Having your Work Assessed
SIGNIFICANCE OF ASSESSMENT
Why is it important that I discuss having my work assessed with my tutor early in the course?
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
How will I know whether my work is good enough to submit for assessment?
What criteria are used to assess students’ work?
ASSESSMENT EVENTS
When are the assessment events?
What is the closing date for the next two assessment events?
ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Do I have to pay an additional fee if I put my work in for assessment?
What do I need to include in my assessment submission?
Do you have any tips on how to present my work?
Who carries out the assessments?
OUTCOMES FROM ASSESSMENT EVENT
How soon will I hear the outcome from my assessment?
When will I get my university transcript back?
Do I just receive a grade or am I given an actual mark?
Am I given any feedback in addition to the grade and mark?
How will the grade and/or mark awarded for my most recent course affect the class of degree I get eventually?
If I fail, can I resubmit my work subsequently?
APPEALS
Can I appeal against the grade or mark?
Can I appeal against procedural irregularity?
How do I submit a formal appeal against the process?
SIGNIFICANCE OF ASSESSMENT
Why is it important that I discuss having my work assessed with my tutor early in the course?
It is vital that you are clear with your tutor about whether you want to go for assessment. Of course, you may change your mind during the time you are doing the course - this is fine; but it is essential you talk to your tutor about it since they can give you feedback about whether you are ready for assessment and give you helpful advice about preparing your work for assessment.
Back to questionsASSESSMENT CRITERIA
How will I know whether my work is good enough to submit for assessment?
First, check out the Guidelines for Submission for your course. This will give you an idea whether you have produced enough material to submit. Your tutor will be able to help you decide whether you are ready, too.
Back to questionsWhat criteria are used to assess students’ work?
Students' work is assessed against a set of criteria which is relevant to the discipline and is agreed by our accrediting university.
Back to questionsASSESSMENT EVENTS
When are the assessment events?
Assessment events are held at the OCA three times each year (in July, November and March).
Back to questionsWhat is the closing date for the next two assessment events?
Students’ submissions must be received at OCA head office by the 15th of the month before the assessment event. (The application form must be received by the end of the month before this.) Thus, for example, the closing date for the July event is the 31st May for application and the 15th June for submission of work. The event you opt for will depend on when you plan to complete your course work and you must submit within 12 months after completion. This deadline is non-negotiable unless there are extenuating circumstances. Any extensions must be authorised in advance by the Assessment Manager.
Students are advised to apply for assessment when they are on their penultimate assignment. Between the submission deadline and the start of the assessment event we will send you a formal university enrolment form to fill in and return.
Without the completed university enrolment form you will not be awarded the credits if you successfully pass the assessment.
ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Do I have to pay an additional fee if I put my work in for assessment?
No. Assessment is free. As from 1st July 2010 the cost of the assessment is built into the course fee.
Those who have studied with the OCA in the past will notice a difference here as previously an additional fee of £100 was payable; this has now been withdrawn.
What do I need to include in my assessment submission?
Check the Guidelines for Submission for your course; the guidelines for each course differ slightly so it is important to check the specific requirements and guidelines. If you can't find this information sheet (normally located at the back of the course, also available from the OCA Student website), contact the OCA office and we will send you one.
Back to questionsDo you have any tips on how to present my work?
It is critical to present your work to the highest possible standard since this will certainly influence the views of the assessors. At assessment time there is huge variation in the standard of presentation of students' work. Sadly some students clearly think their presentation is adequate when the reality is that it gives an impression of having been put together without sufficient care.
Work should be clearly labelled, mounted on card, and referenced across to other pieces of work. Art work should not arrive rolled up since it is difficult to flatten the work for the assessors to view it. Creative Writing can be submitted digitally.Photography can be submitted digitally for Level one and Level 2 only.
Who carries out the assessments?
Assessors are selected from the ranks of experienced tutors who have knowledge not only of OCA modules and teaching/learning processes, but also of assessment processes more widely in an HE context. All assessors are specifically approved by our accrediting university, before taking on the additional, specialist role.
Each student portfolio is reviewed by two internal assessors. The marks to be allocated are agreed between them. All assessments are subject to subsequent review by the external examiner(s), formally appointed by our accrediting university.
What is the role of the external examiner?
The role of the external examiner is:
- to act as an independent and impartial adviser, providing informed comments on academic standards;
- to moderate the achievement of students against the standards as set, ensuring that the assessment process is conducted fairly, in accordance with the approved degree course structure, content and regulations, and without prejudice to any students;
- to ensure that the standard of any award is comparable to the standard of similar awards in other UK HE institutions.
External examiners are experienced internal assessors in their own field and hold (or have recently held) senior academic posts in relevant university departments. They are recruited according to our accrediting university guidelines and are approved through the Faculty Quality and Enhancement Committee - and ratified by Senate. All newly appointed external examiners are invited to attend an induction day at the University at which the specifics of the appointment are outlined and discussed.
In order to retain an independent edge, they serve for a finite period only (typically for 4 years).
OUTCOMES FROM ASSESSMENT EVENT
How soon will I hear the outcome from my assessment?
We aim to return your work and results letter no later than 2 months after the last day of the assessment month. There are times when we may need to keep your work longer (e.g. if the External Examiner wishes to see it). You will be notified by us should this happen. Results cannot be given verbally.
Back to questionsWhen will I get my university transcript back?
Before the assessment you will have already been sent a formal university enrolment form. If you pass the assessment, the form will be sent to the accrediting university to register you for the credits attached to your course. The university will then produce an academic transcript which will show all your credits obtained to date. The transcript can take up to 4 months after the assessment event to be printed and dispatched to you.
Back to questionsDo I just receive a grade or am I given an actual mark?
Students receive both a % mark and also the HE classification band this falls into; this allows you to become familiar with the marks within the different classification bands, even though the classification band is not given until level 3 (HE6).
Back to questionsAm I given any feedback in addition to the grade and mark?
No, we do not give feedback on assessed work, but assessors do provide some pointers and advice for further study when they have reviewed your work.
Back to questionsHow will the mark awarded for my most recent course affect the class of degree I get eventually?
It is important to stress that, provided students’ work at Levels 1 (HE4) and 2 (HE5) obtains 40% or above, the actual mark makes no difference to the class of the final degree. To take two extreme examples, a student with consistent scores of 40% at Levels 1 and 2 could still end up with a 1st class honours; and a student with consistent scores of 80% at Levels 1 and 2 could still end up with an ordinary (i.e. not an honours) degree.
The only determinant of the final class of degree is the average of the marks awarded for the two Level 3 (HE6) courses, unless there are already pre-known mitigating circumstances that have been taken into account.
If I fail, can I resubmit my work subsequently?
If you obtain a mark below 40%, this is a fail and means that you can resubmit your work one more time for assessment after you have done additional work on your submission. Your work must be re-submitted within 12 months. However, unless there are mitigating circumstances, you would only be able to obtain a capped pass mark of 40%. If you fail a second time it is at the discretion of the OCA Directorate whether you are allowed to resubmit an additional time.
You can only obtain credit points if you achieve a minimum mark of 40% and have returned a completed university form to register for the assessed credits.
APPEALS
Can I appeal against the mark?
No. Appeals cannot be made which question the academic judgement of assessors or external examiners.
There are checks and balances already built into the system to ensure that the marks you are awarded are fair - and also consistent with standards in other HE institutions. This is why there is an independent external examiner and why each submission is reviewed by not one but two assessors working separately.
Can I appeal against procedural irregularity?
Yes. If students are feel that there has been a procedural irregularity, such as an error in recording/calculating marks they can appeal. In the first instance, they are asked to email the Director of Assessment so that the case can be looked at informally. However, if the matter cannot be resolved and there are still concerns about the procedure, students can make a formal appeal, using the system set up by our accrediting university (see below).
Back to questionsHow do I submit a formal appeal against the process?
To submit a formal appeal against the assessment process you have to appeal through our accrediting university New Buckinghamshire. You can refer to their handbook to check out their procedure, this can be downloaded by clicking: HERE. However, please note that you can only appeal against an outcome if you believe that there has been an error in the process leading to the assessment: you cannot challenge the actual mark the assessors gave you, since all work is marked independently by two assessors and their judgement is final.
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