Credit

As you know we operate a credit accumulation scheme whereby your performance in all years of your course count towards your final degree classification. Marks for this year contribute 60% towards the final BSc classification and 30% to the MMathPhys one. You should also note that to be awarded an honours degree you should normally have fewer that 37.5% of your final year marks below 30%.

Assessed Modules

This year all lectured modules given by the Physics Department are assessed by formal examination, as are many of those given by the Mathematics Department. Some Mathematics modules have assessed components. Most of the modules given by outside departments are assessed by a combination of assessed components, e.g. essays, and examination, as indicated on their syllabi, for example the Business Studies modules are 70% examined and 30% assessed, Scientific Method may be taken either 100% assessed or 100% examined.

Examinations

The probable organisation of the formal examinations set by the Physics Department is given below (you will be notified of any changes). For a 7.5 CATS module, you are required to answer two questions (out of three) in 1.5 hours (note this is longer per question than in the first two years). For 15 CATS modules, you are required to answer three questions (out of four) in two hours. For the papers set by the Mathematics Department each module has its own examination paper.

Examinations are held at two points during the year - week 30 (i.e. immediately after the Easter vacation and in May/June. In addition to the Physics papers 1 and 5 identified below, you should note that first term Mathematics modules are normally examined in week 30.

The proposal is that the physics papers be scheduled as follows:

Week 30

• PX308X
  • A - PX308 Physics in Medicine
  • B - PX350 The Weather and the Environment

• PX3820 Quantum Physics of Atoms

Weeks 33 to 36

• PX3660 Statistical Physics

• PX3700 Optoelectronics and Laser Physics

• PX384X
  • A - PX384 Electrodynamics
  • B - PX392 Plasma Electrodynamics

• PX3850 Condensed Matter Physics

• PX3870 Astrophysics

• PX3880 Magnetic Resonance

• PX3910 Nonlinearity, Chaos and Complexity

• PX3950 The Standard Model

• PX3960 Nuclear Physics

• PX3970 Galaxies

• PX3890 Cosmology

• PX4230 Kinetic Theory

As part of the examination and quality assurance process the external examiner may wish to speak to some graduating students. Students on the BSc course MUST be available during week 39 (last week of term) in case the examiner wishes to see you (so do not organise any holidays then). You will be notified nearer the time of the date of any oral examinations. In the last couple of years no orals have occurred.

The examination results will be available sometime on Wednesday of the last week of Term 3.