Exam re-checks

Sanguine Fan

I am puzzled by the following statement on the website of the Office of the Vice-Provost. It concerns anyone who might want to have their exam results re-checked. The statement reads:

"Any student who makes a request for re-check or re-mark that could have implications for their degree result is advised not to proceed."

Full details can be found here:

https://www.tcd.ie/vpcao/administration/examinations/recheck-remark.php

On the assumption that it can't logically mean what it appears to, does anyone know what they are trying to say?

stesh

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

I am puzzled by the following statement on the website of the Office of the Vice-Provost. It concerns anyone who might want to have their exam results re-checked. The statement reads:

"Any student who makes a request for re-check or re-mark that could have implications for their degree result is advised not to proceed."

Full details can be found here:

https://www.tcd.ie/vpcao/administration/examinations/recheck-remark.php

On the assumption that it can't logically mean what it appears to, does anyone know what they are trying to say?

Very strange way of phrasing it. I think it's probably just a general warning: after an exam has been re-marked, if you still want to contest the result, you have to appeal to the Court of Examiners, which specifically cannot cause your grade to change; it can only change the consequences of your grade (i.e., whether or not you should be allowed to repeat the year, whether or not you should be allowed to sit supplementals, etc.)

dabh

stesh wrote: »

Very strange way of phrasing it. I think it's probably just a general warning: after an exam has been re-marked, if you still want to contest the result, you have to appeal to the Court of Examiners, which specifically cannot cause your grade to change; it can only change the consequences of your grade (i.e., whether or not you should be allowed to repeat the year, whether or not you should be allowed to sit supplementals, etc.)

I think that this may be failing to distinguish between the Court of Examiners and the Court of First Appeal (and the higher Courts of Appeal).

The Court of Examiners is the examiners' meeting, or exam board, that determines the results.

Appeals are normally made in the first instance to a Court of First Appeal, which is a different beast, with representatives from various departments, which can change the consequences of a particular grade, but not the grade. Candidates cannot appeal against a grade like II.1, claiming that they expected and deserved a I.

The particular statement highlighted by the OP on the Vice-Provost's website seems to relate to the case where the candidate is in dispute with the examiner and or the department.

It should not discourage candidates from going over their script with the examiner, or someone who is acting for the examiner. Sometimes, when the script is reviewed it will become apparent to the examiner that an error in the marking has occurred (marks not added up correctly, or some piece of unmarked work that the examiner missed, or some argument that the examiner had not fully appreciated), and in such situations the department will be expected to write to the Senior Lecturer to request permission to amend the mark. Such situations are different in nature from a case where the candidate does not accept the judgement of the examiner and/or the department.

Sanguine Fan

dabh wrote: »

The particular statement highlighted by the OP on the Vice-Provost's website seems to relate to the case where the candidate is in dispute with the examiner and or the department.

I have to admit I am still bewildered about this. The statement clearly relates to anyone who wants to have their exam results rechecked on any one of three grounds.

On the face of it, they appear to be warning off anyone from pursuing this process if they are a sophister student. However, this makes no sense as surely only someone whose final grade was in question would bother to ask for a re-check.

Perhaps they are suggesting that any re-check could result in a downgrading and they are advising caution for those whose final degree grade could be at risk.

Even still, if someone feels their final grade has been underestimated, why shouldn't they pursue the matter through the process described?

blucey

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

I am puzzled by the following statement on the website of the Office of the Vice-Provost. It concerns anyone who might want to have their exam results re-checked. The statement reads:

"Any student who makes a request for re-check or re-mark that could have implications for their degree result is advised not to proceed."

Full details can be found here:

https://www.tcd.ie/vpcao/administration/examinations/recheck-remark.php

On the assumption that it can't logically mean what it appears to, does anyone know what they are trying to say?

yes. at your degree conferring you are conferred with a degree AND a grade (where appropriate). So, if the recheck were to move you frm a to b and you were already conferred with a....

Sanguine Fan

blucey wrote: »

yes. at your degree conferring you are conferred with a degree AND a grade (where appropriate). So, if the recheck were to move you frm a to b and you were already conferred with a....

This should be spelt out clearly in the guidelines. As it stands, the statement raises more questions than it answers.

Presumably, if a recheck resulted in a regrading being approved before conferral, the new grade could be awarded.

Perhaps formal rechecks should be disallowed where double or triple marking takes place. If someone believes that a human error has resulted in their marks being added up or transcribed incorrectly, this could be sorted out quickly within the relevant department?

dabh

Sanguine Fan wrote: »

If someone believes that a human error has resulted in their marks being added up or transcribed incorrectly, this could be sorted out quickly within the relevant department?

It can be (at least if you omit the word 'quickly'). If the examiner/department agrees with the candidate that human error (in adding up marks etc., overlooking some page of a script etc.) has resulted in an incorrect mark, then the department would typically put in train the process of sorting things out.

But in such cases the department has to write formally to the Senior Lecturer for permission to change the mark, and hopefully (after some period of time) the Senior Lecturer will issue a formal memo directing that the mark be changed. But the previous mark must stand until formal approval for a change of mark has been given.

But such a case is different from a case where the examiner and/or department insists that the current mark is appropriate and correct, yet the candidate persists in seeking to change the mark.