School of Law
Assessment and Examinations
How can I find out about the method of assessment for my course?
The University Book of Modules will set out the course requirements and the method of assessment for each module. However, more detailed information in this regard is provided in the syllabus for each module (see page 11).
Forms of assessment
The methods of assessment vary from module to module. In First Year, assessment normally takes the form of a written examination and/or coursework essay(s) or other pieces of written work.
(a) Exams & Past Papers
Examinations are normally 2 – 3 hour unseen exams, however, some modules are assessed by means of a ‘take home’ exam. Where a module is assessed entirely or partially by exam, past exam papers for the module will be available for consultation at the Law Library Multiple Copy Desk.
(b) Essays and Coursework
Where an essay or other piece of coursework (for example a problem solving project) is required for an assessment, a specific word limit will be set for the project as well as a date by which your essay must be submitted.
Essays must be submitted to the ‘Student Office’ of the School at No. 27 University Square. Students will be required to sign a register noting the date and time of submission. The opening hours for the Student Shop are 9.30 – 1.00pm and 2.00 – 4.00pm.
Students will also be expected to submit word processed essays/coursework and to comply with the School’s policy on legal writing (ie, concerning the format of footnotes, legal citations etc). This policy will be set out for First Years in Introduction to Law.
(c) Penalties for late submission, exceeding word limits or plagiarism
Under University regulations (Regulation 6.28) the School is required to penalise students who submit coursework late or exceed the word limitation.The penalty for submitting coursework late is a reduction in marks of 5% for each day late, up to a maximum of 5 working days late, after which a mark of 0 will be awarded; the penalty for exceeding the word limitation is: more than 10% over the limit deduct 5%, more than 20% over the limit deduct 10%, more than 30% deduct 20%.
It is possible to apply for exemption from the late coursework mark penalty. A copy of the application form can be found at the back of this handbook. Please note that exemption from late penalties will be the exception rather than the rule.
The University and School also have strict rules concerning plagiarism – and in serious cases can result in failing a module or your degree or being able to proceed to professional training. First Year students will be given specific training as to what amounts to plagiarism during Introduction to Law and the University’s rules on the penalties for this academic offence.
When will the assessment take place?
Assessments must be completed at the end of the semester in which the module is taken.This means January for semester one modules and May/June for semester two modules. Although assessment must be completed by the end of the semester, students will frequently be asked to submit coursework for assessment before the end of the semester. This approach is often taken in order to give students feedback on progress prior to sitting an exam or attempting the second element of coursework required for the module.
Special assessment arrangements for students with disabilities, illness etc
If candidates require special arrangements to be made, e.g. on the grounds of disability or illness, it is their responsibility to bring this to the attention of the University Occupational Health Officer at as early a date as possible. For students with disabilities, special examination arrangements will be made according to the procedures of the Disability Action Group.
How are Law Degrees Classified?
Depending on students’ performance, undergraduate degrees from Queen’s University are classified into:
· First Class Honours 70%+
· Upper Second Class Honours (known as a ‘2.1’) 59.5 – 69.4%;
· Lower Second Class Honours (known as a ‘2.2’) 49.5 – 59.4%
· Third Class Honours 39.5 – 49.4%
· Fail below 39.5%.
Decisions concerning the class of degree to be awarded to individual candidates are made by the Board of Examiners sitting in June of your final year.
The following is an outline of the rules governing this process:
· Level 1 modules, are pass/fail and therefore do not count towards your final degree result.
· Level 2 or 3 modules, either from the list of optional Law modules or elsewhere, count towards your final degree result. The class of degree awarded to a candidate for the LL.B degree will be based on the candidate’s performance in the 12 modules above Level 1. To arrive at a degree classification, the 6 marks from Level 3 modules count for 60% and the 6 marks from Level 2 modules count for 40%.
The University has introduced a number of changes to the degree classification scheme which have been implemented from 1 June 2005, regardless of when the student first embarked on the degree programme.
Where the regulations in use at the time of entering and the regulations in use at the time of classification differ, the final percentage mark and eligibility for a higher classification will be determined by applying both sets of regulations and selecting the more favourable outcome.
Under the new rules, modules will have the weighting 60:40. This means that the Stage 2 (second year) module marks will be weighted at 40% and the Stage 3 (third year) will be weighted at 60%
The secondary rule (i.e. average of 57 with 6 marks of 60 or above would result in a 2:1 being awarded.) for classification is based on a predominance rule whereby candidates can be awarded a degree class providing they have at least half their module marks in that class or above and that their aggregate score is within three percentage points of that class.
Absences from exams
Under University Regulations (Regulation 8.2) absence from any examination for medical reasons must be covered by a medical certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner. Medical certificates must be submitted to the School Office within three days of the date of the examination.
This regulation is strictly adhered to and there are no exceptions; students who miss an examination and who do not submit a medical certificate will not be able to resit the examination for full marks; this absence will be regarded as an attempt and only 2 further attempts will be permitted. A copy of the relevant form is attached at the back of this handbook. This form may also be used to report any special circumstances which may have affected your examination performance in a particular module.
Passing a module ‘by compensation’
Subject to University regulations, students at Level 1 who have passed at least 4 modules in the stage may be eligible for a pass by compensation for a given Level 1 module.Compensation will not be allowed where it is specifically debarred by validating/accrediting bodies.
The following conditions apply for the award of a pass by compensation:-
(i) The failed module mark must be between 35 and 39%
(ii) The deficiency in the failed module must be matched by at least twice as many marks in excess of 40 as the mark is below in a module at the same or a higher level eg 39 can be compensated by 42 and 35 by 50.Only Level 0 and Level 1 modules may be used for purposes of compensation.
(iii) No more than two modules in a given stage may be compensated, and at least 4 passes must already have been obtained in that stage.
(iv) Only complete modules may be compensated.
The conditions above apply to modules which each have a value of 1.0 Compensation between modules of different values will operate pro-rata eg two modules with a value of 0.5 would be needed to compensate for a module with a value of 1.0.
Marks for modules passed by compensation will be recorded as the actual (failed) mark followed by ‘(PC)’ eg 36(PC).
Modules which have been compensated may not be used as pre-requisites.
What happens if I fail my assessment?
40% is the pass mark for all undergraduate modules. Students who fail one or more modules must take the supplementary or ‘repeat’ assessment held in August/September. *Any student who fails to take the supplementary assessment without permission or medical circumstances at this time will be considered to have failed the assessment.Students should ensure they have no examination commitments before booking trips abroad in August or early September.
There are important new progress changes which take effect for students entering on or after September 2006. With the exception of Introduction to Jurisprudence, it will no longer be possible for students to proceed into second year unless they have passed all Level 1 modules by the August/September diet of assessments. Similarly, students will not be allowed to proceed into the third year unless they have passed all six Level 2 modules.