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Final year grade at aston university

Hi, So i am in my final year at aston university and have just badly failed an assessment in a module that was 100% of the modules grade. I currently have 6 modules this year and the one I failed had 15 credits. I would like to do it again however I am also hoping to graduate this year and would not like to do the re-sit afterwards. I would like to know if this will affect my final year grade heavily or whether aston will just use my best module grades from second year to help me get an overall 2:1 this year. Many people are saying that they will only use 35% of my average from second year to determine my grade this year but every module this year counts into the grade, but other universities just take the best grade from second year and the best grades from third year to help a person get a good overall grade to graduate. can someone help me please its very urgent and I'm very stressed.
Original post
by ak112234
Hi, So i am in my final year at aston university and have just badly failed an assessment in a module that was 100% of the modules grade. I currently have 6 modules this year and the one I failed had 15 credits. I would like to do it again however I am also hoping to graduate this year and would not like to do the re-sit afterwards. I would like to know if this will affect my final year grade heavily or whether aston will just use my best module grades from second year to help me get an overall 2:1 this year. Many people are saying that they will only use 35% of my average from second year to determine my grade this year but every module this year counts into the grade, but other universities just take the best grade from second year and the best grades from third year to help a person get a good overall grade to graduate. can someone help me please its very urgent and I'm very stressed.

What does "badly failed" mean? What percentage did you achieve? (Your answer will impact whether or not condonement - where they turn a blind eye to the module failure - might apply.)

How have your marks been generally, across the other modules? (Condonement requires that you "demonstrate adequate performance" across your other modules.)

Have your taken advantage of condonement in any prior years? (There's a maximum number of credits which can be condoned across all years.)

I can't tell you exactly how they'll calculate your final degree classification (i.e. "if this will affect my final year grade heavily"), as Aston's regulations say "The programme specification for the programme shall specify the method of calculation of the overall weighted average mark." So, what degree are you doing? Does it include a placement year?

Reply 2

Original post
by DataVenia
What does "badly failed" mean? What percentage did you achieve? (Your answer will impact whether or not condonement - where they turn a blind eye to the module failure - might apply.)
How have your marks been generally, across the other modules? (Condonement requires that you "demonstrate adequate performance" across your other modules.)
Have your taken advantage of condonement in any prior years? (There's a maximum number of credits which can be condoned across all years.)
I can't tell you exactly how they'll calculate your final degree classification (i.e. "if this will affect my final year grade heavily"), as Aston's regulations say "The programme specification for the programme shall specify the method of calculation of the overall weighted average mark." So, what degree are you doing? Does it include a placement year?

Hi, i received a 30 mark out of 100. My placement year is optional which I didn't choose to do and I am studying law. This is the first module I've completed this year and I am also doing my dissertation which is worth 30 credits. Within my other modules from last year I received an overall 60 and am hoping to do so by the end of this year. I have never failed another module or re-sat anything aswell. Thanks for your response !!
Original post
by ak112234
Hi, i received a 30 mark out of 100. My placement year is optional which I didn't choose to do and I am studying law. This is the first module I've completed this year and I am also doing my dissertation which is worth 30 credits. Within my other modules from last year I received an overall 60 and am hoping to do so by the end of this year. I have never failed another module or re-sat anything aswell. Thanks for your response !!

OK. The minimum mark for condonement is 35, so that's off the table.

From reading Aston's Academic Regulations, is seems that you'll be offered a referral in the failed module. Referral exams take place between Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August this year, according to the examinations calendar.

Unfortunately, Aston don't make programme specifications available to the public. Instead they say that "all new students will receive a copy of the programme specification with their offer letter", and that they're also available on Blackboard. For that reason I can't tell you whether all modules count this year, or only the best N credits, or whatever.

Reply 4

Original post
by DataVenia
OK. The minimum mark for condonement is 35, so that's off the table.
From reading Aston's Academic Regulations, is seems that you'll be offered a referral in the failed module. Referral exams take place between Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August this year, according to the examinations calendar.
Unfortunately, Aston don't make programme specifications available to the public. Instead they say that "all new students will receive a copy of the programme specification with their offer letter", and that they're also available on Blackboard. For that reason I can't tell you whether all modules count this year, or only the best N credits, or whatever.

Hi,
I also had a similar issue but received 35%. Do you know what the requirements are for condonement? Is there something I am required to do.
Original post
by Anonymous
Hi,
I also had a similar issue but received 35%. Do you know what the requirements are for condonement? Is there something I am required to do.

All I can offer you are these extracts from Aston's Academic Regulations (link above), where I've emboldened key parts:

"Condonement is the process by which a Board of Examiners, in consideration of a student’s overall performance, recommends that credit be awarded for part of a programme in which the student has failed to satisfy the assessment criteria, on the grounds that the positive aspects of the overall performance outweigh the area of failure. Programme Specifications shall indicate whether any modules are not subject to condonement or where limits to condonement apply, having regard to the aims and learning outcomes of the programmes concerned."

"The Board of Examiners shall have the discretion to condone failure in a maximum of 40 credits in each academic Stage from Stage 1 to Stage F (i.e. excluding Stage P) provided that there is evidence of adequate performance from the student concerned. Period Examination Boards need to balance the possible effects of condonement on any assessments yet to be taken within that Stage and judge whether the student is able to demonstrate adequate performance from the modules assessed within the Stage at the time of the Board (see Regulation 1.9). The volume of condonement for an individual candidate should not exceed 60 credits in total across all academic stages of a Bachelor’s Degree and 80 credits in total across all academic stages of an integrated Master’s Degree. "

"The threshold for condonement of modules shall be 5% below the pass mark."

Many universities specify what you must achieve from your other modules for condonement to apply. Aston do not. They just use vague terms like "adequate performance". Also note that not all modules can be condoned. That is detailed in your programme specification (which Aston don't make available to the public - you'll need to check Blackboard).

Every indication is that condonement, if applicable, is automatic and need not be specifically applied for.

Reply 6

Hi, I have just checked and it mentions in the specification that the Credit Value & ECTS Credits is 7.5. I am unsure of what that means but I know that the module credits are 15, along with 4 other modules that also have 15 credits and a dissertation which is 30 credits. From this information is the probability of having to re-do the module in August still the same? As I am really upset about this due to the fact I have never failed a module and believe I have been marked unfairly.
Original post
by ak112234
Hi, I have just checked and it mentions in the specification that the Credit Value & ECTS Credits is 7.5. I am unsure of what that means but I know that the module credits are 15, along with 4 other modules that also have 15 credits and a dissertation which is 30 credits. From this information is the probability of having to re-do the module in August still the same? As I am really upset about this due to the fact I have never failed a module and believe I have been marked unfairly.

The fact that the specification says that "ECTS Credits is 7.5" is just another way of saying that it's a 15-credit module. ECTS stands for the European Credit Transfer System, the system that use in mainland Europe. One ECTS credit equals 2 UK credits. So what you would normally refer to as a 15 credit module is half that (7.5) in ECTS terms.

Yes, the probability of an August referral is the same. As your score was 30%, and condonement only applies if you achieved at least 35%, the module won't be condoned.

The reason I say that referral in August is most likely is that within the Definitions section of the Academic Regulations (link above) it says:

"1.20 A Referred Assessment in a module is a new assessment in that module, of such form and timing as the Board of Examiners may determine, undertaken upon initial failure in that module without following any further tuition for the module. Referred assessments normally take place within the referral period within a Stage or, for Part-time and Flexible-time programmes, within the assessment period associated with the subsequent Period of Study within a Stage, and will normally be governed by the same General Regulations as the initial attempt. (See also Regulation 6 below.) Referred assessments at Stage P will normally be at the next available opportunity, as determined by the Board of Examiners." (my emphasis)

As I said above, referral exams take place between Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August this year, according to Aston examination calendar (a link to which is above).

If you think you "have been marked unfairly", have you considered appealing the mark?

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