School of Classics | Information for Current Postgraduate Students

Postgraduate Studies

Assessment

General Information	Coursework	Language Examinations	Marking Criteria	Special Needs
Failed Modules	Resits	Results	Progression

General Information

With the exception of linguistic modules, all MA modules are assessed by coursework only, and at the end of each module students write a 5,000 word essay. Each 20 credits module consists of roughly 200 hours of study.

Exams form part of all linguistic modules. Further details for the assessment of linguistic modules will be given to you by the module tutor.

Coursework

Given the importance of assessed coursework to all modules it is essential that you are aware of submission procedures, which are laid out below.

Submission procedures

Please note that once you have submitted an essay formally, you cannot rewrite it if you find the mark disappointing. You can only resubmit an essay when you are required to do so because you have failed the module.

You are of course welcome to seek advice from your module tutor when you are planning your essay (e.g. regarding your choice of topic, your bibliography, or the general structure of your essay), but we are not able to provide comment on drafts.

Residential students

Coursework must be handed in to the Departmental Office no later than 12.00 noon on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are listed in the Departmental calendar.

All students MUST submit two hard copies of their coursework essays and one electronic copy. Please note that for submission purposes the time when you hand in the two hard copies will decide whether or not you have met the coursework deadline.

Please put your name on both copies and ensure that you insert page numbers (this means that things are less likely to go missing or get confused). One will be returned to you with corrections and comments, the other will be retained for the use of the second and external examiners.

You must fill out an essay cover sheet (obtainable from the table outside the Departmental Office) and sign it yourself, and attach it to the two copies with a paper clip. Please staple your work in the top left hand corner, and please do not use plastic envelopes to contain your work. You should submit your work to the departmental administrator who will give you a receipt and record the date of submission. All work should be double spaced.

The electronic copy should be submitted to classics.essays@lamp.ac.uk . This electronic copy will be used to check your essay’s word count. Anti-plagiarism software will be used if there are concerns of plagiarism. It is important that in the subject area of the email you specify the module name and that you also give your full name.

Distance students

Distance students can be sent either electronic or hard copies of the essay cover sheet (please ask the Departmental Administrator, Sian Davies).

Two hard copies of your essays need to be sent in by post accompanied by the signed essay cover sheet. In addition to the hard two hard copy one electronic copy should be submitted to classics.essays@lamp.ac.uk . This electronic copy will be used to check your essay’s word count. Anti-plagiarism software will be used if there are concerns of plagiarism. It is important that in the subject area of the email you specify the module name and that you also give your full name.

All essays need to be addressed to the Departmental Administrator and not to the module or personal tutor.

Dyslexia and other special needs

If you have been diagnosed as dyslexic or have any other special needs, you should note this on the essay cover sheet in the appropriate section. This will be taken into account in marking. Please note that official documentation such as a dyslexia diagnosis will need to be held on file.

Coursework extensions

If you need an extension, you must notify the Director of Postgraduate Studies, Dr. James Richardson, before the deadline. In circumstances where this is not possible you should contact the Department as soon as possible after the deadline.

In the case of severe delays in the submission of an essay as a result of illness, medical documentation will be required. Residential students who have visited Lampeter surgery can complete a form available from the Departmental Office which will be sent to the student nurse. Alternatively you can provide a letter from your GP.

Legibility

It is compulsory to word-process your coursework. If you wish to use the Greek alphabet in your work, make sure that the letters appear with rough/smooth breathings and iota subscripts where appropriate. If you do not understand what this means, or cannot do this properly, you should use transliteration instead.

Marking and return of coursework

As soon as essays are marked copies will be left in student pigeonholes for residential students to collect or posted to the home address in the case of distance students. This will be, in normal circumstances, no more than four weeks after the MA course work deadlines (e.g. beginning of February for Michaelmas term modules, mid June for Lent term modules, end of September for Easter term modules). Please note that the turn-around time for essays submitted at the end of April is longer than a month due to the pressures around that time of the undergraduate examination process.

Essays that are handed in after these coursework deadlines will not necessarily be marked within four weeks. This is particularly the case for any essays handed in during the summer period because of staff holidays and research commitments, and the Department’s involvement with the Summer Workshop in Greek and Latin.

Residential students will have the opportunity of a personal tutorial to discuss the work with your tutor. Distance students are encouraged to contact their module tutor if they would like to discuss their work or the marking in more detail.

Language examinations

Although time tests can be done by students at home, exams will need to be taken under exam conditions.

All language modules taught during Michaelmas term are examined in December (see diary in section 1). All language modules taught during Lent term are examined during the May main examination period. The Registry will contact you in April with the examination date for the language exam(s) you are taking in May. We are unfortunately not able to give you a May exam date earlier than April. We also no longer offer distance students the opportunity to take their exam during the Summer Workshop in Greek and Latin. All exams need to be taken either in Lampeter or at an approved home location (see below) during the periods specified above.

Tutors will provide guidance on examination techniques. Past examination papers are available for consultation in the Lampeter library and tutors will be able to provide a copy of a past exam paper to distance students. Please note that in the case of advanced language modules these are only of limited value as the texts read for each module are varied each year.

When you sit an examination you are warned that the Examiners attach great importance to legiblity, accuracy and clearness of expression and that they take account of a candidate's ability to express his/her knowledge in a clear, concise and scholarly fashion. Handwriting must be clear and standards of spelling and grammar high. Please note that you must not resort to note form, abbreviated words or shorthand. We expect the same standards for any work you undertake in the department.

If you are ill during the examination period you should obtain a medical certificate. Arrangements can be made to sit examinations under medical supervision. Please contact the Department or the Student Support Officer if you are in this situation.

Distance students

Exams can be taken in two ways:

You could either take the exam/s in December or May at Lampeter
If you cannot travel to Lampeter in December and/or May for reasons of work or cost, you could, by agreement of this Department, take the exam/s at your home location on the same date or, if that is not possible, a date as near as possible to the one the exam is held at Lampeter. A suitable home location could be a college or school where you work or live, or at the British Council.

In order to arrange the latter option, please notify the departmental administrator in writing giving the following details:

the date you will take the paper
the location where you will sit the exam
the name of the person who has agreed to invigilate your exam.

This information needs to be sent to us as soon as possible and, if these arrangements are in line with our exam regulations, we will confirm this with you and arrange to send all necessary paperwork to your invigilator in good time for the exam.

Whichever decision you make, you need to let us know which option you will take so that we can inform the Examinations Office whether or not you will be sitting the paper at this campus and whether we need to set up the individual arrangements for you. Please email your preferred option and all necessary details to the Departmental administrator (classics@lamp.ac.uk). She will contact you to confirm arrangements.

Marking Criteria

Work for each module will be assessed in accordance with the following table:

Percentage Range	Classification	Meaning
70% or more	Distinction	Work of an exceptionally high standard
50-69 %	Pass (1)	Work of good standard
40-49 %	Pass (2)	Work of satisfactory standard
39 % or less	Fail	Unsatisfactory Work

Distinction (70% or more)

Distinction work displays the following attributes, though not necessarily all of them:

Comprehensive research
Genuine originality
Acute and relevant focus on the task set
Ability to understand and solve problems
Cogent and structured argument
Analytical and critical appreciation
Subtle and perceptive analysis
Wide and thorough reading
Fluent writing and clarity of expression
Presentation to a high scholarly standard
An argument which is fully documented, well referenced, cogent and persuasive

Pass 1 (50-69 %)

This work may show some of the qualities seen in Distinction, but not in a sustained way. It is of a generally sound and good standard, and is characterised by the following attributes, though not necessarily all of them. A mark between 50-59% will be awarded for work demonstrating competency in a majority of the following areas, while a mark between 60-69% will be awarded for work that shows conscientiousness and consistency of application in these attributes:

Sustained focus on the subject
Ability to identify and solve problems
Awareness of the wider philosophical dimensions of the subject
Convincing analysis of other scholars’ views
Persuasive and even sophisticated level of argument
Broad and relevant range of reading
There may be some originality
Clear and well written style
Relevant examples and references
Good presentation

Pass 2 (40-49%)

This work may show some of the qualities seen in Pass 1 though in a limited way, and is characterised by the following attributes, though not necessarily all of them:

Descriptive work
Discernible focus on the task set
Some attempt at identifying and solving problems
A reasonable argument
A range of reading
Some relevant references and examples
Satisfactory written style

Fail (less than 40%)

If work is characterised by the following, it will receive a mark of 39% or less:

Little or no focus on the task set which may be extremely brief
Lack of ability to identify and solve problems
Poor or little knowledge and understanding of the subject
No or hardly any relevant references or examples
Insufficient or irrelevant reading
Unclear and poor presentation (sometimes making the answer barely intelligible)

Notes

A Distinction in the MA may be awarded where a candidate has (a) a mark of 65% or more at Part One and (b) a mark of 70% or more for the Dissertation (Part Two), and also (c) an overall average of 70% or more in Parts One and Two, which are given equal weight in the calculation.

A Distinction may be awarded in the Postgraduate Diploma where a candidate has a mark in Part One of at least 65%.

Special needs

The Department recognises that some students have special needs and difficulties in the examination/assessment process. To this end concessions may be granted to students with special needs, subject to University guidelines.

Please remember, however, that it is primarily your responsibility to ensure that the appropriate University authorities - e.g. Academic Registry, Academic Registrar's Office, Head of Department, Dept. Welfare Officer, personal tutor - are aware, in good time, of any particular needs which may require special arrangements to be made in examinations. Students are advised to consult the Student Support Officer, Victoria Wade, in the first instance, who will then get in contact with the Administrative Offices and the Departments concerned.

Failed modules

MA and Diploma students must pass all modules (i.e. achieve a mark of at least 40% for each module). If you fail a non-linguistic module, you will need to rewrite the essay. You are allowed one resubmission for a maximum score of 40%. If you fail a language module, a resit option will be discussed with you. The Director of Postgraduate Studies will contact you with precise arrangements regarding your failed module.

Resits

Resit exams for failed language modules will take place in September. The resit examination timetable will be sent to you by the Registry in August. It is your responsibility to ensure that you will be available for them, if necessary. You can opt to take the resit at an approved home location.

Results

MA and Diploma students will be sent an annual transcript of their marks during the summer vacation, usually in September.

Progression

MA students are only allowed to proceed to part two of their degree, the writing of their dissertation (= 60 credits), when they have successfully completed the taught part of the MA (= 120 credits). When you have finished the final piece of course work all your essays will be sent off to the Department’s postgraduate external examiner for external marking. Material will only be sent to the external examiner on three dates during the academic year (1 October, 1 March, and 1 July). In normal circumstances this external marking process will take three months from the date that your course work has been sent to the external examiner. Please note therefore that marks given by internal markers for your essays may change at this stage and that any marks are provisional up to that point. If any changes are made, we will of course inform you of these.

If there is something you think should be added to or changed in these pages, please contact Errietta Bissa.