Marking and Assessment Boycott FAQs
For background to these FAQS, please see our announcement on Interim Progression, Award and Boards of Examiners Arrangements of Friday 26 May.
What is a Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB)?
As part of its ongoing industrial dispute with employers, the University and College Union (UCU) called on its members to boycott any activity connected with marking and assessing students’ work, with action taking effect from 20 April 2023.
Can Queen Margaret University resolve the pay dispute by giving staff more money?
No. Trade unions, including UCU, and the organisation that represents university employers, undertake national collective bargaining to agree pay settlements.
Is every module and every programme affected by the MAB?
No. Based on the number of staff who have informed our Human Resources team that they are taking part in the MAB (in response to the request to do so), we understand that 95% of academic staff are not taking part in the marking and assessment boycott.
Where academic staff are participating in the MAB, the impact is not evenly distributed across the academic divisions and programmes, with a small number of programmes proportionately more affected.
Most exam scripts and assignments have been marked as normal, and we expect that most of the decisions on student award and progression made by exam boards will made under the University’s General Assessment Regulations and procedures as normal.
When will the MAB end?
The MAB will end when the UCU calls it off, or when the current strike mandate expires in October. However, individual members of staff may decide to end their participation in the MAB at any time. The University cannot predict if and when this will happen, but it is committed to working towards a quick and lasting resolution of the dispute.
What will happen if the marking of my work has been boycotted?
Where the marking of a component of work has been affected by the boycott, and it has not been possible to put in place alternative arrangements for marking, the Board of Examiners reviewing academic progress, or making decision on a degree award, can take a decision in the absence of complete information. The University’s existing published general assessment regulations provide for this already in terms of award decisions: General Assessment Regulations.
Specifically, the existing regulations provide Boards of Examiners with ‘discretion to make an award in the absence of complete assessment information’ and where ‘there is enough evidence of the student's achievement at the level at which they are being examined, which would normally equate to two thirds of the assessable work at that level, or evidence is subsequently obtained’.
In considering award decisions this year, the significant majority of Boards of Examiners will be operating under the normal published regulation described above. It has not been necessary to introduce a new regulation for this to happen.
Additionally, and with the approval of the Senate, Interim Regulations have been published that mean that Boards of Examiners are empowered to exercise equivalent discretion, in the absence of full assessment information, to progression decisions - University’s interim adjustments to the regulations. This means that Boards have the flexibility to approve the progression of full-time UG and PG students to the next academic level, with up to 40 credits outstanding.
For all programmes subject to accreditation by Professional and Statutory bodies, the application of flexibility of progression regulations will be made in the context of any other guidance provided to the relevant Board of Examiners by those professional bodies.
If I have pending results, what arrangements will apply for reassessments?
Some of you will have a result of 'RP' showing against individual modules. The term ‘RP’ – ‘Result Pending’ – has been used to indicate where a module result is, as yet, unavailable. Specifically, some students will see ‘RP’ as the outcome on modules where the work has not been marked due to the ongoing Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB).
This does not mean that you are required to be reassessed in any module(s) currently marked as RP. Only when these outstanding assessments have been marked will students be notified of any reassessments applicable to these modules. If you are required to undertake a reassessment on any module currently marked as RP following conclusion of the outstanding (MAB) marking, you will be given sufficient time to prepare for any reassessments; you will NOT be expected to undertake reassessments for modules currently marked as RP during the reassessment week of 24th July. Interim regulations are in place to allow students to progress to the next level of their programme carrying up to 40 credits – this will include any modules affected by the MAB. You should continue to follow any assessment instructions for other modules marked as 'EC' or 'Fail'.
What happens to my award or degree classification once a missing mark(s) becomes available?
Award recommendations (i.e. degree awards, degree classifications etc) agreed by Boards of Examiners on the basis of incomplete assessment information, as provided by the regulations described above, will be revisited once complete assessment information is available. Awards made by Boards of Examiners may be confirmed or improved but may not be downgraded or rescinded.
Do the interim adjustments to the regulations affect the integrity of examination board decisions?
No. The interim adjustments take full account of the need to preserve the academic standard of our awards.
As described above, our assessment regulations provide already for Boards of Examiners to come to a decision in the absence of full assessment information. With the approval of Senate (the University’s senior academic body), we have extended the flexibility provided by the ‘2/3rd rule’ to decisions on student progression.
While the interim regulations include adjustments to the published arrangements for double marking, internal moderation and external moderation, they do not waive these provisions, but provide for marks to be presented to the Board where at least one of these provisions is in place.
Our expectation at this stage, based on all available information as we start to hold meetings of the boards, is that the provisions of the interim regulations might be invoked in a very limited number of programmes.
How will I know if my work has been affected by the MAB?
If the assessment of your work has been impacted by the MAB, you will be contacted by a member of the Registry and Academic Administration team once the board of examiners for your academic programme has met. Boards of examiners are meeting from 30 May. On the basis of the known information, we expect that decisions will be able to be taken in all but a very small number of student profiles.
When will exam results be published?
Official results will be released via the student portal on Monday 12 June.
(Any students affected by the MAB will be contacted once Boards of Examiners have concluded, as described elsewhere in these FAQs.)
Can I appeal the outcome of the decision of the Examination Board?
Yes. You will be able to appeal the decision of a board of examiners in the normal way provided for by the Academic Appeals process. Please be aware of the relevant deadlines (i.e. the appeal must be submitted in writing to appeals@qmu.ac.uk within twenty-one days of the publication of the decision of the Board of Examiners, or receipt of the academic transcript.).
Will I be awarded my degree as scheduled?
Yes. On the basis of information available at the time of writing, if you have passed the required modules and gained the required number of credits you will be able to graduate with an Honours Degree, General Degree or other award in July as scheduled.
How will my degree be classified?
Your degree will be classified as normal in line with the University’s published regulations.
Will I get a degree certificate and transcript at my July graduation?
Yes. You will be issued with a degree certificate and an academic transcript.
When will my assessment outcomes be fully marked and finalised?
This depends on when individual members of staff decide to end their participation in the MAB or on the official ending of the MAB by the UCU. The University cannot predict when this will happen but will continue to work towards a speedy resolution of this national dispute.
What happens if my final classification goes up as a result of the final marking of any outstanding assessment?
If your classification goes up after the final marking of your modules, you will receive a revised final classification. A member of the Registry team will contact you to make necessary arrangements for the return of the interim degree certificate and the postage of your new documents.
What happens if my final classification goes down as a result of the final marking of any outstanding assessment?
Your overall final classification will not be lowered from the “interim classification” you were awarded, though your transcript will show the final updated grades for all your modules. The Registry team will issue you with an updated transcript where necessary.
I am not graduating in June 2023 but will return for my next year of study in September 2023, will I be affected?
The interim regulations provide scope for the boards of examiners to make progression decisions for students where marking of their work is outstanding. As described above, our assessment regulations provide already for Boards of Examiners to come to a decision in the absence of full assessment information. With the approval of Senate, the flexibility provided by the ‘2/3rd rule’ has been extended to decisions on student progression.
I am a PGT student, about to start work on my dissertation over the summer. How will my supervision be affected?
Your supervision will not be affected; this is not part of the MAB.
I am a visiting student/study abroad student about to return and my home institution will require finalised module outcomes by a particular deadline. What will you do to help me?
If you are in this situation and have been contacted by Registry to say that the marking of your work remains outstanding, please email academicadministration@qmu.ac.uk after you have received your results and let us know the relevant deadline. We will do our best to finalise your grades on a case-by-case basis.
Will you help me to explain to employers or other universities what an "interim classification” means?
Yes. The Registry will provide you with an official letter to explain the situation.
Will Academic Prizes be awarded?
Yes. Where prizes are based on student attainment, and relevant assessed work has not been marked, prizes will be awarded once final grades have been reported. We do not expect this to be an area impacted by the MAB however.
