How your work is marked
Your work will be marked and moderated (marks reviewed and checked) using a standard set of procedures that are the same across the University.
Previous guidance prior to 2023/24 is available for reference.
Loughborough prides itself on the fair assessment of all academic work for which marks are awarded. The University’s regulations govern the marking of your work and there are additional practical procedures tailored to different types of assessed work. Summary information on the marking process is provided below and we encourage you to read and understand it. You can find more detail in Regulation VII and Section 12.2 of the Academic Quality Procedures Handbook.
The information here applies to summative assessments only. These are assessments which contribute to the final mark for the relevant module. Students may also be required to undertake formative assessments which are designed to support your learning and help you check your progress prior to completing a formally assessed piece of summative work. Formative assessments do not count towards the module mark.
What is the marking process?
Marking of summative assessments is undertaken by the relevant Module Leader, sometimes with the assistance of other members of academic staff.
To ensure fairness in marking the University has a policy of anonymous marking which is applied to all exam scripts and the vast majority of coursework, although there may be exceptions to this where the format of the assessment means anonymisation is not possible (for instance, when assessing a presentation). The marker will therefore not see your name when marking and you should avoid including it anywhere in the work you submit.
The markers use marking criteria which are shared with you as part of the programme or module materials on Learn and which are designed to help you to understand what is expected of you in the assessment. These criteria then enable the markers to award marks in a consistent and transparent manner. The final agreed marks for your assessment will be recorded as a percentage whole number (i.e. ranging from zero to 100).
How does the University ensure marking is consistent and fair?
Internal moderation
Internal moderation is a process whereby summative assessments are reviewed by a second Module Leader to check that the marking criteria have been applied consistently and the outcomes of the assessment are fair and reliable.
Internal moderation is used for all examinations and where your coursework contributes 50% or more of the overall module mark. A sample of work which includes examples from across the mark range and borderline cases will be selected for review by the second Module Leader.
Special marking and moderation arrangements
Special marking and moderation arrangements apply to projects and dissertations. For these assessments, every piece of work is independently assessed by more than one Module Leader. Each marker keeps a record of all marks awarded, together with their rationale for awarding each mark, then the two markers confer to agree the marks.
In exceptional cases, marks may be scaled following internal moderation. Scaling is a process whereby marks are systematically adjusted to ensure they properly reflect the achievements of the students as defined by the marking criteria. It is not a mechanistic process and requires academic judgement to ensure marks fairly reflect student achievement.
How does the University ensure marking is consistent with national standards?
As well as internal moderation, assessment is subject to external examination.
The University appoints External Examiners for each module – they are usually senior academics from other UK higher education institutions. Their role is to ensure that the assessment system is fair and standards are in accordance with national benchmarks in the subject discipline and other relevant information. External Examiners are entitled to see any assessed work to judge the standards and consistency of internal marking, and they will normally be provided with a sample of student work across a range of results. External Examiners must approve the final marks for the individual modules for which they are responsible.