Supplementary assessment

Policy

Supplementary assessment (including examination) for a unit is permitted for undergraduate students enrolled in either:

1. a science course, or the science component of a double-degree course, and the unit has been undertaken within the final 12 months of their enrolment prior to the completion of that course; or
2. a non-science course, or the non-science component of a double-degree course, for which supplementary assessment of the unit has been approved by the relevant faculty;

provided the unit is either:

(a) a science unit for which a mark of between 45 and 49 has been achieved; or
(b) a non-science unit for which supplementary assessment has been approved by the faculty that owns the unit under its normal supplementary assessment policy.

In all cases above:

• The type and method of supplementary assessment for the unit is determined by the head of the relevant school/department (or their nominee) in each individual case and advised to the student;
• The maximum final mark and grade awarded for any science unit for which supplementary assessment has been completed is 50P;
• For students in a science course, or the science component of a double-degree course, no more than one science unit may be converted to 50P as a consequence of this policy;
• Supplementary assessment is also possible for science units under other circumstances upon the approval of both the Associate Dean (Teaching) and the relevant head of school/department (or their nominee).

Notes:

A ‘science unit’ is as defined in the Faculty of Science section of the handbook, and includes some units that are offered primarily for non-science courses (such as computer science, geography and psychology). A ‘science course’ refers to a single-degree undergraduate course that is owned by the Faculty of Science (as opposed to the broader range of courses that may be managed by the Faculty of Science on behalf of a group of faculties).

Students in a science course who are seeking supplementary assessment for a non-science unit must apply to the faculty that teaches the unit for approval to undertake supplementary assessment in non-science units, and that approval is solely at the discretion of that faculty in accordance with its normal policies. However, where the teaching faculty allows supplementary assessment and a recommendation is received that the result for the unit should be altered, the Faculty of Science will permit that unit to be counted towards the non-science requirements of a science course.

The ‘final 12 months of enrolment’ relates to the period prior to actual completion of the (overall) course in which the student is enrolled, and not just the science component of that course. The intention of the policy for students in science courses is to enable timely course completion when they might otherwise have one remaining unit outstanding with a mark in the range 45-49; the approval of supplementary assessment in other circumstances by the Associate Dean (Teaching) will normally be judged in that context.

Students who have not yet commenced their final semester of study towards their course may apply for and complete supplementary assessment for a science unit under the conditions above but the amended result for the unit will not be recorded until they have completed all of the other requirements of their course and it is confirmed that the unit was originally undertaken within the last 12 months of study towards that course.