Board of Examiners' outcomes (undergraduate students)

First, it’s important to know that there are variations to the rules of assessment in different departments. For example, in some modules, achieving the standard pass mark of 40 may not be sufficient to achieve a pass overall in that module.

During your studies you’ll take a number of modules, which are assessed by coursework (including in-class tests) and/or exams.

Each module will be made up of units of assessment which will each have their own weighting towards the overall module aggregate. When calculating the module aggregate the marks for all units are combined according to their weightings. For information on module weightings, you can use the Module Directory.

In most cases the pass mark for each module is 40. If your reassessment is capped the maximum mark you can achieve for the affected reassessment, following reassessment, is the pass mark, ie. 40. In the academic year 2020-21 all reassessment is being offered as a free of charge, uncapped ‘First Sit’ (unless you are already in capped mode or have an Academic Offence penalty that means a cap must apply.) This means that your mark will not be capped at 40. Please note, whilst named a ‘First Sit’, this is only in reference to the fact that it does not count as one of your three attempts at reassessment in a module, previous marks and attempts may still appear on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). For full details on the above and any departmental variations that may apply please see the rules of assessment.

If your results show that you have a decision to make on the outcomes you've been offered and/or which reassessment you will be undertaking, there are set deadlines by which you must select your choices on the web results page.

For the August/September 2021 reassessment period the decision deadline is Wednesday 6 October.

Please note that this may be different for some courses. Please check the information in your Board of Examiners Outcome email or contact your department to confirm your deadline.

If you’re a Final Year student and have been offered further reassessment next Academic Year, the Board of Examiners will meet, generally in July, to assess your results from your coursework and exams reassessments to decide whether or not you’ve passed. If you have passed after this reassessment, and you’re eligible for a degree, you will receive your degree once your results have been confirmed.

If you chose to accept an alternative award in 2019-20 or in Summer 2021, eg. an Ordinary Degree or a Diploma of Higher Education, and also undertook further reassessment and passed, you will only graduate with the higher of the two awards.

If you had an accepted extenuating circumstances claim, the action taken by the Board of Examiners will be noted on your results webpage.

If the Board of Examiners decides that your reassessment will be treated as a ‘First Sit’, due to extenuating circumstances, then your module mark will not be capped upon reassessment.

The rules of assessment state that you have a maximum of three opportunities to undertake assessment in a module, however, the Board of Examiners can grant additional reassessment attempts where there are accepted extenuating circumstances.

Under our No Detriment Policy, all reassessment offered in the 2020-21 academic year will be offered as uncapped ‘First Sits’, unless otherwise specified.

It is essential for your continued progression on your course that you undertake all compulsory reassessment that you have been offered.

If you have been offered voluntary reassessment, but you’ve decided not to take it, you will retain your current marks. Please note, you are not able to request this reassessment at a later date.

If you choose to undertake any of the voluntary reassessment you have been offered, but then you change your mind, you need to email examboards@essex.ac.uk as soon as possible so that we can advise.

If you do not undertake the voluntary reassessment you have chosen to undertake and do not let us know, the Board of Examiners can reinstate your previous module mark, however this will show as an attempt at assessment on your HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report).

If you undertake any reassessment, compulsory or voluntary, the number of attempts at your assessment will show on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), even where undertaken as a ‘First Sit', but only the higher mark will be recorded.

If you opt to undertake your voluntary reassessment, but do not undertake it, your HEAR will show your previous assessment mark but will count the missed reassessment as an attempt.

Academic transcript

Your academic transcript will be available electronically as part of your Higher Education Achievement Report within five working days. If you have been given a choice of outcomes, your HEAR will not update until five working days after you have confirmed your decision. You can access your HEAR and securely share it with others via your GradIntelligence account.

We no longer issue hard copies of students’ transcripts as standard. Please contact award-docs@essex.ac.uk should you require further assistance.

Award certificate

Your electronic award certificate will be available on your GradIntelligence account, alongside your HEAR, within five working days of your award being conferred.

You will also receive a hard copy award certificate which will be posted to you. Please be aware that if you are undertaking reassessment, your hard copy certificate will not be issued until your reassessment has been completed. The Graduation and Awards team will contact all graduates via their Essex emails to confirm whether they intend to collect their certificates at graduation, or are unable to attend and would therefore like to receive it via post. If you do not confirm your address by the deadline stated by the Graduation and Awards Team when they contact you, your certificate will be posted to your home address on MyEssex.

Please contact award-docs@essex.ac.uk if you require further assistance.

Graduation ceremonies

As a consequence of public health actions to minimise the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we had to take the very painful decision to postpone our Summer 2020 and 2021 Graduation ceremonies.

We are very pleased to confirm that, if restrictions are lifted as expected, we plan to run graduation ceremonies in 2022.

We will contact all eligible graduates with more information nearer the time about when their ceremony will be and how to book. Please ensure your external email address is up to date in MyEssex so we can stay in touch. All updates will also be published on our website. Please contact graduation@essex.ac.uk should you have any queries in the meantime.

The Board of Examiners applies the rules of assessment and makes decisions based on academic grounds. It is not always possible for a sponsored student to choose some of the academic options given by the Board due to the immigration rules, regulations and guidance. It is your responsibility to check our immigration pages for guidance on how possible outcomes may affect your visa.

If you complete your course earlier than expected then the University will be required to report this to the UK Home Office, which may mean your visa will expire early. The International Services Team will email you when a report is made to the UK Home Office to advise you further. In the meantime, if you require advice, please contact our International Student Advisors by completing the online immigration enquiry form.

As a student sponsor, the University must comply with all Home Office requirements. Please read our immigration guidance on Board of Examiner decisions and if recommended to or you would like clarification before making your choice you should contact our International Services team.

• If you are a Law student there are specific rules which apply concerning the number of assessment attempts you are permitted, the modules you can carry fails in, and the amount of time you can complete your course within when you are on an accredited course, known as a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD).
• If you fail one of the Foundations of Legal Knowledge subjects, and do not retrieve this fail, you will no longer be eligible for a QLD without a successful application for exemption to the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority or Bar Standards Board.
• The lack of a QLD will affect you if you are hoping to qualify as a barrister or solicitor in England or Wales. This may also have implications for the recognition of your degree in other countries.
• If you choose to graduate carrying a fail in a Final Year Foundations of Legal Knowledge module, you will be offered only ONE additional reassessment attempt. If you are successful, your degree will be updated to a QLD.
• If you decide to carry the fail in a Foundations of Legal Knowledge module in Year One or Year Two, or are unsuccessful in your Final Year reassessment attempt in a Foundations of Legal Knowledge module, you will be offered ‘Reassessment for Professional Purposes’ in the next available reassessment period. If you are successful, you will get confirmation that you have completed the required module and we will notify the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board, via the Joint Academic Stage Board, however, your transcript and degree will not be updated to a QLD.
• Please note, that you can only be offered Reassessment for Professional Purposes where you have not already had three attempts at the assessment for that module, except where you have been offered an additional attempt due to accepted extenuating circumstances.
• To obtain a QLD you must also complete your degree within the required time frame, which is the length of your course plus two years. For three-year courses this means you have a maximum of five years, and for four-year courses six years to complete your degree.

We understand that results time can be disappointing and that this can be a difficult time if you’ll be leaving the University before the anticipated end of your studies.

It’s really important that you access our range of student support services, so you have the right information to weigh-up the options and decide on your next steps.

• The Student Services Hub is available to offer guidance on accessing your results, deadlines and making decisions via the online portal. This team can be contacted via email at askthehub@essex.ac.uk or Live Chat.
• Our friendly and supportive Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service is on-hand to talk through any issues you might have at wellbeing@essex.ac.uk
• SU Advice provides expert and independent advice on University policies and procedures as a free service to all students. Contact them at suadvice@essex.ac.uk.
• Other good points of contact to talk through your next steps are your departmental personal tutor and the University’s Careers Services.

You may decide that you want to continue your studies at another institution. Your Higher Education Achievement Record provides a record of your achievements at our University, which you can make available to another institution.

If you are repeating the year or repeating modules on a part-time basis you will be able to register online in the normal manner.

If you are undertaking reassessment without attendance, you will be registered automatically.

Find out more about registration.

Tuition fees

If you are entitled to the Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance England, this will cover the tuition for the full duration of your course, plus one additional year, minus any previous years of study at Higher Education level.

You will be eligible for tuition fee funding for a repeat year or part-time repeat, where you have not yet used your additional year of funding or had previous Higher Education funding prior to your current course. If you have previously studied at Higher Education level or already used your additional year of funding, you will need to fund your own tuition fees during any repeated studies, ie. a repeat year or if repeating modules on a part-time basis.

If you are undertaking reassessment without attendance, then you will not be fully registered or liable for tuition fees, only relevant resit costs, therefore this will not count as a year’s funding entitlement.

Maintenance loan and grants

If you are entitled to the Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England, this will cover the full duration of your course, plus one additional year, minus any previous years of study at Higher Education level. You should be eligible for full support for a repeat year, where you have not yet used your additional year of funding or had previous Higher education funding prior to your current course.

If you have previously studied at Higher Education level, or have previously repeated a year, you may still be eligible for some Maintenance loan funds, plus any supplementary grants, such as Parent’s Learning Allowance, Disabled Students’ Allowance.

In exceptional situations, known as ‘compelling personal reasons’ Student Finance England may grant you a tuition fee loan and full support for UK students, even if you have studied previously.

If you do have compelling personal reasons and have already used your 'gift year' you should submit a Compelling Personal Reasons Request to Student Finance England. You need to write a letter to explain how the compelling personal reasons have affected your studies and submit supporting evidence. UK Home funded students can submit this request via their online account, EU students need to post it.

Please contact the Funding Team (funding@essex.ac.uk) for further advice on Compelling Personal Reasons if required.

If you are undertaking reassessment without attendance, you will not be eligible for any funding from Student Finance England as they generally only provide support for students in attendance.

Any student who is in debt to the University will normally be required to pay the debt before registering for the next academic year. If you are unable to pay the debt, you should contact the Student Services Hub.

You can request to change your course via the Student Request Portal - where you can also find out more about:

• requesting a special syllabus
• intermitting
• withdrawing

If the Board of Examiners require you or have offered you the option to change course and continue your studies, you will not need to request a course change to action this, it will automatically be actioned for you. For information on course changes due to Board of Examiners outcomes please see the relevant pages.

For further information, see the changing course webpages.

If you are considering making an appeal against a decision made by the Board of Examiners, it’s important to be aware that there are limited grounds and strict deadlines for submitting an appeal. Check the deadlines as soon as possible on the appeals webpage.

You can also contact the SU Advice team for support with completing your appeal at suadvice@essex.ac.uk.