LL.B. DEGREE
INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES 2008-09
1. This document provides information about the Intermediate, Parts I and II
Examinations in Laws at UCL. The examinations are conducted by the Faculty
of Laws under regulations made by UCL and by the University of London. The
Chair of the Faculty Board of Examiners is Professor Bob Sullivan. The Deputy
Chair is Professor James Penner. The Secretary to the Board is the Faculty
Tutor, Olga Thomas. The information which this document contains seeks to
supplement or summarise the College LL.B Regulations which prevail in the case
of conflict and which candidates should consult via the Undergraduate Faculty
Office (Room 104) if they remain in doubt.
2. Who is responsible for setting and marking the examination papers?
Papers are set by members of the Faculty in consultation with one of the external
examiners who will be an experienced law teacher from the University of London
or elsewhere. Every examination script is required to be marked internally by two
examiners. Scripts are then sent to an external examiner who can confirm the
agreed internal marks or make suggestions for change. Such changes mainly
concern scripts of candidates who are borderline. Internal examiners often refer
such marginal cases to the external examiner for a final decision if there is any
doubt. The participation of the external examiners in the setting and marking of
the examinations ensures parity of standards with other universities.
3. Examinations
These take place during the third term. They are arranged by the Examinations
Section of the Registrar’s Department, which is responsible for organising
examinations throughout UCL. When the timetables are published – via Portico -
candidates should check their individual timetable carefully for the details of the
dates, times and venues of all their examinations. Please note that it is not
unusual for candidates to have papers scheduled either on the same day or on
consecutive days.
PERMITTED MATERIALS
THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Candidates must make themselves aware
of the materials, if any, which they are permitted to take into each examination. A
full list of permitted materials is posted on the Examinations Notice board in the
Student Common Room as well as on the Laws web pages (‘Current Students’/
‘Examinations’).
WHERE UNMARKED MATERIALS ARE PERMITTED THEY MAY BE
MARKED BY HIGHLIGHTING OR UNDERLINING ONLY. NO OTHER
MARKINGS OF ANY DESCRIPTION ARE PERMITTED. That means that there
must be no annotations or writing of any kind - no interleaving, no ‘post-it’ notes
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or other stickers, no whiting-out of text – nothing, apart from highlighting or
underlining of the original text.
Under the UCL regulations for examination irregularities the deliberate
introduction into the examination room of unauthorised material is an
examinations offence. ANYONE FOUND IN POSSESSION OF
UNAUTHORISED MATERIAL AFTER THE START OF THE EXAMINATION
WILL BE PRESUMED TO BE IN DELIBERATE BREACH OF EXAMINATION
REGULATIONS. ALL MATERIALS ARE LIABLE TO BE INSPECTED. Any
candidate found to be in possession of unauthorised material will have the
material confiscated and will be reported for an examination irregularity.
PENALTIES FOR CHEATING ARE SEVERE. In the past students who have
been found in possession of unauthorised material have had their results
annulled and have been required to resit after taking at least one year out. A
finding of an examination offence will appear on the student’s record and may
make it difficult, if not impossible, for the student to undertake professional
qualification.
PLAGIARISM is also an offence for which the penalties are severe. Serious
cases of plagiarism may, for instance, lead to a non-award of degree and failure
to graduate. Plagiarism is the subject of a separate notice posted on the ‘Current
Students’ section of the Laws website.
4. Anonymity
All scripts are marked anonymously so as to eliminate any possibility of concerns
of bias. Only the Chair of Examiners, Secretary to the Board and Undergraduate
Faculty Office have access to the list of candidates.
5. Legibility
Examiners attach great importance to legibility, accuracy and clearness of
expression in the examination scripts. Examiners may require any script that is
difficult to read to be typed. The candidates concerned will be required to come
into the Faculty after the examination and dictate the contents to a typist. A
charge will be made for this. Candidates should hold themselves ready to be
summoned for this purpose (you should, in any event, ensure that your current
contact details are up to date on Portico). Examiners reserve the right not to
mark illegible scripts.
6. Who assesses a candidate’s performance?
The Board of Examiners (consisting of all full-time teachers and the external
examiners) meets at Bentham House, this year on Friday 19 June 2009. It will
consider each candidate’s pattern of marks and decide the appropriate
classification or result. Other factors, for instance, illness, are taken into account
by the examiners when these have been brought to the attention of the Faculty
Tutor or Chair of the Board of Examiners well in advance of this date so that any
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relevant information can be authenticated.
The decision is normally made solely on the basis of an assessment of the
candidate’s performance in each paper. Occasionally, however, a candidate
may wish to ask the Board to take into account special circumstances, such as
illness or other personal circumstances (during the examination period or some
other part of the academic year), which may have adversely affected his or her
performance (see para. 7A below). The Board will be informed of any such
representation where it is supported by medical or other evidence and where the
representation could, in the opinion of a Sub-Committee of the Board, possibly
affect the Board’s decision. Usually such information would be considered as
relevant only in borderline cases. The effect is not normally to alter the marks,
however, the circumstances may, in some cases, enable the Board to make
helpful recommendations, such as mitigating the effect of the Regulation
regarding re-sit or re-entry in all parts of the exam or, in the case of Part II or Part
IIB, to make recommendations regarding the classification of the degree.
7 A. What to do if you want to make a representation to the Board: Procedure for
Notification of Extenuating Circumstances.
Candidates wishing to make representations to the Board of Examiners should
write to the Faculty Tutor, Olga Thomas, as soon as possible, and certainly no
later than 7 days following the final LLB examination explaining which
matters they wish to bring to the attention of examiners and providing
documentary or other supporting evidence, for instance, a doctor’s certificate or
hospital letter. A form entitled ‘Notification of Extenuating Circumstances’ is
available from the Undergraduate Faculty Office (Room 104) for this purpose.
Candidates must not assume that because they have discussed their difficulties
with Olga Thomas in her pastoral capacity, or their Personal Tutor, the content of
these discussions will be disclosed to the Board. On the contrary, students
should assume that Olga Thomas/their Personal Tutor will not disclose the
details of confidential discussions unless the student has:
(a) completed the Notification of Extenuating Circumstances form
(available from the Undergrduate Faculty Office, Room 104;
(b) delivered the form to the Undergradaute Faculty Office, with all
necessary supporting evidence; and
(c) had from Olga Thomas an acknowledgement (sent via the
Undergradaute Faculty Office) of the form’s receipt by her.
Extenuating Circumstances application forms will only be received from
candidates where the application is complete: i.e. the application must
include the necessary supporting evidence at time of submission. The
Undergraduate Faculty Office/Faculty Tutor will not accept any Extenuating
Circumstances forms unless the application is fully complete.
If in doubt candidates should seek to discuss these matters with Olga Thomas
(via the Undergraduate Faculty Office) as a matter of urgency.
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A Sub-Committee of the Board, comprising a small group of 5 persons, including
the Chair of Exams and the Faculty Tutor, will be convened before the Board of
Examiners to consider all extenuating circumstances cases. In accordance with
UCL guidelines, each case will be scored on a scale of 0 (insignificant impact) to
3 (circumstances highly detrimental to student performance). Details of individual
cases will not normally be disclosed to the Board and, with the exception of the
Secretary to the Board (the Faculty Tutor), the use of Candidate Numbers by the
Sub-Committee and final Examinations Board ensures confidentiality.
7 B. Absence and non-performance
Any candidate likely to be absent from an examination, or unable to attempt a
paper, should seek to discuss these matters with the Faculty Tutor, Olga
Thomas, as a matter of urgency. You should, in the first instance, contact the
Faculty Office (j.young@ucl.ac.uk; g.burridge@ucl.ac.uk; 020 7679 1400/1401).
8. Notification of results
A provisional list of results confirming the degree classification awarded to
finalists, and whether progressing students have passed or failed, will be pinned
to the notice board in the Student Common Room at Bentham House, usually as
soon as possible during the day on which the Board of Examiners meets.
(Please do not ask members of the Board to give out results until the list has
been published.) Results will be listed by Candidate Number. You may
telephone the Faculty for a similar overview of results, ie. degree classification or
pass/fail, on the next working day (i.e. Monday 22 June 2009) after 10.00am as
follows:
Intermediate: 020 7679 1400/1401
Part I/Part II: 020 7679 1400/1401
Socrates: 020 7679 1400/1401
Letters detailing the provisional breakdown of individual subject results will be
dispatched during the course of the week commencing 22 June 2009. Final and
confirmed examination results will be available on Portico from mid-July after the
UCL Exam Board has met.
If you wish to convert your percentage mark in each paper into a corresponding
class, the following may be used as a guide:
Less than 40% - fail; 40-49% - third class; 50-59% - lower second class; 60-69%
- upper second class; 70% and above - first class. Marks in assessed course
essays are taken into account in determining the overall subject grade in line with
the assessment criteria for the course.
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9. Withholding results
It is UCL policy to withhold the award of a degree or results from candidates who
owe fees or have other debts to UCL or to the Faculty (eg. for photocopied
materials supplied during the year) or who have not returned books to the library.
Candidates should ensure that they have no outstanding debts.
10. What happens if a candidate does not pass?
Scheme of Examinations: Degree of LL.B.
In respect of the Degree of the LL.B.:
(i) Provision is made for referral in not more than one paper at the
Intermediate or not more than two papers in the Part I examinations.
(ii) A candidate must complete the Intermediate examination before being
permitted to pass the Part I examination, and must similarly complete the
Part I examination before being permitted to pass the Part II examination.
(iii) No referral will be permitted at the Part II examination.
(iv) The classification of honours will be based on the candidate’s
performance at Part I and Part II of the Final examination, with the
exception of the double-degrees: LLB with Baccalaureus Legum,
Maîtrise/Master I or JD, where the two best results of the four examinable
first year subjects will be taken into account (see further p. 10 below).
Re-entry to Intermediate Examination
A candidate who passes in three of the papers at an Intermediate Examination in
May and fails in one paper will be referred in that failed paper, that is be
permitted to re-sit that paper in September, provided the fail was not a bad fail.
If a candidate fails to pass a referred paper taken in September, s/he will
normally be required to re-take the whole of the Intermediate Examination the
following May.
A candidate who fails two or more papers, or fails one paper badly at an
Intermediate Examination in May will normally be required to re-take the whole of
the Intermediate Examination the following September.
A candidate who has had to re-sit the whole of the Intermediate Examination will
normally be allowed to re-sit once only. However, UCL may give permission, for
good cause, for one further and final re-entry.
Re-entry to Part I Examination
A candidate who fails in one or two papers will be referred in that/those failed
paper/s and will be permitted to re-sit in September, provided the fail(s) are not a
bad fail(s).
If a candidate fails to pass a referred paper(s) taken in September, s/he will be
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required to re-take the whole of the Part I examination the following May.
A candidate who fails more than two papers, or fails one paper badly at a Part I
Examination in May, will normally be required to re-take the whole of the Part I
Examination the following September.
A candidate who has had to re-sit the whole of the Part I Examination will
normally be allowed to re-sit once only. However, UCL may give permission, for
good cause, for one further and final re-entry.
Re-entry to Part IIA examination
A candidate who fails to reach the minimum standard in one or two papers may
be required to re-enter the whole of the Part IIA examination or be referred in
that/those paper/s. If s/he fails to reach the minimum standard in a referred
paper s/he may be required to re-enter the whole of the Part IIA examination in
the following May.
Assessed essay component: all degrees.
In the case of a referred or failed subject(s) with a course work component, the
candidate may elect to carry forward the mark(s) awarded for the course work or
to submit a revised essay(s) on the same question(s).
Part II
As indicated above, candidates are normally required to pass all papers taken
but a degree may nevertheless be awarded if the candidate fails in a single
subject but satisfies the Board’s requirements as to compensating performance
in the other papers and subjects previously taken. Candidates who have failed
the Part II (or Part IIB) examinations and not been awarded a degree may re-take
the examination the following May. The Part I (and Part IIA) results are taken into
account once again.
11. Discussing your performance with your subject teachers or personal tutor.
Members of the Faculty are generally NOT available to go through examination
scripts with candidates to explain why they have been given the marks they have.
Exceptionally, however, if you have either failed the Examination or been
referred in one or two papers, you may approach the course convenor of the
relevant subject(s) to ask whether he or she (or another member of staff, eg. your
subject tutor) is available to explain why you have not passed and to give you
further guidance. Students should not expect members of staff to discuss the
details of what took place at the Exam Board Meeting, which are confidential.
12. Review
A candidate who feels aggrieved by an examination decision should consult their
Personal Tutor in the first instance. It is UCL policy that candidates may not
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approach the Chair of the Board directly. Experience suggests that usually an
informal discussion with the Tutor will resolve any doubts that candidates may
have.
If a candidate believes that a mark has been incorrectly recorded he/she may
make a request in writing to the Chair of the Examinations Board for a formal
review. The review involves only checking that the marks are correctly recorded
on the script and that they have been correctly transcribed on to the marksheet
used by the Board in reaching its decisions. There is no re-marking procedure for
any paper. Candidates are advised that it is UCL policy to retain scripts for only
one year following the sitting of the examination. Therefore requests for review
must be received within this period, and ideally before the commencement of the
next academic session.
UCL has a grievance procedure for candidates wishing to make representations
against their degree results. The procedure is conducted by the Registrar’s
Department. Representations must specify the ground of complaint. Grounds of
complaint may include a failure to take into account particular circumstances
relating to the candidate. However, circumstances which were not brought to the
attention of the Board before the Examiners’ Meeting cannot generally be taken
into account later where such circumstances were known to the candidate at the
time and there were no reasonable grounds for not disclosing them earlier.
BOB SULLIVAN
Chair, Board of Examiners
JAMES PENNER
Deputy-Chair, Board of Examiners
OLGA THOMAS
Secretary to the Board
25 MARCH 2009
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APPENDIX
I. Scheme of Award for All Students, EXCEPT those listed in II and III below
Subject to the exceptions below, candidates for the LLB degree are required to have
passed the examinations in Part I and Part II (including Parts IIA and IIB in a four year
Law with Advanced Studies course).
Candidates are required to pass all papers taken except that in their final year
candidates who fail in one subject (other than a referred subject) may be considered for
a pass or honours degree if the failure is not a bad failure and the candidate shows
compensating strength in the other subjects to the satisfaction of the Board.
1. Candidates will be considered for the award of first class honours where
they have achieved:
i) in a three year degree course: four or more first class marks; or
ii) in a four year degree course in Law with Advanced Studies, six or more
first class marks
iii) in a four year degree course in Law with a European Legal System or Law
with Another Legal System, four or more first class marks
Provided their overall performance is sound.
2. Subject to Principle 1 above candidates will usually be awarded the
highest class of honours in which they have achieved:
i) in a three year degree course: five or more class marks; or
ii) in a four year degree course in Law with Advanced Studies, six or more
class marks where thirteen marks are recorded or seven or more class
marks where fifteen are recorded;
iii) in a four year degree course in Law with a European Legal System or Law
with Another Legal System, four or more class marks where nine marks
are recorded or five or more class marks where ten marks are recorded.
Provided their overall performance is sound.
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3. Class marks (out of a nominal 100, with a pass mark of 40) are:
III >40; II(2) >50; II(1) > 60; I >70
The Board may take account of the aggregate marks of a candidate in assessing the
class to be recommended. A fail in a subject sat in a candidate’s final year can be
considered sufficient to reduce an overall classification.
Class marks (out of a nominal 100) are:
III 40-49; II(2) 50-59; II(1) 60-69; I > 70
The Board, which is re-constituted each year, adopts principles to implement this
scheme of award and may exercise its discretion in their application according to the
circumstances of each candidate.
II. Scheme of Award for M100 students who started their LLB degree BEFORE
September 2004
A candidate for the LL B degree is required to have passed the examinations in
Part I and Part II (including Parts IIA and IIB in a four year course).
A candidate is required to pass all papers taken except that in their final year a
candidate who fails in one subject (other than a referred subject) may be considered for
a classified honours degree if the failure is not a bad failure and the candidate shows
compensating strength in the other subjects to the satisfaction of the Board.
A candidate will usually be awarded the highest class of honours in which
they have achieved:
i) in a three year degree course: four or more class marks; or
ii) in a four year degree course: six or more class marks,
provided in either case that the candidate’s overall performance is considered by
the Board to be sound.
The Board may take account of the aggregate marks of a candidate in assessing the
class to be recommended. A fail in a subject sat in a candidate’s final year can be
considered sufficient to reduce an overall classification.
Class marks (out of a nominal 100) are:
III 40-49; II(2) 50-59; II(1) 60-69; I > 70
The Board, which is re-constituted each year, adopts principles to implement this
scheme of award and may exercise its discretion in their application according to the
circumstances of each candidate.
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III. Exceptions
The scheme of awards for all students will apply save for the exceptions listed below.
Students taking the LL.B with Master I, the LL.B with Baccalaureus Legum or the
LL.B/JD.
Candidates in each of these programmes are required to have passed the examinations
in Part 1 of the LL.B and those examinations of the partner university that are required
for the award of the partner university degree.
LL.B with Baccalaureus Legum
If candidates for the LL.B with Baccalaureus Legum opt to write a long essay under the
supervision of a member of the Faculty of Laws at UCL in their final year, the mark
awarded for the essay will be recorded as a mark in Part 1 for the purposes of
classification of the LL.B degree.
The results of examinations taken at University College London and any long essay
submitted to UCL are used to calculate the overall classification of the LL.B element of
the LL.B with Baccalaureus Legum. If a candidate’s three highest marks fall within a
particular class, the candidate will usually receive a degree of that class, provided that
at least one of the highest marks was awarded in respect of a Part 1 examination or a
long essay submitted to UCL.
LL.B with Maîtrise/Master I
The results of examinations taken at University College London are used to calculate
the overall classification of the LL.B element of the LL.B with Maîtrise/Master I. If a
candidate’s three highest marks fall within a particular class, the candidate will usually
receive a degree of that class, provided that at least one of the highest marks was
awarded in respect of a Part 1 examination.
LL.B/JD
The results of examinations taken at University College London are used to calculate
the overall classification of the LL.B element of the LL.B/JD. If a candidate’s three
highest marks fall within a particular class, the candidate will usually receive a degree of
that class, provided that at least one of the highest marks was awarded in respect of a
Part 1 examination.
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