University examinations

Familiarise yourself as usual with your exam timetable on Learn and with any specific exam guidance provided for your modules. The timetable includes the start and final submission times planned for the remote exam. For short window (1b) exams the final submission time takes account of any extra time including rest breaks which may have been agreed for you.

Find as comfortable and quiet a space as possible in which to complete your exam. If you have any long window (1a) exams, consider when would be the best time for you to undertake the exam within the 23 hour period allocated. The Remote Exams will be ‘open book’ but otherwise will be as consistent as possible with a ‘normal’ exam and therefore you should prepare largely as normal.

For each exam, guidance will normally be provided on the exam paper regarding the preferred format for completing your answers – for example, word processed and/or handwritten. Please use the preferred format if possible, but ultimately this is your choice and it will of course depend on the nature of the questions. If handwriting your answers, make sure you have all the stationery you require (e.g. pens, pencils, paper, calculator etc.) to hand. You should also make sure that you have familiarised yourself with the guidance below in section 6 on uploading your work to Learn in advance of the day.

You will be able to download the exam paper from your Learn Timeline or the relevant module page from the start time set for the exam (shown in your exam timetable). Please note the module page will be named 'Module Code_EXAM', e.g. '19ABC123_EXAM'). The paper will be in PDF format.

You are advised to download the paper as soon as you can for a short window exam (1b), or as soon as is convenient for you to do so for a 23 hour long window (1a) exam. This is in the event of any unforeseen loss of internet connection. For a few exams, additional documents will also be available (e.g. formula books) for you to download. If this is the case, you should be made aware of this in advance via the relevant Learn module page. These documents will appear alongside your exam paper.

The exam process has been designed to minimise the length of time you will need to remain connected to the internet.  This is to accommodate those students who may have a more limited connection or who may experience unforeseen connectivity issues on the day. This means that it will NOT be possible to raise a query about the paper during the exam itself.  We have worked very hard to ensure that all instructions and questions on exam papers are as clear as possible but if you are unsure about any aspects, then you should write a comment to this effect on your script.  This will then be considered afterwards as part of the marking process.

Please ensure you:

• Write in English unless the instructions on the exam paper say otherwise.
• Include your ID number (but please do not write your name in your work) at the top of each page and number the pages of the material you plan to submit.
• Follow the instructions on the exam paper carefully.

Please also note the following:

• Your answers should be equivalent in content and length to answers you would have produced under normal exam conditions, unless you have been advised otherwise for a specific exam.
• You should complete your answers within the indicative time provided regardless of whether it is a 1a or a 1b exam, paying attention to any recommended word counts/answer lengths. 
• You may handwrite and/or word process your answers, as you see fit.
• You are encouraged to word process narrative answers (e.g. essays, short answer questions), with the following formatting 12 point (ideally Arial or Times New Roman); 1.5 spacing; minimum 2 cm margins, but scans/images of hand-written answers will be accepted.
• You are encouraged to hand write answers to numerical/quantitative questions as you would normally to ensure that you show all steps in your calculations. You may mix word processed and hand written work as long as you make the structure of the answer clear. Please refer to the guidance in section 6 for help on how to do this.
• If you are asked to complete a certain number of questions within the exam paper and/or within different sections of the paper, you should only complete and submit this number of answers. If you have attempted additional questions and the answers are included in the pages you submit, remember to cross them out. Any questions answered beyond the number required which have not been clearly crossed out will not be marked.
• Where appropriate, you should cite literature in accordance with disciplinary protocol (e.g. Smith, 2019) to support your answers, but you do not need to provide a reference list as you typically would for coursework.
• You will not be expected to source information from academic papers, books, book chapters or other resources to inform your answers during the exam.

The remote exams are ‘open book’. This means that during the exam:

• You may, but are not expected to, consult teaching materials, on-line library resources, academic papers, books, book chapters, dictionaries and/or internet information etc. to inform your answers, unless any additional materials have been specifically provided to you for the exam.
• You may use any calculator (not just those on the University’s approved list).
• You may, but are not expected to, use relevant computational/algebraic software packages. Exam questions will not normally require their use and it is possible that spending time doing so will be detrimental to your performance. Marks are generally awarded when full working and appropriate explanations are provided as answers. If you choose to use a computational software package, and only give the final answer, it is likely you will get a low mark for that part of the question.

Other than the points above, normal expectations around academic integrity, exam conduct and cheating remain unchanged.

• Your answers must be entirely your own work. You must not use answers/content provided wholly or in part by others/other sources.
• You must not share any information or discuss how to interpret or do the questions with anyone else whilst you or they are still taking the exam.

The University has a number of measures in place to ensure students cannot cheat in assessments, including in remote exams, and any attempts to do so and/or gain an unfair advantage will be taken very seriously.

Please also note the Student Handbook section on Academic Misconduct for more information on the definition, procedures and penalties resulting from academic misconduct.

You should submit your completed exam answers to the Learn submission point by your final submission time set for each remote exam. You will be able to make as many submissions as you like up until the deadline, but staff will only be able to access and mark the final submission (earlier submissions will be overwritten).

You will need to upload your work as one single PDF file. This must be labelled as follows:  Student ID/registration number, followed by the module code and then ‘Exam’ e.g. "B123456-19GYB400-Exam" (unless you are advised otherwise for a specific exam).

You may find it helpful to consult the detailed guide on how to PDF your work.

Please make sure you keep a copy of your submission for your records!

[updated 20-08-20]

If you have any problems downloading the exam paper or uploading your answers during a remote exam, help will be available as follows:

Telephone Hotline (preferred): 01509 222900 between 8am and 6pm UK (BST) time, Monday to Friday.

Outside these hours, or if you are not able to make a phone call, please email from your University account including your student ID number and module code: examhelp@lboro.ac.uk. The email account will be monitored during the hours set out above.

Please note that the hotline will not be able to help with a query about the questions on the exam paper. The hotline and mailbox will only be monitored during the examination period 24th August – 4th September.

As explained in Section 6 above, we are expecting you to submit your exam answers through Learn. However, if you experience difficulties in doing so by the deadline for your exam you may, as a last resort, email them to: examhelp@lboro.ac.uk. If you have to do this, please ensure you do so before the deadline from your University email account and include your student ID number and module code in the email. Please bear in mind that the maximum file size which can be sent from your student email account is 25MB.

If you have no access to email, then please call the telephone hotline number as above.

Your remote exam work will be marked and moderated (reviewed and checked) in accordance with the standard procedures, taking into account any particular circumstances mentioned above. Marks will then be reviewed again and finalised in consultation with relevant external examiners.

Your final marks for the year will be released as usual through the MyResults System from Wednesday 16 September to Monday 21 September. The exact date will depend upon when your School’s SAP Board is taking place. These dates may be subject to change, but we will advise you as soon as we can if there are likely to be any delays. Generic feedback on students' performance in the exams will be provided in the standard way.

For finalists, we will be in touch with you at a later date with information regarding your certificate, degree transcript and graduation ceremony.

It is important that you understand what Academic Misconduct is and the processes involved with it.

You can find more information in the Remote Assessment FAQ titled "How will you stop cheating, for example students sharing ideas through chat groups?" and the Academic Misconduct section of the Handbook.

If you have reason to believe that you have grounds for an academic appeal we recommend that you read the follow guidance on the Academic Appeals page in the Handbook.

Revision Support

In the lead up to exams, we have in place a range of support to help with your final preparations. 

www.lboro.ac.uk/exam-support

Support for students with a disability

The University's Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service offer a range of support for students. If you have a disability or medical condition that you think could affect your performance in examinations and assessment then you should contact them as soon as possible.

Approved calculators for SAP exams, Academic Year 2019/20

For the duration the exam period for the semester 2 exams, 2019/20, ANY calculator is approved for use in remote exams.

Whilst there is no list of specifically-approved calculators for this exam session, you may wish to know that the following calculators were listed as approved by Learning Teaching Committe in November 2019, and will be an appropriate choice for the future:

• Aurora AX-582 / Aurora SC582
• Casio FX-83 series*
• Casio FX-85 series*
• Sharp ELW531 series
• Texas Instruments TI-30 series
  

* These calculators are thought particularly appropriate for students with dyslexia.

Please note that 'series' refers to calculators containing the series number in full.

Assessment procedures

Loughborough's assessment procedures are held on the Academic Quality Procedures Handbook, section 12 - Assessment and Feedback.