Results and Resits

Examination Boards

First-Year Examination Boards

First-Year Examination Boards are internal Mathematics department committees. Any decisions they take need to be officially ratified by a subgroup of the Senate.

Each year, there are two First-Year Examination Boards, one in summer and one in September.

Summer Exam Board: The Board decides whether to progress a student to the second year or whether to require them to take resit examinations in September.
September Exam Board: Resit examination results are considered alongside the original results and decisions are made either to progress a student to the second year or to require them to withdraw.

It is possible for students to be out of phase with this sequence due to deferring their exams, temporary withdrawal, mitigation allowing resits to be taken as Further First Attempts (which would allow for a further capped resit) and so on. In these cases, students are considered at the next available First-Year Examination Board.

For more information about the First-Year Examination Boards and the outcomes they can give see G100 Year 1 Specifications and G103 Year 1 Specifications.

Second-Year Examination Boards

Second Year Examination Boards are internal Mathematics department committees. Any decisions they take need to be officially ratified by a subgroup of the Senate.

Each year, there are two Second-Year Examination Boards, one in summer and one in September.

Summer Exam Board: The Board decides whether to progress a student to the third year or whether to require them to take resit examinations in September.
September Exam Board: Resit examination results are considered alongside the original results and decisions are made either to progress a student to the third year or to require them to withdraw.

In addition, each Exam Board also determines whether a G103 student should progress to Year 3 of G103, or Year 3 of G100. See the progression criteria in G103 Year 2 Specifications.

For more information about the Second Year Examination Boards and the outcomes they can give see G100 Year 2 Specifications and G103 Year 2 Specifications.

Finals Examination Boards

The Finals (third and fourth year) Examinations Board is a Mathematics Department committee plus external examiners from other Warwick science departments and other universities. The external examiners are there to ensure fair play and to see that academic standards are maintained.

Each year, there are two Finals Examination Boards, one in summer and one in September.

Summer Exam Board: For G100 Year 3 students and G103 Year 4 students, this board recommends the award of Mathematics degrees according to department regulations and the University's Rules for Award.
This board also considers whether a G103 Year 3 student should progress into Year 4. There is a possibility that some students are not allowed to progress to Year 4 in which case they are considered for the award of BSc Honours. See G103 Year 3 Specifications.
September Exam Board: Resit examination results are considered alongside the original results and decisions are made either to recommend the award of degrees, progress a student to the fourth year.

For more information about the Finals Examination Boards and the outcomes they can give see G100 Year 3 Specifications, G103 Year 3 Specifications, G103 Year 4 Specifications.

Resits

If the first examination attempt is failed then any resits usually take place in the September resit period.

For a resit that is taken as a second (and final) attempt, the mark is capped at 40%, or 50% for modules at FHEQ Level 7 (UG Level 4).

if students have their first attempt in August/September for any reason, the resits then take place in the summer of the following academic year (this is called Resit Without Residence, or RWR).

There are several types of resits.

Required Resits

The Exam Boards may require a student to resit certain modules, for example, failed required core modules, or modules required to gain a sufficient number of CATS). These exams are called Required Resits.

For Required Resits that are taken as a second (and final) attempt, the final module mark is the capped resit exam mark, without being combined with any previous assessed work.

Further First Attempts

The Exam Boards may decide to give students opportunities for Further First Attempts (FFAs) at some module examinations (or some other suitable reassessment method for modules without examinations). This usually happens as a result of Mitigating Circumstances.

In this case, the (uncapped) resit exam mark is recombined with other assessed components to give the final module mark. Students who sit modules as Further First Attempts would also have the possibility of a resit at the next examination period.

Right to remedy failure (Optional Resits)

Students starting their degree in 2021/22 or later have the"right to remedy failure" in all modules failed (with the exception of a small number of modules for which resits are not appropriate, such as computing or laboratory modules). These resits are called Optional Resits. Since these resits are capped, taking Optional Resits is usually not an effective way to increase your year average, but it will increase the number of credits you have passed. This can make a big difference for some finalists (see below).

If you would like to take optional resits, the current University policy is as follows.

Non-finalists: you do not need to take any action. This is an opt-out system. It is helpful to let the Taught Programme Office know that you do not intend to take Optional Resits.
Finalists: the Taught Programme Office will contact you by email to ask if you intend to take any Optional Resits. This is an opt-in system.
For some finalists, opting in to take an optional resit can make a difference between a Pass Degree or an Honours Degree. Please be vigilant the check your email even after your results are released.

For further information, see the University's policy on the right to remedy failure.

Scaling

Scaling is the process by which the exam marks for a module are raised or lowered to properly calibrate the performance of the cohort in terms of the achievement of learning outcomes. Scaling is only performed on exam marks, not assessment marks.

In Mathematics, the scaling committee comprises academics who meet before the Exam Board to determine if the exam marks for a certain module require scaling or not, and if so, by how much. The committee takes into account the average performance of students on a certain module in comparison with that in other modules. They then discuss whether to adjust two numbers, namely:

The pass mark (normally at 40%, or 50% for MA4)
The first-class boundary (normally at 70%)

Each number can be raised or lowered or it can stay the same. Therefore, marks can go up or down after scaling, except 0 and 100 which are unaffected. The remaining marks are scaled by piecewise linear interpolation. We currently do not release scaling information to students, i.e. you will only see your scaled exam marks on Tabula, not the unscaled marks.

For further details, see the University's guidelines on scaling.

Results

Examination results are released through Tabula, along with any required resit information, at dates determined at University level so all students receive their results at the same time. See the University's page for result release dates.

Results will not be given to anyone else, even if they have been given permission by you.

Grade boundaries

All undergraduate modules at FHEQ level 4, 5 and 6 are marked using one overall system, which runs from 0-100.

Marks fall into different classes of performance:

70-100 First Class
60-69 Second Class, Upper Division (also referred to as "Upper Second" or "2.1")
50-59 Second Class, Lower Division (also referred to as "Lower Second" or "2.2")
40-49 Third Class
0-39 Fail

Marks of individual modules are whole numbers. Year averages and degree average are kept to 1 decimal place.

The University's Rule for Award document contains further information on degree classification and borderline criteria.

Exit Awards

Exit Awards recognise the achievement of undergraduate students where it was not possible to award the highest qualification for which they were registered. This includes the following cases:

Students who are required to withdraw, i.e. those who have not met progression requirements and all possible opportunities to progress have been exhausted
Students who withdraw due to personal or medical reasons
Students who are restarting on another degree programme

The following table outlines the total minimum credit to be taken and passed in order to be able to recommend each qualification:

Qualification

Total minimum credit to be taken

Total minimum credit to be passed

Highest level of credit

Minimum credit to be passed at the highest level

CertHE

120

DipHE

240

180

Prizes

Undergraduate prizes will be awarded for outstanding academic achievement. They will be judged by the appropriate Examination Boards that meet in the last week of the Summer Term.

Third and Fourth-Year Prizes

Departmental prizes: Up to nine prizes (the amount each prize carries varies from year to year). They are awarded to three to BSc finalists, three to MMath finalists and three to MMath year 3 students.
The criteria of merit will be broadly interpreted and may include a distinguished project or essay as well as an outstanding examination performance. The prizes may be shared and the prize money may be divided in other ways. Prizes are always considered using the exam grid that students appear on at the exam board, i.e. if you are a 3rd year MMath student and ask to graduate with a BSc either at or after the exam board, you will only be eligible for a 3rd year MMath prize.
IMA prizes: Up to two prizes (one year's IMA membership) sponsored by the Institute of Mathematics and its ApplicationsLink opens in a new window. These are awarded to students who have shown outstanding performance in the Fourth-Year project on applied mathematics.

These prizes are usually given out at the Summer Graduation celebration in the department.

Second-Year Prizes

Optiver Prizes for best second-year achievement: Up to two prizes of £200 each. The prizes are for the top overall performers.
Optiver "Women in STEM" Prize: One prize of £200 for the best female student in the second year (based on overall performance).
Dorset Software Prizes for best achievement in Scientific Communication: Up to two prizes of £200 each.

These prizes are given out at the Third-Year induction session in the following academic year.

First-Year Prizes

Optiver Prizes for best first-year achievement: Up to two prizes of £200 each. The prizes are for the top overall performers.
Optiver "Women in STEM" Prize: One prize of £200 for the best female student in the first year (based on overall performance).

These prizes are given out at the Second-Year induction session in the following academic year.

Appeals

Formal appeals against decisions of Boards of Examiners can be made by finalists against their degree classification. Non-finalists can only appeal if they are asked to withdraw. This means that if you progress to the next year, you cannot appeal against, say, certain marks you thought should be higher.

For details of the appeal procedure, see the University's appeals guidelines.

Results FAQs

Can I see my exam papers?
No. However, we do publish exam feedback and solutions.
Can my tutor inspect my exam papers on my behalf?
No.
Can I request that my exams be remarked?
No.
Should I take optional resits?
Please discuss with your tutor in the first instance. This is especially important for finalists.
I'm a finalist. Why does it say Permanently Withdrawn on my record on Tabula?
This usually means you have graduated.
I am disappointed by my results. Whom do I speak to?
Please discuss your results with your tutor in the first instance. If further support is needed, contact the Taught Programme Office, but be aware that they are very busy on exam result days and may not reply immediately.