Assessments

There are several types of assessment that are used at the University and these differ between programmes and modules.

Coursework

Essays, seminar performance, individual and group projects, presentations, practicals and labs.

In-semester tests

Written and timed assessments designed to provide an evaluation of your understanding at that point in the module. These are held during the semester.

Examinations

Written or computer based, take place during exam weeks towards the end of each semester and in the late summer re-sit period in August/September.

Your programme handbook and modules in SurreyLearn will give you further information about the assessments on your programme.

On SurreyLearn you will find details of the deadlines and when and how you can expect to receive feedback.

Early in the module, you will be provided with full details of the nature and the timing of the assessments so you will have time to plan your work during the semester. You will also receive information about how marks will be allocated between different assignments and for different aspects of an assignment.

The mode of assessment will have been selected to suit the nature of the learning outcomes and can identified in the online module description.

Please note that where there is more than one element of assessment, weightings will vary e.g. 50%/50% or 20%/60%/20%. This is also identified in the module description.

You must achieve a minimum mark to pass a module, which are as follows:

• Foundation year studies (FHEQ Level 3 modules) – 50%
• Undergraduate (FHEQ Level 4, 5 and 6 modules) – 40%
• BVMSci Veterinary Medicine and Science (FHEQ Level 4, 5, 6 and 7 modules) – 50%
• Postgraduate (FHEQ Level 7 modules) – 50%

Modules are normally worth 15 credits (except extended project/dissertation modules).

University grade descriptors are generic statements that describe achievement in terms of the range and breadth of knowledge and abilities a student is required to achieve.

The University’s generic grade descriptors can be found in the Code of Practice for Assessment and Feedback in Appendix 1. These generic descriptors are used as a basis to create discipline-specific descriptors and sometimes specific descriptors for particular types of assessment.

Students following taught programmes may be required to submit coursework (e.g. assignments, projects and other reports) in accordance with the relevant arrangements.

The submission deadline for all coursework, including resubmissions, will be a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday by 4pm.

It is recommended that you submit earlier than this. If you have lectures or other commitments on the day your work is due you are expected to plan ahead so you do not miss any timetabled sessions or your deadline.

Work should be submitted in the requested format and the quality of the presentation is important. Your work should be:

• Double spaced
• Page numbered
• Within the word allowance
• In an Arial font, size 12 point.

If a hard-copy is required please follow the arrangement given in your programme handbook and on your SurreyLearn module.

For online submissions you must submit by 4pm on the set deadline date. Work must be submitted in the relevant module assessment within SurreyLearn (not through the Similarity Checker in SurreyLearn).

Where students submit multiple versions of their assessment, the latest version submitted before the deadline is the one that will be marked.

Alternatively, if the assessment is submitted late, the earliest version submitted after the deadline will be the one that is marked.

Only work submitted as a Word or PDF document can be accepted, unless an alternative digital file type is specifically required for a module. Please note that if you submit to the wrong module page your work will be considered a non-submission and will result in a mark of 0% being awarded. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with SurreyLearn in good time of submission deadlines.

Students can avoid plagiarism by following good academic practice.

You must keep a copy of all submitted work and an additional copy must be made available should it be requested.

If you have an issue submitting your assignment over the weekend (Saturday, Sunday or a Bank Holiday): please email your assignment to your module leader and Faculty assessment team [feps][fass][fhms]-assessments@surrey.ac.uk. Submissions past the deadline will mean they are late and the late penalty regulations (PDF) apply.

When submitting assignments you are required to confirm that your work is original by completing a declaration – either online or hard copy. When submitting through SurreyLearn you will be presented with the declaration of originality and by submitting your assessment you confirm the statements in the declaration.

Please note that you do not need to declare advice received from University professional/study support services, the accessing of which is encouraged.

Wording

The wording of this declaration is as follows:

"I confirm that the submitted work is my own work. No element has been previously submitted for assessment, or where it has, it has been correctly referenced. I have clearly identified and fully acknowledged all material that is entitled to be attributed to others (whether published or unpublished) using the referencing system set out in the programme handbook.

I agree that the University may submit my work to means of checking this, such as the plagiarism detection service Turnitin® UK and the Turnitin® Authorship Investigate service. I confirm that I understand that assessed work that has been shown to have been plagiarised will be penalised.

If in completing this work I have been assisted with its presentation by another person, I will state their name and contact details of the assistant in the ‘Comments’ text box below. In addition, if requested, I agree to submit the draft material that was completed solely by me prior to its presentational improvement."

Note for students: you do not need to declare advice received from Academic Skills and Development or other University professional/study advisory service (e.g. Disability and Neuroinclusion, English Language Support), the accessing of which is encouraged.

Students are expected to submit assignments on time.

Submission times are strictly enforced (e.g. a submission at one-minute past is defined as late) therefore it is advisable to submit your assignment well before the deadline in case of any problems.

It is your responsibility to check the submission requirements for each assignment. Students are solely responsible for checking they have submitted the correct document and to the correct folder on SurreyLearn.

Where a student has not submitted a coursework unit of assessment by the deadline specified, and there are no confirmed extenuating circumstances, from 4:01pm the mark given for that unit of assessment will be reduced by 10 percentage points for work submitted in the first 48-hour period after the deadline. Where the actual assessment mark is above or at the Pass mark until the Pass mark is reached. If the assessment is failed, then the actual failed mark will stand without deduction for the late submission.

If the late work is submitted at any point between 48 hours (2 calendar days) and 120 hours (5 calendar days) after the specified submission deadline and there are no confirmed extenuating circumstances, the mark given for that unit of assessment will be the Pass mark (where the actual assessment mark is above or at the Pass mark) or the actual failed mark.

Penalties are applied after the assessed work is marked. The mark recorded for assessed work submitted from 4:01pm on the fifth day after the deadline (120 hours), or not submitted at all, is zero and will not be marked.

Failure to submit coursework, without confirmed extenuating circumstances, will not only result in 0% being awarded but it may also be deemed as failure to make progress with your studies and/or ceasing to participate in the programme. This may result in termination of registration.

Students should also be made aware, that where a unit of assessment has not been submitted at first attempt, and there are no confirmed extenuating circumstances, compensation may not be available at that point for that module. In such cases compensation will only be available after resubmission.

For further information see the University's Regulations for Taught Programmes.

When it comes to marking assessments here at Surrey, we’ve been able to respond to your feedback by talking more about how we ensure our process is fair and consistent.

The animation below explains our 13-step process that we follow for every piece of summative work that you submit. You can find out more in on our exams and assessments pages.