassessment that is required in the following year to be eligible for
honours.
10)
Managing the Discussions On Candidates
All grids will be anonymised (including the chair’s copy) which reduces the opportunity for
specious material to be brought up in discussions. Nevertheless it is important that Chairs
remain alert to the possibility that this could occur and should rule it out of order. Only the
secretary has a copy with names.
i) Academic Offences
The Chair should not allow unsubstantiated claims of cheating to be raised at the board.
However, if a case has very recently been identified as a possible incidence of cheating then
this should be dealt with according to the University Academic Offences Procedures. The
Board will not be able to reach a final decision about the candidate so the outcome will have
to be made a WAIT. However, in straightforward cases where the academic offence will not
change the outcome, the Board can make a decision which will be communicated to the
student once the allegation has been dealt with.
Although grids identify where students have been found guilty of an academic offence in a
module, there should be no further discussion about the offence or the penalty. Where a
student has already been found guilty of an academic offence a suitable penalty would have
been given at the time, and re-opening the case might prejudice the way in which examiners
regard the other marks on the grid.
The Academic Offences procedures allow for a penalty whereby the student is given a zero
and the chance to resubmit the work for credit purposes. However, the zero will be retained
for degree classification. The grids will therefore show the final mark, including the zero. A
note in the comments field will indicate whether or not the pass mark for the component has
been reached, and credits awarded.
ii) Zeros for late work
Grids must not be annotated to show a penalty of zero for late work, and Boards should not
be informed about the level of the original, unpenalised mark. The rationale for this policy is
that the student has benefited from more time to complete the work in question, and that an
unpenalised mark is therefore not necessarily a more accurate reflection of the student’s
ability.
6
11
Boards of Examiners Which Act Outside the Rules of Assessment
In March 2005 Senate approved the introduction of regulation 6.28 which states the
following:
i)
The Chair of a Board of Examiners may suspend any particular decision of the Board
where:
a
the decision contravenes either a University regulation, policy, or procedure;
b
the decision, in the judgement of the Chair, leads to unfairness or
inconsistency.
ii)
In signing the grids at the conclusion of the Board meeting, the Chair shall indicate
next to his/her signature that he/she has not approved the decision relating to the
relevant candidate number(s).
iii)
The Chair shall then refer the decision to a sub-Committee of Senate by notifying the
Vice-Chancellor’s Office. The sub-Committee shall be chaired by the ViceChancellor or his/her nominee, and shall consist of not fewer than three further
members of Senate who are also senior members of academic staff. Where
possible, the members should be chosen from disciplines cognate with that in the
case under consideration. The sub-Committee shall review the facts of the case and
take an independent and final decision. Any decision open to the original Board of
Examiners shall be available to the sub-Committee. The sub-Committee may wish to
view the grids of other students in order to ensure consistency.
iv)
The decisions of the sub-Committee shall not require the agreement of external
examiners but the external examiner shall be informed of the decisions.
12
Voting
Ordinance 45 states that: “Decisions as to the classification of a degree and the
conferment or not of a Bachelor's degree shall normally require the consent of the
appropriate Award External Examiner. Failing this, the consent of a two-thirds
majority, including the Chair, of the internal and External Examiners present and
voting at the meeting shall be required, except when Regulation 6.28 is invoked.”
7
APPENDIX A
The Role and responsibilities of staff attending Board of Examiners’ Meetings
Please note that the following roles and responsibilities have been drawn up on the basis of
the experiences of chairs and secretaries of boards of examiners. These lists have not been
presented to any committees for approval, but are here to serve as useful guidance to staff
attending meetings.
a)
Chair











To ensure the board is quorate and in accordance with the approved
membership.
To ensure that each candidate is given fair consideration and to ensure that
candidates are
treated in a consistent manner.
To ensure that anonymity is maintained.
To advise and take advice on precedents or comparability of treatment across the
boards.
To ensure that the Rules of Assessment are applied correctly and clarify any
aspect of the rules.
To ask the Board to reconsider a recommendation on extenuating circumstances
where the Chair thinks it is appropriate to do so.
To consult the External Examiner(s) and to ensure that their role as defined by
Senate is adhered to.
To take a vote on difficult cases where it is not possible to reach agreement
To ensure that inappropriate information is not revealed by any member of the
board
To act in accordance with the University policy on Equal Opportunities.
To sign the marks grid, alongside the External Examiner(s), to indicate that the
procedures have been correctly followed.
Additional Items for Chairs of Taught Postgraduate Boards

b)
To write a report to the Deputy Dean (Education) of the Faculty
Secretary
The Secretary is not a member of the Board and therefore cannot take part in discussions
about the candidate's academic ability or take part in voting.








To check grids before the board to ensure the information is accurate and clearly
displayed.
To take the attendance and note any absences or discrepancies.
To ensure that all members have a copy of the grid.
To record the decisions taken at the meeting, including noting discussions about
extenuating circumstances or opportunities for reassessment.
To count and record any votes.
To know the Rules of Assessment for the scheme of study and for the award of
degree classifications, and to provide copies of the rules as appropriate.
To inform the Chair of any procedural irregularities – eg. Rules not applied
correctly.
To advise on cases of precedent or comparable treatment across other boards.
8





c)
To draw Chair’s attention to extenuating circumstances or exam incident reports
where a recommendation has not been received from the department.
To obtain the signatures of the chair and external examiners on the grid at the
end of the meeting.
To act in accordance with the University policy on Equal Opportunities.
To prepare and check pass lists (which in the case of PGT Boards must be
signed by the Chair)
To send accurate pass lists to the Registry for every student considered by the
board (for PGT Boards which are not serviced by Registry staff)
External Examiner
The University divides the role of External Examiners into two parts – their role in relation to
modules and their role in respect of awards. An award External attends examination
boards as required and assesses the extent to which the determination of awards is sound
and fair
External examiners are not responsible for or involved in the assessment of individual
students. They are not normally in a position to expect or encourage an examination board
to raise or lower marks for individual students (this would be unfair to students whose work
had not been sampled). Where the external examiner has concerns about internal marking
they should discuss with the internal markers whether it would be more appropriate for the
department to:
i.
ii.
re-mark relevant assessed work for the whole cohort
scale the marks for all students.
Full details of their role and duties can be found at
http://www.essex.ac.uk/quality/external_examiners/default.asp
9
APPENDIX B
Good Practice for Minute-taking at Boards of Examiners’ Meetings
It is important that minutes are clear, and that they can easily be understood by other
readers, including the Appeals Officer. Minute sheets will be available from the
Assessment Team. You need to complete fully the details at the top of the front sheet for
each board, but if you use multiple sheets at the same board you just need to make a note of
the page number and the name of the board on subsequent sheets.
What should be recorded on the grid





All decisions must be recorded on the actual grid (i.e progress outcome, or degree
class for final years, or confirmation of the award for PGT students). It is acceptable
to place a tick against the predicted result if that is confirmed, but you must record
any changes.
Make a clear note of any reassessment opportunities. Note the modules in any work
must be resubmitted, how many pieces, and by when. Note which exams have to be
resat and the timing of the resits. Note whether the reassessment is going to be
regarded as a first attempt or treated as a resit/resubmission. This has implications
for capping and the charging of fees as first sits are uncapped and no fee is levied.
For extenuating circumstances claims, please indicate whether the Board has
accepted the recommendation of the pre-board. Where there is discussion about
action to be taken, or whether the claim can be upheld, please minute the discussion
and include reasons for decision. You will probably need to use a minute sheet
where discussion is lengthy.
Mark any changes to marks on the actual grid.
Make a note of any prizes to be awarded.
What should be recorded on the minute sheets








If the board has a discussion about a candidate then you should use the minute
sheet because there will not be room to record the discussion on the grid.
You don’t need to use a separate sheet per candidate.
Make sure you write both the candidate number and name against your notes.
You don’t need to record everything that is said in the discussion, but you must
ensure you make a note of the main points. Remember that the candidate can ask to
see these minutes under the Data Protection Act so don’t minute anything
inappropriate (although I’m sure the chair wouldn’t allow inappropriate comments to
stand!)
Where the board is considering a range of possible outcomes it is important that you
note the reasons for rejecting or accepting certain outcomes. Please make a note of
the view of the External Examiner[s]. If the student appeals then the Appeals Officer
will ask to see the minutes and he will need to see why the Board reached the
decision it did.
If there is a discussion about how to treat extenuating circumstances, then please
record this [see notes above]
If there is a vote over the result for a candidate, you must make a note of the
proposal and record the votes for and against the proposal on your minute sheet.
If the Board asks for a letter to be sent to the candidate, please make it clear on the
minute sheets. You must also specifically draw this to the attention to the person
assisting with follow-up work or the letter may be overlooked.
z/ assessment team/2016 exam boards/guidance/briefing material/handbook for Chairs of ug exam bds june 2016.doc
10