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Missing an exam
If you miss an exam without approval, you’ll be marked as absent. You won’t be seen as having made an attempt at the exam, and you’ll get a mark of zero for that course. If you have medical evidence, you can ask to take the exam later. This is called a deferred assessment and takes place in the summer before the next academic year.
Please note: if you don’t complete all parts of all twelve units by the end of your degree, you may not be able to graduate with Honours.
What if I don’t finish or fail a module?
UCL rules say you usually get no more than two chances to pass a course. If you need to resit or repeat, your mark won’t always be capped. But you can’t resit a course just to get a higher mark if you’ve already passed.
The outcome depends on why you didn’t pass. There are three main reasons this might happen:
- You didn’t finish one or more parts of the assessment
- You didn’t pass one or more parts of the assessment
- You were deregistered
Not finishing all parts of the assessment
If you go to class as expected but don’t finish all parts of the assessment (for example, if you only hand in one of two essays or miss the exam without a valid reason), your result will be marked as incomplete. This can have a serious impact on your degree. To get an Honours degree, you must complete 12 course units.
At UCL, there’s a key difference between failing a module and being incomplete. You can fail a module – even on both your first and second tries – and still be marked as complete. But if you don’t make a proper attempt at all the required assessments, the module is incomplete. This difference matters a lot.
To be marked complete, you must have taken all parts of the assessment at least once, either at the first or second try. This means making a proper attempt. Just turning up for an exam but writing nothing, or handing in blank or almost empty work, does not count. You must try every part seriously.
It’s important to complete every module.
- To move from Year 2 to Year 3, you must complete all Year 1 modules.
- To move from Year 3 to Year 4 (for four-year degrees), you must complete all Year 2 modules.
If not, you may have to resit the module while abroad.
If you become unable to complete a module, you won’t be allowed to continue your studies and may have to leave UCL.
If you’re in your final year and become incomplete in a module — for example, if you don’t do the re-sit after missing parts of the first assessment — you won’t get a classified Honours degree. You may only be able to get an unclassified Ordinary degree.
This is why it’s very important not to miss any part of the assessment, especially if it’s your second try.
You’ll have to complete any missing parts of the assessment at your next chance. You don’t need to go to the classes again or redo parts you’ve already passed. For example, if you passed the exam but didn’t hand in the coursework, you only need to submit the coursework. Portico should automatically enter you for the parts you still need to complete. If you re-sit, the higher of the two marks will count.
You can read the full rules in Section 2.10.1 of UCL’s Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Students.
Not passing one or more parts of the assessment
To pass a course, you need to get 40 or more in each component of your assessments. In the Geography Department, there are usually two components: the coursework mark and the exam mark. You don’t need to get 40 on every essay or every exam question — it’s the average mark for each component that counts. As long as the coursework average is 40 or more, and the exam average is 40 or more, you pass.
Failing a course is not as serious as being incomplete. You only need to pass 11 out of 12 units to get an Honours degree.
However, you must pass all your compulsory courses to get the named degree you’re registered for.
If you fail a course, you can resit the part you failed. You don’t need to go to the classes again or redo the parts you already passed. For example, if you passed the coursework but failed the exam, you only need to retake the exam. Portico should automatically enter you for the parts you need to resit.
Concerns about the exam process
If you have a concern about the exam process, speak first to your personal tutor or the Chair of the Undergraduate Exams Board.
You can only make a formal complaint to UCL if there are clear reasons to believe that something went wrong with how the exam was run or marked. You cannot appeal just because you disagree with the mark or think the examiners judged your work unfairly, as long as they followed the correct process.
If you're worried about something, talk to your tutors first. Many issues can be sorted out without needing to start a formal grievance.
Getting feedback on your exam performance
UCL does not return exam papers to students. But you can get some feedback on your second-year exams by asking your personal tutor.
Your tutor can give you a short summary of the examiners’ comments on your answers. This takes time to prepare, so make sure you ask well in advance. Let your tutor know which modules you want feedback on.