DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
ASSESSMENT POLICY FOR TAUGHT MASTERS PROGRAMMES 20142015

There are two main types of assessment: formative, which primarily
aims to give helpful feedback to enable students to develop their
understanding of the topic and to improve their future work; summative,
which primarily aims to provide a grade that reflects the general
standard of the work submitted and is recorded. The department’s policy
of assessment places emphasis on both formative and summative
assessment.

For taught MAs, the department works within the university system of
modularisation, whereby each MA is based on modules totalling 180
credits. Details of the modules, together with the criteria involved in
assessing work, and the criteria for the award of an MA with distinction
or merit, can be found in the appropriate MA programme student
handbook.

For taught MAs, assessed work that contributes to the taught
component is anonymously moderated - both the marker and the
moderator have the name of the student withheld. Exceptions to this
include The Practice of English Language Teaching and Planning and
Communicating Research modules, and the dissertation. There are two
parts to the assessment for The Practice of English Language Teaching,
a practical involving delivery of a twenty minute lesson segment and a
written submission comprising a lesson plan and critical reflection. Both
are double marked. There are three parts to the assessment for
Planning and Communicating Research, a research proposal, an ethics
application, and an oral presentation. Planning and Communicating
Research is marked on a pass/fail basis. Any research proposals, ethics
applications or oral presentations which are awarded a fail are double
marked. Dissertations are fully double marked, but the writer’s name is
on the title page, as is the case for other research dissertations and
theses. The MA TEYL however is different in that it has no dissertation
and all eight assignments are double marked. The role of the external
examiner includes considering samples of student work (including
assignments, and where relevant, exam scripts and dissertations) in
order to check that the grades awarded by internal markers and
moderators are fair and consistent.

Students are required to submit work by the deadline set, and must
contact departmental Mitigating Circumstances Committee before this
date has expired if they need to make a case for more time. Requests
for extensions beyond the end of the academic programme need to be
sent for approval to the Registry.

Students are required to sign a form at the start of the programme on
academic misconduct (which includes plagiarism and collusion), and
complete the university’s Academic Integrity Tutorial on plagiarism.

A copy of the department’s written policy for MA programmes now
follows. However, all students and staff should consult the appropriate
student handbook for precise details of the assessment requirements
and procedures.
Prof Ian Davies
Chair of the Graduate School
October 2014
A
Assessment Methods
The method of assessment of each MA programme depends upon the work
carried out in the programme. Students are assessed on the basis of the
submission of a dissertation, module assignments or, for some modules, an
examination.
For October 2014, the Department will offer seven MA programmes. These
are as follows:
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
in
in
in
in
in
in
Global and International Citizenship Education (MAGICE)
Education (MAE)
Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching (MAALELT)
Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching (MAALLT)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Teaching English to Young Learners by distance (MATEYL)
The assessment requirements for each of these programmes are
summarised below:
Programme
MAGICE
MAE
Assessment requirements
12,000 word dissertation (60 credits), 4
assignments (20 credits each) and a
Research Methods examination (20
credits).
MAALELT
MAALLT
MATESOL
In the MATESOL, there is a
Dissertation, 3 assignments and two
examinations: Research Methods and
English Linguistics (each 20 credits).
Students on MA TESOL taking the
optional module The Practice of English
Language Teaching complete a
practical and produce a lesson plan and
critical reflection (see above for details)
rather than an assignment.
In addition, all students have a Pass/Fail
assessment for Planning and
Communicating Research which
comprises preparation of a research
proposal and ethics application and
delivery of an oral presentation.
MA TEYL
Eight module assignments (20 credits
each) plus two shorter assignments (10
credits each)
The taught MA programmes all offer two exit qualifications. There is a Diploma, for
students who successfully complete 120 credits. For full-time MAs, this represents
passing the taught component (inc Planning & Communicating Research). Students
who complete 60 credits can be awarded a Certificate in Educational Studies. For
students on full-time MAs, this means successfully completing 3 modules of the
taught component (other than Planning & Communicating Research, which is
Pass/Fail assessed).
Exceptions to this are (1) the MA TEYL, for which the Certificate is called Certificate
in Teaching English to Young Learners (continuing students only) and (2) the MA
TESOL, where a Certificate in TESOL is available instead of Certificate in
Educational Studies for students who successfully complete the two core modules as
part of their three completions.
B
Assessment Procedures
Module Assessment
All module assessment tasks that contribute towards the award of the
degree are graded on the UNIVERSITY MARK SCALE (0-100) on first
submission, apart from Planning & Communicating research, which is
assessed on a multi-task Pass/Fail system. There are three categories of
pass in the university mark scale for taught MA programmes:
70+
Distinguished performance at masters’
level
60-69
Good at masters’ level
50-59
Satisfactory performance at masters’ level
A mark of 50 or above is considered to be a PASS; a mark below 50 is
considered to be a FAIL. All module assessments are normally graded
DISTINGUISHED, GOOD, SATISFACTORY or (CLEAR OR MARGINAL) FAIL
on first submission.
Compensation
If a student fails one or more modules (i.e. achieves a mark below 50), s/he may
still receive credit for the failed module(s) provided that (i) s/he has failed no
more than 40 credits, and (ii) no marks are lower than 40, and (iii) the rounded
credit-weighted mean over all modules (including the failed module(s)) is at least
50. Dissertation cannot be compensated.
Reassessment
If a student fails modules and the award requirements cannot be met by
application of the compensation criteria, the student will be allowed a
reassessment up to a maximum of 40 credits (i.e. 2 x 20 credit modules),
provided s/he has failed no more than 60 credits, with no more than 40 creditworth of outright fails (i.e. with mark less than 40). In the case that a student
has a clear fail grade below 40 and a marginal fail between 40 and 50, the
student can choose whether to be reassessed on the marginal fail. After the
student has been made aware of their situation by the Progression Board (or
the Examiners’ board in the case of MA TEYL), he/she will be able to consult
their module tutor and supervisor about the resubmission and a new deadline
date will be set (normally 3 weeks after receiving the message from the
Progression Board; possibly later where an examination has to be organised).
Dissertation (Independent Study module) assessment
A dissertation is also graded DISTINGUISHED, GOOD, PASS or (MARGINAL
or CLEAR) FAIL. If a student fails a dissertation and it receives a fail mark of 40
– 49, the student will receive written feedback, a guide list of points to revise and
a deadline date for resubmission (normally 2 months). The student will normally
be able to consult with their supervisor about how best to revise the dissertation
on one occasion. A dissertation cannot be compensated.
Overall distinction and merit
The conditions that need to be met for the award of a distinction or merit for a
taught MA may be found in the appropriate programme student handbook.
These conditions take account of the differences between programmes in their
modular structure and assessment weightings.
Marking procedure
All assessment tasks which contribute to the award of the degree are moderated
(assignments and examinations) or double marked (dissertation) internally. The
marker for an assignment is normally the module course tutor. The first marker for a
dissertation is normally someone other than the supervisor; the supervisor is
normally the second marker. When the original markers and / or moderators are
unable to reach an agreement, a further internal marker is appointed by the Board of
Examiners. The third marker has access to the report(s) of the first two markers as
well as the script and determiners the mark, documenting their rationale. Students
receive detailed written feedback on all module assignments and dissertations. This
normally happens within 6 weeks of the assignment being submitted.
C
The role of the external examiner
The role of the external examiner is:

to comment on the programme structure and content;

to comment on the standard of work achieved by students whose
work has been seen;

to raise any issues which might lead to improvements in the quality
of delivery, students’ experiences and the assessment process;

to approve the recommendation for the award of the degree;

to submit a written report for the Department and the Vice-Chancellor.
An external examiner coming into post receives all relevant graduate
studies departmental documentation including the appropriate
programme handbook. This is in addition to the documentation sent out
centrally by the University. The external examiner will be briefed about
their role by the programme leader. As part of that briefing they receive
relevant departmental documentation. They are also able to seek further
advice from the Director of Graduate Studies.
External examiners are sent a sample of assessed work and are asked to
produce written comments on the standard of work achieved. In addition,
the external examiner will normally visit York once each year in order to
discuss the programme with the programme leader and to look at other
work that has been assessed. In some cases, they will also meet students
on the programme during their visit.
The external examiners for the taught MA programmes attend an annual
examiners’ meeting in the Autumn term.
External examiners also submit a written report to the Department and to
the Vice- Chancellor, with copies being made available to University
Teaching Committee. The oral and written reports by external examiners is
discussed departmentally and is input to the Annual Programme Review in
the Autumn term.
D
The recommendation of awards
The recommendation for the award of the MA degree to an individual student
is made by the Board of Examiners and the external examiner once the
student has fulfilled one of the requirements below:

submitted a dissertation of the specified length which has received a
PASS grade
and submitted module assignments all of which have been graded
PASS (or received compensation).

for the MA in Teaching English to Young Learners (by distance)
(continuing students only), submitted eight module assignments which
have received PASS grades (or received compensation).
Recommendations for Diplomas and Certificates are made by the Board of
Examiners, if the taught component of the MA has been passed (Diplomas)
or three of the five modules of the taught component which are marked 0100 using the university mark scale have been successfully completed
(Certificates). For the MA TEYL recommendations will be made for a diploma if
modules worth 120 credits have been successfully completed or for a Certificate if
modules worth 60 credits have been successfully completed.
All module assignments and dissertations submitted by students for the
purposes of assessment which counts towards the award of the degree are
retained by the Department for one year following the award of the degree.
E
Progression and procedures for failing students
In the first instance, the responsibility for monitoring student progress lies
with the student’s supervisor. The normal expectation in the Department is
that students will meet with their supervisor twice in autumn term, three
times in spring term, three times in summer term, and have three contact
points with their supervisor in the summer vacation, at least two of which
are face-to-face meetings. The Department has a standard form on which a
record of the discussion at supervision meetings is made by the supervisor.
Programme leaders and the Director of Taught Programmes (Teaching and
Learning) are notified of any difficulties so that they are dealt with at an
early stage.
For the MA in Teaching English to Young Learners (by distance) all
students are expected to contact their supervisor at least six times during
the each study year (i.e. on twelve occasions over the two years). These
contacts normally take place via e-mail, and all e-mail communications
with students are kept on file. The programme tutors also meet on a
regular basis to monitor students’ progress.
F
Guidance on the procedures to be followed in the event of illness
Students should complete a Mitigating Circumstances form and submit it to
the Mitigating Circumstances Committee if illness is affecting their
academic work or their ability to submit a required piece of assessment.
Students are encouraged to discuss the situation first with their
supervisors. Such cases may be discussed by the Mitigating
Circumstances Committee, and where relevant, as starred business at the
Board of Studies. The Committee has several options available to it in
such cases (see section 26 of the university Guide to Assessment
Standards, Marking and Feedback).
G
Extensions to deadlines for assignments
Students who are unable to meet the deadline for submission of a taught
module assignment (but who are still within their period of registration) may
apply for an extension to the deadline, by completing a mitigating
circumstances form. Students are advised in programme handbooks that
normally only illness covered by a medical note or certain compassionate
grounds would constitute acceptable reasons for granting an extension to a
deadline, but a more complete list of acceptable reasons can be found in
section 26.3 of the Guide to Assessment. Where an extension to a deadline
would take the student beyond their period of registration, a formal request
for an extension has to be made to the Student Progress Officer in Registry
Services and University Special Cases Committee.
H
Submission procedures and penalties for late submission
The deadlines for summative assessments are described in the department
handbooks. Summative work must be handed in to the Administrator for
Graduate Programmes before the published deadline. An electronic version
must also be uploaded to the VLE. The student submitting work receives a
receipt which is countersigned by the Administrator for Graduate
Programmes.
A deadline means a final date and you must hand your assignment in to the
office before the specified time. All work submitted late, without valid
mitigating circumstances, will have 10 marks deducted for each day (or part
of each day) that the work is late, up to a total of five days, including
weekends and bank holidays, e.g. if the work is awarded a mark of 57, and
the work is up to one day late, the final mark is 47. After five days, the work is
marked at zero.
I
University’s appeals procedure
Students who fail their degree have certain rights of appeal which are
referred to in Regulation 2.8 for research students and Regulation 6.7
for taught postgraduate students in the University’s Ordinances and
Regulations.
J
Academic misconduct
Students need to be aware of the severity of the penalties associated with
various forms of academic misconduct, including plagiarism and collusion.
Sections on plagiarism and collusion are incorporated into all higher degree
programme handbooks and VLE. At the beginning of their programmes all
graduate students in the department are required to pass the university’s
online academic integrity tutorial (and submit the certificate to the
department during the Autumn term. In the case of the MA TEYL, where
cohorts can start at different times of the year, students are required to
submit the Academic Integrity Certificate immediately after their Intensive
introductory Module.
K
Assessment feedback to students
In Education, the vast majority of MA teaching occurs in seminars and
tutorials, with relatively few formal lectures. This means that there is often an
overlap between teaching and the provision of formative assessment which is
given orally by tutors to students during or after seminars and tutorials as part
of the teaching process.
In order to help taught MA students develop appropriate skills and language
for their assignments, the tutor for each option module in Term 1 sets a short
mid-term assignment on which formative written (and often oral) feedback is
provided before the first assignments are written and submitted.
The department adheres to the policy guidelines outlined by the
University Teaching Committee’s working group on providing feedback to
students. In particular:

All students are given a written feedback report on assessed
pieces of work (including the dissertation) which contains
comments and a grade.

Written work is assessed in accordance with criteria outlined in the
student MA programme handbooks.

Supervisors play a role in supporting students in completing pieces of
work for assessment, which includes commenting on sections of
assignments and drafts of the dissertation, but they do not offer a
view on the grade that they expect the piece of work to achieve once
examined.

A copy of a written report on assessed pieces of work is also
given to the student’s supervisor to facilitate appropriate
discussion. In the case of the MA TEYL, assessment feedback
reports to students are in practice written by supervisors.

Feedback on the three assessed tasks for Planning and
Communicating Research receives feedback as follows:
Dissertation proposal and Ethics Audit Form: oral from
supervisor; Oral presentation: written diagnostic report sheet
from marker. In the latter case, the marker will also give
immediate oral feedback where time permits.