Failed a unit with 39.90% out of 40%

I go to the University of Plymouth and study computer science, I'm in my final year. This is the first unit iv ever failed and I'm scared I won't get the full honours degree. Iv contacted my tutor but he's part-time and won't answer until next Monday... what will happen? will I be asked to retake the unit completely? or even the year? or will I just be kicked off the course?

Plymouth allow up to 20 credits per level to be "compensated" (meaning that they'll award you the credits for the module, even if you didn't reach the pass mark) under certain circumstances. For that you apply, you need to be with 10 marks of the pass mark (which you clearly are) and the module can't be specifically be designated as "non-compensatable". So this might be what happens. See AST5.1 in Plymouth's Academic Regulations, 2023-24.

You might like to read the whole of AST5, "Procedure in the event of failure (taught programmes / modules)", as it covers other scenarios (including referrals and repeats).

thank you SO much for this. I had no idea where to look. I'm panicking. I have just checked the modules... each optional module in the final year is actually non-compensatable. so.... I think I'm screwed

You're not "screwed"; stop panicking.

If compensation isn't an option, then we look to a referral. AST5.2 (in the same PDF) says:
"Where a student fails one or more taught modules, including those studied as part of a Professional Doctorate, the Award Assessment Board may:
...
allow the student to be referred in the module(s), in whole or in part of each element of assessment, at the next available opportunity."

Given that it's only February right now, "the next available opportunity" would surely be before the end of the academic year. Even if not, later in the same section it says, "A final year undergraduate student may be given an extended referral opportunity, which will mean that they can complete referral assessment by the start of the fourth week after the start of teaching of the next academic year, without having to attend."

So you wouldn't need to repeat the whole module - just the assessment you failed. That should be able to happen before the end of the year; if not it would be at the very start of the next academic year (which would delay your graduation).

okay... so I'll only have to retake the coursework i failed, (since I'm in comp sci, our assessments are actually coursework we just do at home with a deadline, since it's code), instead of the whole unit. - that is a huge relief. Thanks for pointing me to the right document and explaining it lol, as i write this my lecturer (and a friend on the course) has responded and they seem to think the grade could be rounded up to 40%, since it's literally 0.10% off. but ill ask the proper channels just in case. ty for putting my anxiety slightly at ease

The rounding thing did occur to me, but I see nothing in Plymouth'c academic regulations about rounding. Also, the fact that you quoted it as "39.90%" made is seem like that was the exact mark which you had been awarded. If they round marks, would they not have simply given you 40%?

The regulations do suggest a little "wiggle room" that the Subject Assessment Panel has:
"The Subject Assessment Panel will consider the results of all modules in the subject, regardless of the programme or award on which the students are
registered.
The responsibilities of the Panel are to:
...
b) confirm or modify module marks. An Award Assessment Board cannot alter marks once they have been confirmed by a Panel, unless an error is
discovered"

It might be worth getting some advice from the Students' Union (details here); they will be very familiar with the processes and procedure at Plymouth.

Do keep us informed of what happens.

Well, there is a small chance that this panicking is for nothing and I have passed, so I use a website called gradeCalc, to determine my overall module grade. In the unit there is a 30% and a 70%, in the 70, I got exactly 36.00, but in the 30%, I know that I got a 49.??. That's because the online portal won't show my grade for reasons unknown to me, but since it was an online quiz I did get my grade back, I'm just working on memory. So if I had gotten more than 49.30 (or around that I'm not at my PC right now, but it's the decimals that count) then id actually have passed. Iv already been through the channels for advice and to get that grade back, just waiting to hear back from everyone now. Will let u know

Update: I just found out that the 30% grade was actually 49.44, which puts my overall module grade over the 40% to 40.03 (still not amazing but at least there's no issues). What I didnt realise is that there was a way to check all provisional grades, I should've just checked that. panic over lol. at least I'm not in trouble now. we all gud, thank u again for all the help lmao

I go to the University of Plymouth and study computer science, I'm in my final year. This is the first unit iv ever failed and I'm scared I won't get the full honours degree. Iv contacted my tutor but he's part-time and won't answer until next Monday... what will happen? will I be asked to retake the unit completely? or even the year? or will I just be kicked off the course?

Hey I’m kinda in a same position as but it’s more I need a 60% to pass but after completing my referral I only at 59.5% (59.47%) and I was wondering if you’d be able to tell me if the uni will round up my grade to 60%?

The original post was about University of Plymouth. Is that where you're studying too?
Also, the pass mark for an undergraduate degree is normally 40%, and for a Master's (or the final year of an integrated Master's) is normally 50%. The fact that you need 60% to pass suggests that your course is non-standard. This may mean that the rules and regulations which apply, with regards to rounding, may also be different. So what course is it you're studying?
Finally, what year are you in? (The rules and regulations often change depending on the year you're in.)

yes at Plymouth uni, doing a foundation year! I can’t seem to find anything on about rounding, all I know is that I have been capped at 40% for after my referral meaning that I’ve only achieved a 59.47% and need 60% to progress also in the process of transferring and need 60 for that too, if I’ve been stopped at 59.47 that means I have failed the year as well as not being able to transfer!

I agree that they don't mention rounding in the regulations. However, they must do rounding for some of their other regulations to make sense.
For example, for an Honours Degree they say:
"If the student’s aggregate percentage mark falls within the boundaries of the classifications defined below, they are entitled to that award.
First Class Honours 70% or above
Second Class Honours, Upper Division 60%-69%
Second Class Honours, Lower Division 50%-59%
Third Class Honours 40%-49%"
So what is a student obtained 69.5%? That doesn't fall into any of the ranges above. So it is only logical that the round to the nearest whole number.
For your 59.47% that would, unfortunately, be 59%.

oh. I’m not to sure how to reply back I have emailed asking for somewhat of guidance but I fear this is what they will say to. I don’t understand why foundation year need 60% overall to pass the year but is capped at 40% at referrals as the same as normal undergraduates. it doesn’t make sense

Just out of interest, how did you calculate the 59.47%? Were you using module marks to two decimal places? Or rounded to whole numbers?
The reason I ask is that the three numbers 70.65, 67.75 and 40.00 (to represent the capped referral) average 59.47 - which we then round to 59. However, if we round the module numbers first to 71, 68 and 40, then these average 59.67 - which we then round to 60.
(I don't know how Plymouth do it - I just think it might be worth checking this angle too.)

I calculated it by the grades on my transcripts which haven’t been rounded for modules, they are to two decial point. Making me also living it to 59.47% but uni tend to give it to the nearest whole number so I would of thought it would have been rounded to 69.5 the 60%, if after my modules marks are rounded to the nearest whole number I would of passed with 60 but I’m just going off what’s on my transcript, yet to wait for the exam board confirmation on the 10th

That's going to be an anxious wait unless you can confirm exactly how they work it out prior to then.

I’ve emailed for Monday now because the lady helping me won’t be back till then soo - long wait ig, idk what I’m going to do

OK. I think I've found the answer. In Plymouth's Assessment Setting, Marking and Moderation Policy 2023-24 they say:
"2.5 Rounding of Marks
Marks awarded are never rounded up or down, however, action may be taken in terms of the
progression/award decision where marks are “borderline”.
Module Leaders are required to submit marks to a maximum of two decimal places. Subject
Assessment Panel papers, Award Assessment Board papers, and transcripts are set up to display
module, stage aggregate and final programme marks to two decimal places"
So, everything uses two decimal places. Although they don't mention the Foundation Year specifically in the following clause, they do illustrate their approach to various other thresholds:
"2.5.1 Module pass marks
The module pass mark in the student record system is normally set as follows, unless
there are approved non-standard regulations:
Level 4, 5, 6 39.50%
Level 7 49.50%"
So even though the normal pass mark is 40%, they've set it as 39.5% to create the effect of your mark being rounded, even though it isn't.
So it's likely that the Foundation Year "pass" threshold will be set to 59.50%, which your 59.47% will just miss.