Assessment Regulations

1. Title
   These are the Assessment Regulations 2016.
2. Date of effect
   These regulations are effective from 1 January 2016.
3. Definitions
   In these regulations

Assessment means the internal assessment (details of which are prescribed in the relevant paper outline) and, if one is offered, the examination that a student must undertake in order to be awarded a grade for the paper concerned
Chief Examiner means the person appointed by the relevant Head of School or Dean as the chief examiner for the paper concerned; (the names of chief examiners are available from the Director of Student Services)
Compulsory Assessment Item means an assessment item that is identified as compulsory in the relevant paper outline, and that a student must submit in order to be eligible to pass the paper
Examination means the portion of the assessment for a paper that a student undertakes under formally supervised conditions, at a time and place notified by the Student Centre
Examiner means the person or persons designated in the relevant paper outline as the lecturer or convenor of the paper concerned
Internal Assessment means the portion of the assessment for a paper that is assigned, supervised and marked internally within the relevant department; it may include assignments, practical work, work in tutorials, seminars, written or oral tests, recitals, performances or attendance requirements
Paper Outline means the document distributed by the relevant department providing detailed information about the nature and requirements of the paper
Plagiarism means presenting as one’s own work the work of another, and includes the copying or paraphrasing of another person’s work in an assessment item without acknowledging it as the other person’s work through full and accurate referencing; it applies to assessment presented through a written, spoken, electronic, broadcasting, visual, performance or other medium
Special Examination means an examination prepared and scheduled for a student whose application for special consideration under section 17 of these regulations has been accepted as valid by the Special Consideration Committee.

4. Application
   These regulations apply to papers at 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 700 levels.
5. Fees
   The fees referred to in these regulations are prescribed in the Table of Fees and Charges.
6. Eligibility to submit assessment
   A student must be enrolled for a paper in order to be eligible to submit assessment in it.
7. Use of particular languages for assessment
   1. Unless specified otherwise in the relevant paper outline, students must submit assessment in either English or Māori.
   2. The presentation of assessment in Māori is subject to the Policy on the Use of Māori for Assessment.
8. Plagiarism and cheating
   1. Guidelines for sourcing and referencing styles appropriate to particular disciplines are available from the Faculties or School of Studies and the Library.
   2. Plagiarism is prohibited.
   3. It is not a defence against a charge of plagiarism for a student to argue that they did not act intentionally in appropriating the writing or work of another person; however, the extent to which the student is judged to have plagiarised intentionally, and the level and standard of scholarship that might reasonably be expected of the student, may be factors in the determination of any disciplinary action to be taken against the student.
   4. Cheating in any matter connected with assessment is prohibited.
9. Use of the same material for different assessment items
   Unless approved otherwise by the examiner of the paper concerned, a student must not submit for assessment material that is substantially the same as material submitted for assessment for a different paper, or for a paper which the student has attempted and/or completed previously in substantially the same form and is repeating.

10. Presence and identification at examinations
    1. A student may attend an examination only if he or she is enrolled for the paper for which it is prescribed.
    2. A student may not enter an examination to begin an examination after the first 45 minutes.
    3. Except with the permission of the examination supervisor, a student may not leave an examination room during the first 45 minutes or during the last 15 minutes.
    4. Students undertaking an examination must sign their examination script and identify themselves to the Examination Supervisor by producing either
       1. their student identity card, or
       2. another form of photo identification that can be authenticated by the Examination Supervisor.
    5. A student may not leave the examination room during an examination with the intention of returning unless supervised during the period of absence by the examination supervisor.
11. Conduct in the examination room
    1. A student undertaking an examination must follow the instructions in the examination paper as well as any instructions given by the Examination Supervisor.
    2. An electronic device that
       1. makes use of an audible alarm, or
       2. has facilities for transmission or reception of information, or
       3. is capable of storing and displaying information

       is prohibited in the examination room, unless it is turned off and stored separately from the student, or is an item authorised by an Examiner under subsection 11(3) of these regulations.

    3. A student may not bring into the examination room any of the following items unless authorised in writing by the Examiner:
       1. paper
       2. books
       3. calculators
       4. electronic devices, including dictionaries
       5. computers.
    4. If items are authorised under subsection 11(3) of these regulations, details of the type and the functions that may be used will be specified by the Examiner.
    5. Items brought into an examination room may be subject to scrutiny and their use during the examination may be monitored by the Examination Supervisor.
    6. A student undertaking an examination must not
       1. communicate with another student during the examination
       2. share material in the examination room.

12. Communications with others about examinations
    1. A student must not communicate with the examiner about the content of an examination between the time it is undertaken and the notification of confirmed grades.
    2. A student who wishes to raise an issue about an examination between the time it is undertaken and the notification of confirmed grades may do so by contacting the Student Centre.

13. Applications and procedures
    1. Applications under Part 3 are considered and decided upon by the Special Consideration Committee. Which is a committee of the Education Committee.
    2. The times and places of examinations are notified by the Student Centre.
    3. A student
       1. who has a learning or physical disability that is likely to affect his or her performance in an examination, or
       2. who, for any other reason that he or she considers to be compelling, requires a special arrangement to undertake an examination,

       may apply to undertake the examination at a different time, a different place, or under special conditions.

    4. The application must be submitted to the Student Centre, on the prescribed form, as soon as practicable after the teaching of the paper has started and the need for the special arrangement has been identified.
    5. If the need is identified too late to allow for a suitable arrangement to be made by the University, the student will be advised to apply for special consideration under Part 4 of these regulations.
    6. An application under Part 3 must be supported by evidence as stipulated on the application form.
    7. A student who makes an application under this Part may be requested by the Special Consideration Committee to undergo an evaluation by an independent professional person.
    8. The University makes any arrangements and meets any costs for an evaluation under subsection 13(7) of these regulations.
    9. If the Special Consideration Committee considers that
       1. the circumstances documented in the application are valid according to the criteria set down in subsection 13(3) of these regulations, and
       2. it is practicable to do so given the nature of the circumstances involved and the availability of resources, it will offer the student a special arrangement.
14. Conditions attached to special arrangements
    1. Unless approved otherwise by the Special Consideration Committee, a student will not be permitted to undertake an examination at a different time that is more than two days before or after the notified time for other candidates.
    2. A student who accepts an opportunity to undertake an examination at a different time is required to sign a statutory declaration promising not to communicate about the content of the examination with any other person between the time they undertake it and the time it is undertaken by the other candidates.
    3. The Special Consideration Committee may require, as a condition attached to the offer of a special arrangement, that the student contribute part or all of any associated costs.

15. Grounds for applications for special consideration
    If, due to circumstances beyond their control (such as illness, injury, bereavement or trauma)
    1. a student has been prevented from presenting internal assessment,
    2. a student’s performance in internal assessment has been seriously impaired,
    3. a student has been prevented from undertaking an examination,
    4. a student’s performance in an examination has been seriously impaired, or
    5. a student’s ability to prepare for an examination in the two weeks immediately preceding the examination has been seriously impaired, the student may apply for special consideration.
16. Special consideration in respect of internal assessment
    1. Applications for special consideration in respect of internal assessment are considered and decided by the Examiner of the paper for which the assessment is prescribed.
    2. An application for special consideration in respect of an internal assessment must be made in writing to the relevant Examiner not later than three days after the date on which it is due.
    3. The application must be supported by evidence that is acceptable to the Examiner; the evidence may be in the form of
       1. a medical certificate for an illness or injury affecting the period relevant to the particular assessment item, or
       2. evidence of any other circumstance and its effect on the student over the period relevant to the particular assessment item.
    4. If the Examiner accepts that the circumstances documented in the application are valid, they may
       1. estimate a mark for the assessment item, or
       2. if it is practicable to do so, offer the student an opportunity to submit or repeat the original assessment item or to submit an alternative assessment item.
    5. A student may not be awarded estimated marks under subsection 16(4) of these regulations for more than 33% of the overall internal assessment for a paper.
    6. If the Examiner does not offer any of the options under subsection 16(4) of these regulations, the student may apply under the Change of Enrolment Regulations 2012 to withdraw from the paper on medical or compassionate grounds.
    7. A student may appeal to the Chief Examiner against any decision by an examiner under this section.
    8. An appeal to the Chief Examiner must be made in writing by the student not more than seven days after they have received notification of the relevant decision by the Examiner.
    9. Where an Examiner is also the Chief Examiner, a student may appeal directly to the Director of Student Services under the provisions of section 24 of these regulations.
17. Special consideration in respect of examinations
    1. Applications for special consideration in respect of examinations are considered and decided by the Special Consideration Committee.
    2. In order to be eligible for special consideration in respect of an examination, a student must have submitted all compulsory items of internal assessment for the relevant paper.
    3. An application for special consideration in respect of an examination must be submitted to the Student Centre on the prescribed form not later than three days after the date of the examination.
    4. The application must be accompanied by evidence of the circumstances relating to the application.
    5. In the case of injury, illness, bereavement or trauma, the evidence required under subsection 17(4) of these regulations must be in the form of a report that relates to a consultation within 24 hours of the examination between the student and a medical practitioner, midwife, dental surgeon or psychologist, or between the student and a counsellor who is recognised for this purpose by the Special Consideration Committee. (Details of the names of counsellors recognised for this purpose are available from the Student Centre.)
    6. In the case of any circumstance other than those described in subsection 17(5) of these regulations, the evidence must be in the form of a statement of the nature and time of the circumstance, written by the student.
    7. The Director of Student Services may, at their discretion, request the student to submit a statutory declaration affirming details of the circumstances relating to the application.
    8. Where an application is accepted as valid by the Special Consideration Committee, the Chief Examiner will be requested by the Student Centre to consider the assessment of the student in the relevant paper.
    9. The Chief Examiner may at their discretion
       1. estimate a grade for the paper, or
       2. offer the student the opportunity to undertake a special examination.
    10. If the Chief Examiner does not estimate a grade for the paper under subsection 17(9) of these regulations, and it is not practicable to offer a special examination (either because of the nature of the assessment or the continuing circumstances of the student), the student may apply under the Change of Enrolment Regulations 2012 to withdraw from the paper on medical or compassionate grounds.
    11. Where a student demonstrates to the Director of Student Services that, because of circumstances beyond their control, they are not able to accept the offer of a special examination, the student may apply under the Change of Enrolment Regulations 2012 to withdraw from the paper on medical or compassionate grounds.

18. Review of grade
    1. A student who considers that a mistake has been made in the process of calculating or determining a grade for a paper may apply for a review of a grade.
    2. An application for review of grade must be submitted by the student on the prescribed form, together with the prescribed fee, to the Student Centre not more than 14 days after receiving notification of the grade.
    3. The application must be accompanied by all items of internal assessment for the relevant paper that have been returned to the student.
    4. A review of grade involves a re-marking of all items of assessment that contribute to the final grade and a re-calculation of marks, or the student may elect to have their exam script only reviewed.
    5. A review of grade results in a grade either being left unchanged, raised or lowered.
    6. The fee for a review of grade is refunded if the review results in a change of grade.
19. Return of examination script
    1. A student may apply for the return of his or her marked examination script.
    2. An application for the return of an examination script must be submitted to the Student Centre online, as prescribed in the Copies of Examination Scripts, no later than three months after the date of the examination concerned. Proof of identity and the prescribed fee must accompany this application.
    3. Non-publishable exam papers remain the property of the University. Students are only able to view a non-publishable paper exam script for 15 minutes under supervision. Proof of identity is required and no notes can be taken. This does not incur any charges.
    4. Examination scripts are destroyed by the University after the three-month deadline has elapsed.

20. Grades
    1. Grades are confirmed by Boards of Examiners or delegated authorities.
    2. The schedule of grades used by the University and the range of marks represented by each grade is as follows:
       

       Pass Grades

       A+   90-100%
       A     85-89%
       A-    80-84%
       B+   75-79%
       B      70-74%
       B-    65-69%
       C+  60-64%
       C     55-59%
       C-   50-54%
       RP   Restricted pass
       P      Ungraded pass

       Fail Grades

       D     40-49%
       E     0-39%
       F     Ungraded fail

    3. An IC annotation means “Incomplete”, and is awarded if a student
       1. does not submit a compulsory assessment item, or
       2. if an examination was prescribed, does not undertake the examination.
    4. An IC annotation is treated as a fail grade.
    5. A “ ... ” annotation is used on students’ academic records for theses and papers that may be undertaken over more than one year, and indicates that the enrolment is continuing into a subsequent year.
    6. A restricted pass (“RP”) grade may be awarded at the discretion of a Board of Examiners or delegated authority for a paper in which the student has achieved
       1. borderline performance, or
       2. a D grade compensated by overall good performance in the relevant subject or the relevant subject and closely related subjects.

       Note: A paper for which a Restricted Pass (RP) has been awarded will not be accepted as meeting the prerequisite requirements for any other paper unless the Head of School or the Dean of the Faculty or School in which the other paper is offered approves otherwise.

    7. The NC annotation means “No Credit” and indicates that credit for the paper has been refused as a direct consequence of a finding of misconduct.
21. Conceded credit
    1. A Board of Examiners or delegated authority may award a conceded credit to a candidate for a bachelors degree who has
       1. undertaken the required number of papers for the degree,
       2. passed all compulsory papers, and
       3. passed all papers required for the major, specified programme or stream, but who has narrowly failed one paper in the final year.
    2. The award of a conceded credit is based on the candidate’s performance in the bachelors degree as a whole as well as the paper in question.
    3. The conceded credit is attached to the degree as a whole (and does not affect the fail grade in the paper in question).
    4. A student may be awarded one conceded credit only in a bachelors degree.
22. Notification of confirmed grades
    1. When assessment results are returned to a student those results will include a percentage mark, except where a P (ungraded pass) or F (ungraded fail) mark is given.
    2. Confirmed final grades are published confidentially in MyWaikato.

23. Breaches
    A breach of these regulations is misconduct under the Student Discipline Regulations 2020.
24. Appeals
    1. A student may appeal against any decision taken under these regulations.
    2. An appeal, comprising a written statement of the circumstances of the appeal, together with supporting evidence if available, must be submitted by the student in writing to the Director of Student Services Division not more than seven days after the date on which notification of the relevant decision is received.
    3. Appeals under this section are considered and decided by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic by delegated authority of the Education Committee.
    4. A decision by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic is notified in writing, and is final.
    5. Appeals under this section, that relate to papers required by the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Accounting or the Chartered Accountancy endorsement within the Master of Professional Accounting, are considered and decided by the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand. A decision under this section is notified in writing, and is final.

25. Scope and application
    1. Part 8 sets out the process for the reconsideration of a paper grade, in its entirety, due to circumstances related to COVID-19.
    2. This Part applies to papers where a date between 30 March 2020 and 28 June 2020 inclusive, falls between the paper’s start and end dates inclusive. In exceptional circumstances, papers outside of this criteria may be considered.
    3. Part 8 does not apply to dissertation or thesis papers.
    4. An application under Part 8 does not affect the ability of a student to make an application under any other part of these regulations.
26. Grounds for grade reconsideration
    If, due to circumstances related to COVID-19, and beyond their control,
    1. a student’s performance in a paper has been impaired, and
    2. the student believes their final grade has not sufficiently taken account of that impairment,

the student may apply for grade reconsideration.

27. Grade reconsideration process
    1. An application for grade reconsideration must be made to the Grade Reconsideration Committee within 10 working days of a final grade being notified to the student.
    2. The application must describe the nature and circumstances of the impairment, with supporting evidence where applicable.
    3. Where the Grade Reconsideration Committee accepts an application for grade reconsideration, the relevant Board of Examiners or delegated authority, will be required to reconsider the final grade of the student for the relevant paper.
    4. The Board of Examiners may at their discretion
       1. increase the final grade of the paper,
       2. offer the student the opportunity to undertake an alternative piece of assessment to replace assessment(s) from the relevant paper, or
       3. recommend to the Grade Reconsideration Committee that the student be allowed to withdraw on medical or compassionate grounds under the Change of Enrolment Regulations 2012.
    5. Where the Board of Examiners makes a recommendation under subsection 27(4)(c) of these regulations, the Grade Reconsideration Committee may, at their discretion, offer a withdrawal to the student.
    6. A student may appeal against any decision made by a Board of Examiners under this section.
    7. An appeal under subsection 27(6) of these regulations must be made by the student in writing to the Grade Reconsideration Committee no more than seven days after notification of the decision by the Board of Examiners is received.
28. Breaches and Appeals
    For the avoidance of doubt, Part 7 of these regulations applies to the grade reconsideration process.