Exams
Exams in 2024/25 will be either online off campus or in person on campus.
The next exam period will be Exam Period 1: 2 September – 20 December 2024.
Exam dates in 2024/25
Exam Period 1: 2 September to 20 December 2024
Exam Period 2: 6 January to 25 April 2025
Exam Period 3: 28 April to 23 May 2025
Exam Period 4: 2 June to 1 August 2025
Exam Period 5: 4 August to 15 August 2025
Block Assessment weeks:
Block 1 Assessment Week: 11 to 15 November 2024
Block 2 Assessment Week: 27 to 31 January 2025
Block 3 Assessment Week: 24 to 28 March 2025
May Exam Period: 28 April to 23 May 2025
Block 4 Assessment Week: 2 June to 6 June 2025
Block 5 Assessment Week: 28 July to August 2025
Resit Exam Period: 4 August to 15 August 2025
Types of exams
In person on campus exam – these exams will be on campus in an exam room, of a fixed time duration (depending on exam length), fully invigilated and are subject to the rules set out in the General Regulations and Procedures Affecting Students.
Online remote exams – these exams are held off campus and are accessed online through the Learning Zone. Most online remote exams will be of a fixed time duration and are subject to the rules set out in the General Regulations and Procedures Affecting Students.
Your module handbook will detail the number of examinations (and any other assessments) you are expected to complete, and their format.
For more information, please refer to the In Person Exams on Campus Student Guide.
Exam timetables
Central Exam timetables are produced through the Exams Office in Registry Services and timetables are published on throughout the year
Students can view examination dates and times by logging onto My51Âþ», click on the 'Exam Schedule' tile and select the module prefix that matches the modules you are studying.
In person exams are held across the campus and it’s very important you familiarise yourself with the exam venue as it may be a building you’ve not visited before.
Extra exam support
If you wish to discuss individual exam adjustments due to a disability, medical condition or mental health issue you must contact the Disability Advice and Support Team, or the Mental Health Inclusion Team. Extra exam support from previous institutions such as schools and colleges do not automatically transfer to the university. Students can book an exam quick query appointment via MyGateway.
During your appointment we may require further evidence, so our advice is that you apply as soon as possible and not leave it until near the deadline.
All students with confirmed individual exam arrangements will not be allocated in the main exam room and must sit their exam in the room allocated by the Exams Office.
Where exam support is confirmed, the Exams Office will email you confirming the exam arrangement details.
Note that if any changes to the exam adjustments are needed, this must be confirmed through the Disability Advice and Support process.
Support deadlines
There are exam periods throughout the year and each exam period has a deadline by which your adjustments must be confirmed on your record, bear in mind the deadlines are for the completion of the process. If you are assessed as needing an exam adjustment after this deadline, the adjustment will be added to your record and taken into account in the future but won’t be applied in time for that particular exam period.
For students on postgraduate, distance learning, semester based and nursing and midwifery programmes, the extra support deadlines are at least six weeks before the date of exam.
If you have had individual exam arrangements for previous formal examinations at 51Âþ», these will automatically be in place for formal examinations during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Deadlines for Block Taught courses
Students learning on block taught courses have exams scheduled in the last week of each block – week 7.
If you need extra exam support (also known as individual exam arrangements), this must be confirmed and on your student record by the end of week 4 of each block.
The deadlines for confirmed extra support exams for block taught courses are below:
Block 1 assessment week
Deadline for extra support in exams week 4 – Friday 25 October
Block 2 assessment week
Deadline for extra support in exams week 4 – Friday 10 January
Block 3 assessment week
Deadline for extra support in exams week 4 – Friday 7 March
Block 4 assessment week
Deadline for extra support in exams week 4 – Friday 16 May
Block 5 assessment week
Deadline for extra support in exams week 4 – Friday 11 July
Block 6 assessment week
Deadline for extra support in exams week 4 – Friday 29 August
Deadlines for students on non-Block Taught courses
If your course is a year long non block course, the main exam period will be 28 April to 23 May 2025. The deadline for individual exam arrangements to be confirmed with the Disability Advice and Support Team is Friday 21 March 2025.
For the resit exam period, 4 August to 15 August 2025, the deadline for confirming individual exam arrangements is Friday 11 July 2025.
What does extra exam support mean?
Typical recommendations for exam adjustments include:
Location – Smaller room
This means you will not be scheduled to sit your exam in the main exam room timetabled by the Exams Office. You will be in a smaller room with other students.
Location – Individual room
This means you will not be scheduled to sit your exam in the main exam room timetabled by the Exams Office. You will be in a room on your own with an invigilator.
Time adjustment – Stop Clock Rest Breaks
If you are recommended rest breaks in the exam, you can ask the invigilator to ‘stop the clock’ whilst you take a break from the exam. The total number of minutes you ‘stop the clock’ is then added to the end of the exam. This means you won’t lose time from your exam length whilst you take a rest break.
You can use these breaks flexibly for the duration of the exam. You cannot leave the exam venue during a rest break so you cannot use rest breaks to smoke or vape.
You can only stop the clock for a break during the standard length of the exam. When the exam ends, the total rest break minutes are then added to the exam duration. For example:
- An exam starts at 9.00 and ends at 11.00
- Total rest breaks taken during 9.00 to 11.00 equals 24 minutes. Rest breaks cannot be taken after 11.00
- 24 minutes are added to the end of the exam and exam ends at 11.24
You must tell the invigilator when you want to stop the clock for a rest break, the invigilator will not ask if you want to take a break. Rest breaks are accompanied by an invigilator.
Time adjustment – Extra time
This means you will receive a fixed percentage of extra time added to the length of the exam. This is usually 25% extra time, so a 2 hour exam would be 2.5 hours long.
Equipment – Complete exam on a computer
This means that you will sit your exams in a computer room with other students who are also using computers. Students cannot use their own computing equipment for the purpose of completing exams.
Extra support for online remote examinations
Examinations that are completed online, remotely, do not take place on the university campus and are published on the exam timetable on My51Âþ». Online exams are accessed remotely through the Learning Zone.
Examinations that are completed online typically have a fixed time period for the completion of exam, such as 2 hours. The duration of the exam will be published on the Learning Zone.
For fixed time online exams, if you have a confirmed individual exam arrangement of extra time, this will be added to the exam length by the Faculty.
Deferring your Exam
If you cannot attend your exam due to sudden unexpected extenuating circumstances, you can apply for a deferral of assessment. You should seek advice from your Faculty Student Advice Centre to discuss your situation directly.
Examination regulations
Read the university regulations concerning examinations.