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School of English
The University of Nottingham
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Nottingham
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UK

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Degree Regulations

General and Supplementary Regulations

Progression to Year 2 and Final Year

Re-assessments in Qualifying Year and Part I

Degree Weightings

Final Degree Classification

Degree Classification Calculator

General and Supplementary Regulations

The Nottingham degree structure splits your degree into three stages:

  • A Qualifying Year, which you must pass to continue studying;
  • Part I, where your work counts for a percentage towards your final degree classification;
  • Part II, where you complete the majority of work which determines your final degree classification.

These stages are defined by the number of credits and level of study attained, rather than the actual number of years spent studying here (since students may go on year-long exchanges or need to interrupt their studies).

When you register, you sign a written undertaking to obey the Ordinances and Regulations of the University during your period of study. These include the University Study Regulations for Undergraduate Courses and Supplementary Regulations.

The University Regulations explain the assessment, progression and degree award requirements in full. A summary is given below. The Supplementary Regulations specify any additional requirements for your particular course, including any modules which cannot be compensated (i.e. you must pass to progress).

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Progression to Year 2 and Final Year

If you pass all your modules (i.e. achieve a mark of 40% or above in each one), you have qualified to progress to the next year of your course automatically.

If you fail one or more modules, you can still progress as follows:

  • if you have an overall average of at least 50% with at least 100 credits of modules with marks of 40% or above OR
  • if you have an overall average of at least 45% with at least 90 credits of modules with marks of 40% or above and at least 110 credits at 30% or above OR
  • if you have an overall average of at least 40%, with at least 80 credits of modules with marks of 40% or above and no marks below 30%.

Your marks from Year 1 qualify you to continue on your course, but they do not count towards the classification of your final degree.

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Re-assessments in Qualifying Year and Part I

All failed modules are considered by the School Examination Board, who will recommend resits or first sits where appropriate, in accordance with the University Regulations for Undergraduate Courses. Reassessments for students who have failed modules in either semester will be held in the August-September resit period, and you are required to be available at this time if necessary. You should be aware that the University charges a fee for resits.

Resits

All resit candidates required to submit coursework for the School of English will be asked to complete new assignments. All details of re-assessments will be available here to download, from Feedback Day in June onwards.

Resit marks are counted for progression only; in calculating your final degree result, only the mark you gained at the first attempt will be taken into account.

First Sits

Students who have extenuating circumstances may, on the recommendation of the School Examination Board, be permitted to resit the module or element of assessment as if for the first time. For these first sit students, no resit fee is payable to the University and the full resit mark is recorded on your student record.

First sit candidates submitting coursework will be allowed to complete the original assignments they were given during the year, unless otherwise notified.

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Degree Weightings

The results obtained in second and final year count towards the final degree classification, as follows:

For Single Honours English, Part I is weighted at 40% and Part II is weighted at 60%.

For TQ73 English and American Studies (International Study), for 2010 entry onwards, Part I is weighted at 40% and Part II is weighted at 60%. For students starting prior to 2010, Part I is weighted at 20% and Part II is weighted at 80%.

For Joint Honours English with a language, Part I is weighted at 20% and Part II is weighted at 80%.

For all other English Joint Honours courses, Part I is weighted at 40% and Part II is weighted at 60%.

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Final Degree Classification

Single and Joint Honours students’ final degree classification is determined by the Examining Board of the School(s), comprising both internal and external examiners. For each candidate, the examiners’ meeting is provided with a single overall average.

Where an administering department allows a module to be taken outside the Honours department(s), that module’s mark is included within the run of marks for that Honours department.

All students: The final degree result is based on your weighted average mark over Parts I and II.

  1. Final degree result will be determined by the value of the final overall average:

70-100% first class
60-69% second class, division I
50-59% second class, division II
40-49% third class
0-39% fail

  1. Candidates may be considered for a higher degree class than that provided for by (1) above where the average is equal to or higher than the following cut-off points:

68% for a first
59% for a 2.i
49% for a 2.ii
39% for a third.

Candidates with a weighted average of 68 or 69 will normally be promoted to Class I if they have 100 credits' worth of First Class marks spread over Parts I and II or 60 credits' worth of First Class marks solely in Part II.

Candidates with an average of 59, 49 or 39 are normally promoted to Classes 2.i, 2.ii and Third (as appropriate) if they have 120 credits' worth of marks in higher classes spread over Parts I and II or 70 credits' worth of marks in higher classes solely in Part II.

The meeting may also consider, where relevant, medical or compassionate grounds, as in (3) below.

  1. Candidates with lower averages than those in (2) above are not considered for the higher class except where there are medical or compassionate grounds, substantiated by documentary evidence, to suppose that the candidate’s performance in the submission of coursework or in the examination has been seriously impaired.

If a candidate falls into any of these categories, any examiner may present additional evidence which the meeting may consider relevant.

All decisions of the Examining Board are final.


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