1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose
St Mary’s is highly regarded across the sector for its excellence in teaching and learning. The institutional vision is to provide a distinctive and high-quality university experience that allows students to fulfil their academic and career potential in an inclusive, supportive learning community. The Assessment Policy is informed by the UK Quality Code for Higher Education and OfS Conditions of Registration B1, B4 and B7, as well as meeting the requirements of St Mary’s University Access and Participation Plan.
1.2 Scope
The Assessment Policy sets out the principles which underpin the ways in which St Mary’s undertakes assessment of students’ work and outlines the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in assessment.
1.3 Key definitions
- Staff: refers to any member of university staff involved in the setting and marking of an assessment.
- Assessment: any work that is submitted by students for marking.
- PSRB: Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body
- AI: Artificial Intelligence
2. Policy
Assessments shall:
- Promote deep as opposed to surface learning
- Be fair, equitable and consistent – providing opportunities for all students to engage effectively
- Be transparent – the purpose and relevance of the assessment should be explained clearly in plain English
- Be reliable, valid and robust -properly aligning to the learning outcomes being assessed at both course and modular level
- Be evidence-informed - drawing on examples of good practice and/or assessment research in the subject or the sector
- Be accessible - and in a format that all students can engage with, irrespective of their background, or any disability or neurodivergence
- Be sustainable - taking into account likely future changes in the student body and be pertinent to more than one cohort or year group
- Be inclusive - providing a level playing field for all students, reflecting the diversity of the student body
- Be authentic – be relevant to the subject taught, to the students’ future career ambitions, and to the kinds of challenges likely to be faced in the future workplace
- Be timely - so that the design reflects the stage of the course and builds on previous assessments, and feedback is provided at the point where its impact can be maximised
Principles of Assessment
There are 7 principles underpinning this policy.
Principle 1: Assessments are an integral part of the learning process
- Aligning with Principle 11 of the UK Quality Code, course assessment strategies must incorporate a range of assessment formats across each level of study, and throughout the course, that enable developmental progress.
- Assessments should promote effective learning by including assessment literacy
- All assessments must evaluate student performance against the module learning outcomes and be linked to the intended learning outcomes at course level.
- Assessment practice should include formative feedback opportunities which enable students to develop their skills.
- Synoptic assessments should be used where possible, to evaluate students’ ability to understand, consolidate and apply knowledge and skills across multiple areas or aspects of the curriculum.
- Assessments design must consider the AI Guidance.
- There should be a maximum of 2 elements of summative assessment per 20-credit module.
Principle 2: Assessment methods and marking criteria must be fair, transparent and equitable
- Staff must ensure that students are able to understand the language of marking criteria and the standards by which they will be evaluated.
- Assessments must be consistent, unbiased and accessible to all students
- All marking must be carried out fairly and consistently, adhering to appropriate quality assurance mechanisms (anonymity, internal and external moderation).
- Assessment and marking criteria and the University marking scales must be clearly publicised, explained and discussed with all students submitting work, and all staff involved in marking
- Staff should explain to students how assignments will be marked and how the Course Team will maintain the rigour and consistency of marking standards. This should include an explanation of any standardisation exercises conducted by the team, any moderation processes, and the role of the external examiner in reviewing marking standards.
- Students should receive advice and guidance on how to manage group work exercises before formal assessment. How individual grades are derived from groupwork assessments should be set out clearly, with due consideration to the fairness of assessment outcomes.
- Staff must ensure that students know how and when they will receive assessment feedback and results, including how and where to direct questions or seek clarification.
- Staff must ensure that clear guidance is provided about whether an assessment result is final, or subject to confirmation by an assessment panel or examination board. If results are provisional and/or subject to late submission caps, students must be given full details about how and when they will be ratified.
Principle 3: Assessments must be Inclusive
Inclusive assessment, a fundamental requirement in our Access and Participation Plan, goes beyond the principles referred to in Principle 2 of this Policy and encompasses the following:
- Staff must explain the purpose, key features and rationale of each assessment and the associated criteria.
- Staff must ensure that assessment expectations are clear and accessible and that students understand precisely what they must do
- Staff should provide examples of work (exemplars), so students can explore and clarify the characteristics and structures of high-quality submissions and develop their own approaches accordingly.
- Staff should inform students of common mistakes made on similar assessments and how to avoid them.
- · Staff must schedule opportunities for students to seek clarification about assessments and any feedback received.
- Staff should develop an appropriate balance between formative activity and summative assessments to give students opportunities to practise their skills, receive feedback and build their understanding and confidence.
- Staff should ensure that feedback is focused and actionable, so that students can take specific actions to address it in future work.
- Assessment methods must be culturally inclusive
- Staff must consider:
- religious observances (see Religious Observance Dates) and the impact on students with childcare, or other caring responsibilities when setting deadlines
- students' previous educational background, providing support for unfamiliar activities, such as group work or exams
- the needs of students with disabilities or neurodivergence
- Within a course, students must have opportunities to reflect their individual skills and lived experiences through assessment
- Staff should design authentic assessments that reflect real-world problems and develop effective skills for the contemporary workplace.
- The use of alternative assessments is encouraged where appropriate (please see Annex A).
Principle 4: Word counts represent the maximum permitted in a single submission.
- The word count excludes the bibliography / reference lists and any supporting appendices.
- The use of tables, figures and footnotes will vary according to subject of study; therefore, staff should specify in course/module handbooks whether these will be included in or excluded from word counts.
- Assessment briefs will clearly state the maximum word counts with a 10% +/- margin.
- To ensure equity for students, markers will mark up to the maximum word count (+10%) and not beyond.
- Markers will not fail work solely for being outside of the word count range. Work that meets all the learning outcomes, even if it is under the word limit, should still receive a passing grade.
Principle 5: The information on all assessments, including resits and reassessments, must be clear, unambiguous, and timely.
- Course leaders should ensure that assessments deadlines across the course are appropriately spaced and give all students sufficient time to complete them effectively
- Module Convenors must:
- ensure assessment deadlines are published to students no later than the end of the first week of teaching for each Semester.
- integrate revision/support sessions for resit students into modules and coordinate with central services and the Student Success team if additional support is needed.
- ensure that students undertaking assessment out of cycle receive clear, timely communication with a positive tone and personalised reminders. The nature, duration, and timing of the resit/resubmission must be clearly explained by both course and professional services staff.
- ensure that students know they are expected to submit work before the deadline.
- include links to both the Extenuating Circumstances Policy and the Late Submission Policy in the assessment briefs, and specify clearly if exemptions to these apply.
- Where there is a ‘live’ element of assessment as well as an electronic submission, (for example, slides and in-person presentation), failure to complete both elements will result in a mark of zero (0 NS) for the assessment.
- For summative coursework, provisional marks and feedback shall be provided to students via Turnitin within 15 working days after submission.
- The course leader will determine and communicate to students how they will receive feedback on written examinations.
Principle 6: Where relevant, students must be clearly informed of the criteria required to meet PSRB standards and the implications of assessment outcomes
- Students must receive information about how PSRB accreditation affects any modules for which they are registered at the start of their courses. This should comprise the exact terms on which the accreditation is based including:
- Any modules that must be passed, and at what levels, to meet the requirements of the relevant PSRB;
- Fitness to practise requirements at the point of registration with PSRBs
- Where students fail to complete all the assessments/tests required to meet the requirements of the PSRB, it must be explained what interim or alternative ‘awards’ may be offered or conferred by the Exam Board.
Principle 7: Students are expected to act ethically, honestly and with integrity in assessments and to understand what constitutes academic misconduct
- Staff must ensure that students are aware of the principles of good academic practice in relation to assessments (including AI usage). This should include discussion of the importance of good academic conduct, the expectations of the course and any specific requirements imposed by PSRBs or specific adaptations pertinent to a particular subject/discipline.
- Students are expected to familiarise themselves with the principles of good academic practice in relation to assessment.
- Students must receive information at university, course and module-level about the processes and consequences of academic misconduct.
- Procedures regarding academic conduct must be applied fairly and consistently across all courses, in line with the Academic Regulations (Section G).
- Assessments should be designed in ways that reduce the opportunity for academic misconduct.
- Coursework must be submitted online via Turnitin to enable a consistent and fair approach, unless it is impossible to do so. Exceptions to this rule can only be approved by the Academic Registrar.
- Collaborative and franchise partner institutions that do not use Turnitin must ensure that assessments are submitted through equivalent academic conduct detection processes (subject to the same exclusions as above).
- Where assessments require ethical approval, staff must ensure that this is clear to students and provide timely and appropriate guidance and support on the Ethical Approval Process.
3. Roles and responsibilities
This section should include further detail about who the policy/procedure applies to, but also who (role description rather than a name) has strategic oversight of the policy/procedure, which committees review and monitor the policy/procedure, and contact information for at least one member of staff who can answer questions on the policy/procedure. For the elements of the policy/procedure that are mandatory, this section should also state how compliance will be monitored and enforced.
4. Related policies and procedures
Internal Policies:
External guidance:
5. Review, approval and publication
- This policy should be reviewed every 3 years by a sub-group of Education and Student Outcomes Committee and formally approved by Academic Board.
- The policy will be published on the Registry Policy Documents page
6. Annexes
Annex A: Alternative Assessment Tasks
By using inclusively designed assessments, we would aim to reduce the number of reasonable adjustments required for disabled students. However, there may be times when a student’s disability prevents them from being able to undertake a specific assessment task. On such occasions, module convenors will need to provide an alternative assessment that allows students to demonstrate the same learning outcomes as the original assessment task.
The table below provides some generic suggestions for alternative tasks but is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Not all suggestions will apply in each discipline and others may need adapting.
Alternative assessments should:
- Assess the same learning outcomes as the original assessment task
- Be discussed and approved by the course leader(s) and Wellbeing
- Be discussed and agreed with the student in advance
- Be recorded by the Wellbeing Service within the Learning Support Form (LSF)
Alternative assessments that are designed based on the list below may need to be checked with Professional Statutory and Regulatory bodies (PSRBs) if applicable. Wellbeing, Disability and Mental Health Advisors can advise on the restrictions a student may face with the preset assessment format and discuss this to find the best solution given student capacity and learning outcomes. Staff should also discuss the alternative assessment with the Dean of Education and Outcomes.
There may be some disciplines where professional body requirements mean that assessment format is directly linked to the demonstration of required competency standards and therefore cannot be amended. In such cases, module leads should discuss with Wellbeing Services what adjustments can be made.
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Original Assessment
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Alternative Assessment
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Oral presentation to class group
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Presentation just to assessors
Presentation online
Pre-recorded presentation
Written assignment (depending on learning outcomes being assessed)
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Group presentation or debate
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Remote group presentation/debate via Teams or individua presentation
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Lab/practical work
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Individual written manual for procedures and risk assessments
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Observation of real or simulated practice
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Video podcast
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In person exam (long answers)
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Viva covering same content
Option to dictate exam answers using voice to text software
Assessment broken down into separate sections (bespoke paper required)
24-hour paper (bespoke paper required)
Coursework (written or oral) depending on LOs being assessed which could take the form of:
- Analysis and response to a case study
- Analysis of an event or performance
- Book review
- Annotated bibliography
- Research proposal
- Website design
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In person exam (short answers)
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Meaningful paragraphs
e.g definitions of specific terms that must then be used in a paragraph to demonstrate that they understand the terms and how they are/are not linked
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Closed-book MCQ
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Open-book MCQ (consider length)
Described MCQs where students must explain why they think the answer they chose to a specific question is correct or why the other options are wrong.
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7. Centralised document control information
The table below should be completed by the document owner.
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Document Name
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Name, with the key word first
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Executive Owner
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Professor Amanda Harvey, Dean of Education and Outcomes, Directorate of Education Excellence and Student Outcomes (DEESO)
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Operational Owner
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Helen A’Court, Academic Registrar (Academic Registry)
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Version Number
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Version number 1.0
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Approval Date
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20/01/2026
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Approved By
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Academic Board
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Date of Commencement
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01/09/2026
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Date of Last Review
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20/01/2026
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Date for Next Review
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10/09/2029
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Related University Policy documents
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See section 4 above.
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For Office Use – Keywords for search function
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St Mary’s University Assessment Policy 2026-27
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