4.6 Assessment and attendance

The learning that you do while a student at Exeter is about much more than the assessments. We design our modules to engage and interest you in a subject, and we hope that your experience in classrooms (on campus and virtual), group work meetings and via independent study is positive and rewarding. The critical skills, knowledge and understanding that you develop throughout your course will allow you to explore and reassess your place in the world, and to help shape the choices you make in the future in your working and personal lives.

Our diverse international community of faculty and students means that you will experience a wide range of teaching and learning styles, opinions, and resources. Although we have clear policies and guidance (set out in our Teaching Quality Assurance Manual) we encourage our faculty to develop innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment that draw on the latest pedagogical research, and that make the best use of new technologies and individual expertise. This means that no two modules will take the same approach or assess in the same way; you will need to be ready to be flexible and adaptable in your approach to study and assessment. It’s no coincidence that these skills are highly sought-after by your future employers.

Formal assessments in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences check whether you have met all of the ‘Intended Learning Objectives’ (ILOs) of a module. You can find these in module descriptions and handbooks, and they are specific to each module that you take. Your tutors will explain these clearly to you throughout their teaching, and you will receive careful guidance on exactly what is expected of you in each assessment, whether it’s by exam or coursework. If you are ever not sure about something, please just ask!

Submitting coursework 

Your module tutors will advise you on how to submit coursework assignments, as this can vary between different types of assessment. Always leave plenty of time to submit your work – computer or printer issues are not accepted as reasons for late submission.

If you haven’t already been granted mitigation, a late assignment (even one second after the deadline means late!) will incur mark penalties, as outlined in the Table of Late Penalties. You’ll receive an email when your assignment feedback is available.

Exams

Mitigation

If you feel illness or other adverse personal circumstances may affect your ability to undertake an assessment, you may be able to apply for mitigation. This does not include IT issues (e.g. lost work or poor internet connections), so please back up your work at all times.

For coursework assignments (not exams), you can have an evidence-free extension of 72 hours (3 days).

This option is available once per assessment. You can use it up to four times over a rolling 12 month period; any further extensions required after this must be applied for through the evidence-based process detailed below.

If you need an assessment extension of more than 72 hours and/or if you’ve used all four evidence-free extensions, you need to apply for evidence-based Mitigation. Individual lecturers or tutors are not able to grant mitigation or extensions. You must submit mitigation requests within 24 hours after the assessment deadline.

It is very important that you are familiar with the mitigation process from the beginning of your time with us, so that if you find yourself in a position to need it, you are able to comply with the tight restrictions around when you can apply. You can find out more on the mitigation webpage.

To apply for mitigation you need to complete the online mitigation form available on the University's mitigation website. All mitigation will be treated as confidential.

All disciplines taught on the Penryn Campus are handled by penryn-mitigation@ex.ac.uk.

Attendance and timetabling

Once you’ve registered, you’ll find your timetable in MyExeter or go to http://mytimetable.exeter.ac.uk. Remember to check that your device is set to the correct time zone! This year, teaching on all undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes starts on Monday 23 September (with some postgraduate programmes also starting in January 2024). You will not be able to see your timetable until you have completed your university registration, so please ensure that you check your email for information on how to do this. If during Welcome Week (beginning Monday 16 September) you still don't have access to your timetable to view your induction sessions, you can check for details of these on the New Students webpages.

Please don’t attend any sessions (on campus or online) that are not in your personal timetable. A timetable clinic will be held during Welcome Week which can be found at the IT Support desk in the Library. This is primarily to resolve any issues with viewing your timetable.

Academic engagement levels are recorded to ensure that any student welfare concerns are picked up, that Tier 4 international students meet their visa obligations, and that students are progressing academically.

Evidence of engagement with your degree programme is captured via three main points: assessment submissions, attendance at teaching sessions, and ELE usage. Students registered in University of Exeter programmes are required to:

• be in attendance* during academic terms and present at all scheduled learning and teaching activities required by the module and/or programme
• engage with and participate in all guided independent and group study, assessment and feedback, and any other activities required by the module and/or programme
• attend examinations, submit work when required, and otherwise fulfil the academic requirements of their modules and programme.

*Attendance encompasses the activity of being present at scheduled learning, teaching and other activities required by the module and/or programme whether this is physical or virtual attendance as defined by your programme’s teaching methods.

If you need to miss scheduled learning and teaching sessions due to factors beyond your control, such as illness or emergency, please inform your module tutor as soon as possible! Unauthorised and unexplained absences may result in reduced participation marks, so please do keep your tutors informed of the reasons for any absences.

International student visa holders must also check into all timetabled teaching sessions using Digital Check-in on MyExeter.

  Activity: I Intend to Attend - My IF-THEN Plan

Start successfully by setting good habits for attendance and making your own 'If-Then Plan' in the activity below. You may be asked about your If-Then Plan in academic induction sessions during Welcome Week.