On this page you will find the academic policies and procedures relating to the assessment process including assessment setting and design, sitting assessment or reassessment, marking, internal and external moderation, Mitigating Circumstances and Academic Integrity . Under each tab the relevant policy, procedures and other associated documentation are grouped together, which may mean that where relevant links to policies/procedures may appear in more than one tab.
Please note, where a policy applies to specific types of provision (such as taught or research) or for those governed by a specific set of academic regulations, this will be clearly signposted (see the College Regulations pages for further details about the different sets of Academic Regulations currently in force). If there any questions or queries regarding these academic policies, please contact quality@imperial.ac.uk in the first instance.
Documents
- Assessment setting
- Exam arrangements and re-sits
- Marking and moderation
- Academic Feedback
- Mitigating circumstances
- Academic integrity, Academic Misconduct & Research Misconduct
- Exam boards for taught programmes
- Research degree examinations
- Credit for extra-curricular activities
Policy and procedures
This document provides guidance to staff and students of the process for completing oral assessments and Viva Voce examination. It should be noted that the policy is based on, and directly applies to, the Academic and Examination Regulations (Regs B) however, those points of good practice in the set up and conduct oral assessment or Viva Voce examination can be applied to those governed by the Regulations for Taught Programmes of Study (Regs A).
This document details the process by which online assessment, such as timed remote assessments, should be set, managed, and submitted for marking. Please note that this document is currently under review and will be updated shortly.
Guidance agreed by Senate in the use and management of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) in taught programmes of study.
*denotes document under review
The policies, procedures and guidance in this section relate to specific arrangements for formal examinations including those held online such as Timed Remote Assessments (TRAs).
Arrangements for Reasonable Adjustments
Policy and procedure related to application for, and implementation of, Additional Exam Arrangements (AEAs), also known as "Reasonable Adjustments", for exams and other forms of assessment. The forms below should be used in making the relevant requests.
- Request for additional examination arrangements: specific learning disabilities [doc]
- Medical certificate for candidates requesting additional examination arrangement [doc]
Religious observance: impact on assessment
This policy sets out the position of the College in relation to specific religious obligations and the support that can be offered to students that are seeking adjustment to their assessment schedule on those grounds. Where a student wishes to request adjustments to their assessment on the grounds of religious observance, they should follow the process outlined in the procedure document, utlising the request form below:
Policies related to examinations (including online)
- Duties of invigilators [pdf]
Instructions to invigilators regarding in-person examinations including 'Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)' or other computer-based in person assessment.
College-level instructions to all students taking examinations including Timed Remote Assessments (TRAs). Students should note that there will be specific instructions for your programme team for each exam which must be followed, for example how many questions to answer and how to present these, permitted materials in the exam venue, etc.
In limited circumstances, the College may permit a student to sit a resit examination overseas. This policy describes the circumstances under which a request can be made, the process for considering and authorising such requests, and guidance for staff that are required to organise a resit overseas.
Reassessment
- Re-sit exams and supplementary qualifying tests (undergraduates only) [pdf]
This policy document provides guidance to departments with regards to reassessment opportunities for undergraduate students that are governed by the College’s General, Academic and Examination Regulations (‘Regulations B’) only. Regulation/guidance for students governed by the Regulations for Taught Programmes of Study (‘Regulations A’) is included within the Regulations themselves.
Policy and procedures
Late Submission
All assessment will have a specific deadline or defined time period in which they must be completed/submitted which will be clearly provided with the details of the assessment. This policy explains the action that will be taken if a student exceeds the deadline for coursework or upload of timed remote assessment without a confirmed extension under the Mitigating Circumstances procedures, or other accepted cause (such as College software failure).
- Policy on Late Submission of assessment on Undergraduate and Postgraduate Master’s Level programmes [pdf]
Marking and Moderation
The document below outlines the required protocols and gives best practice guidance to staff that are undertaking marking and moderation of summative (for credit) assessment. This document should be read in conjunction with the College Academic Regulations.
Provisional Marks distribution
All marks are provisional until such time as the Board of Examiners has ratified that the marking and moderation of the assessments has taken place and confirmed the marks. As this may be at an extended period from the original submission, the College has agreed that provisional marks may be released to students within defined circumstances. The document below provides guidance to staff with regards which types of assessment can have provisional marks released and other pertinent information for the publication of provisional marks.
Policy and procedures
The following documents outline the College’s agreed policies and procedures in relation to academic feedback that will be provided to students on their summative assessment; how and when they may expect their provisional marks to be returned and how these are supported and monitored.
Academic Feedback
Guidance and best practice with regards to providing academic feedback to students on all taught programmes; and effective management of monitoring the timeliness of academic feedback utlising a 'traffic light' system.
Provisional Marks
All marks are provisional until such time as the Board of Examiners has ratified that the marking and moderation of the assessments has taken place and confirmed the marks. As this may be at an extended period from the original submission, the College has agreed that provisional marks may be released to students within defined circumstances. The document below provides guidance to staff with regards which types of assessment can have provisional marks released and other pertinent information for the publication of provisional marks.
Retention of scripts
Guidance for staff regarding which, how and when assessment submitted for consideration should either be returned to students or retained under the College retention schedule, and if so for how long. Please note that this policy will be reviewed during 2023/2024.
Mitigating circumstances is the term used by the university to describe unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances that occur during or immediately prior to assessment, or in the revision/preparation period for those assessments, which has a severe impact on a student’s normal ability to complete their work. The policy below applies to taught students only (undergraduate and taught postgraduate including taught elements of research programmes). Research students experiencing mitigating circumstances should contact their supervisor for support and guidance in the first instance.
The policy and guidance provide full details of what the university would normally consider mitigating circumstances, how a student may make a claim for consideration and what supporting information is required, how this will be considered, and any action that the university may make to mitigate for the impact on their studies. Within the policy, there is also details of the process by which a student may request an extension to a coursework deadline.
Specific instructions on how to apply for mitigation (either a mitigating circumstances claim or a request for an extension to deadline) for each programme will be provided to students by their department, for example in the programme handbook.
If a student is experiencing personal difficulties during their studies, the university has several ways in addition to mitigating circumstances that they may be able to offer help and support. Students are strongly recommended to contact their personal tutor, Faculty Senior Tutor, welfare or other support officers that can help and guide students to the appropriate help. A good place to start to access the support that can be offered by the university is the Student Support Zone.
Policy and procedures
- Mitigating circumstances policy and procedure [pdf]
- Guidance for mitigating circumstances procedure [pdf]
Forms
- Mitigating circumstances claim form [doc]
- Mitigating circumstances self-certification form [doc] - This self-certification form must only be used where your department is not using the mitigating circumstances form above (which has the self-certification section embedded within it), or where the electronic submission system does not request the same information as part of that process. If in doubt, please check with your department prior to submitting your mitigating circumstances claim if this is required.
Academic Integrity
It is expected that all academic work is conducted and completed with honesty, integrity, and fairness. Within the research context this also includes ensuring that it has been conducted ethically and adhering to accepted principles for research. We refer to this as Academic Integrity. This means that all work:
- Has been completed by the author, with any contributions from others fully acknowledged
- The work is correctly referenced
- Data collection has followed the correct ethical and legal protocols
Academic Misconduct/ Research Misconduct is where work has been submitted that has not followed the expectations of the College and wider academic community with regards to academic integrity.
The College offers support to students to understand the concepts of academic integrity and how to prevent committing academic misconduct. Please see the support pages in library services at: Learning and teaching support | Administration and support services | Imperial College London and in the Graduate School: Graduate School | Imperial students | Imperial College London.
Further information about academic integrity can be found in The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity, republished in 2021 by the International Center for Academic Integrity and in the College’s Policy: Examination and Assessment - Academic Integrity.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct (see policy below) is the term used for taught programmes (including taught aspects of postgraduate research programmes) where it is alleged that a student has acted in a way that does not follow the principles of academic integrity, and has the following categories:
- Plagiarism – intentional or unintentional failure to fully reference an other's work (including lecture notes)
- Self- plagiarism - ‘re-using’ some or all of work previously submitted for academic credit
- Collusion – working with others where this is not permitted in the assessment
- Examination offences – failure to follow exam rules or ‘cheating’ offences
- Dishonest practice (e.g. soliciting or purchasing work to submit, falsifying results, or forging signatures)
Included within the categories above would be the use of generative AI (GenAI) to complete the assessment (such as using translation services, ChatGPT or other generative AI tools) where is it not specifically permitted as part of the assessment. Further information regarding GenAI and the College's approach can be found on our webpages.
Policy and procedures
- Examination and Assessment - Academic Integrity [pdf]
- Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedure [pdf]
- Academic Misconduct Procedure Flow Chart [pdf]
Forms
- Appeal Form [doc]
- Record of Allegation Form [doc]
Research Misconduct
Research Misconduct can be characterised as actions or questionable research practices that fall short of the standards of ethics, research and scholarship required to ensure that the integrity of research is upheld. Issues and concerns raised in relation to research undertaken as part of a student's studies, will be considered under the College's . This defines research misconduct, how it will be investigated and the potential outcomes for those found to have committed research misconduct.
Further information about research misconduct can be found on the following Research and Innovation webpage.
The following documents are published annually in May to support and provide guidance to Board of Examiners in their consideration of student progression and award outcomes within that academic year. Previous versions of these documents can be requested from the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Team by emailing quality@imperial.ac.uk
Policy and procedures
Templates
- Sub board agenda [doc]
- EAPB agenda [doc]
- Exam Board minutes template with guidance [doc]
The following policies and procedures are provided to support staff and students in relation to Research Degrees (PhD, EngD, MRes and MPhil)
Policy and procedures
Viva Voce/final examination polices and procedures
- Conduct of Oral Examinations for Research Degrees and Related Matters
Under review. In the interim, please refer to the Regulations for the Awards for MPhil and PhD.
This policy and the guidance (below) explains the circumstances under which a remote or hybrid viva may be considered.
- Guidance for Students on the Modality of Final Thesis Research Degree Vivas [pdf]
- Guidance for Staff on the Modality of Final Thesis Research Degree Vivas [pdf]
Writing up
'Writing up' is the period following active research in which the candidate completes the write up their thesis for examination. The procedure below expands on the relevant sections of the College's academic regulations for research students, detailing the areas such as eligibility and minimum periods of registration, and applies to all students entering writing up status from 1st April 2022 onwards.
Thesis submission
The following documents provide guidance to students with regards to the submission of their thesis for examination, including the access arrangements for completed theses under the College’s commitment to open access.
- Submission checklist for Imperial College degrees [pdf]
- Plagiarism issues in theses [pdf] - updated June 2021
- Access to research degree thesis by other scholars [pdf]
Forms
- Thesis declaration form [doc]
- Project outline template [doc]
Policy and procedures
Forms
- Form A - Dept seeking ability to allocate extra-ECTS to a vacation activity [doc]
- Form B - Approval of an individual vacation activity for extra-ECTS by a Dept [doc]
Imperial College allows undergraduate full-degree students* to gain formal recognition (ECTS credits) for specific types of academic work which is not part of the curriculum. The academic work can be linked to research-based or curriculum-related work undertaken in vacations (for example UROP or structured external internships) but must be relevant to the student's degree discipline. The extra ECTS credit does not contribute to a student's degree at Imperial, and the scheme is voluntary.
* The following departments participate:
- Bioengineering
- Computing
- Electrical & Electronic Engineering
- Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Physics
For some departments the extra-ECTS scheme:
- is only pursued in relation to internal UROP research experiences.
- supports the delivery of accredited development activities of professional institutes.
The Director of Undergraduate Studies is responsible for implementing the process.
The key features are:
- the internship must be within the easter or summer vacation, and be for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks.
- the internship (whether external or internal) becomes a "placement" and should be managed in line with Placement Learning Policy and Good Practice.
- ECTS is calculated for attendance (1.5 ECTS per week of full-time work-place attendance) and is awarded upon successful completion of an assessment.
- Activities must be primarily academic in nature, with clearly defined learning outcomes and criteria for assessment.
- A dept should approve an internship for extra-ECTS ahead of the internship commencing (the credit cannot be applied retrospectively).
- A dept communicates successful awards of extra ECTS to the Registry.
- The ECTS is highlighted on the student's next available transcript, and again in the student's Diploma Supplement at the end of the degree programme.
Enquiries should be directed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.