Assessment Regulations and Support relating to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Session 2020-21

For the current session we have introduced Assessment Support Measures to take into account, and mitigate as far as possible, the impact of the pandemic on student assessments this academic year.

No Detriment Policy 2019-20

PLEASE NOTE: Last year's No Detriment Policy (NDP) will be applied in relation to any assessments covered in the No Detriment period (16 March 2020 to 11 September 2020) that would normally contribute to a final award made in 2021 or beyond - see Appendix 6 of the NDP

Why Not Reintroduce the No Detriment Policy in 2020-21?

We know that there have been some calls for an extension of the No Detriment Policy (NDP) that was in place for last year's assessments.

However this is not feasible: the NDP was introduced in April 2020 in response to the national lockdown that began in March 2020 and led to the sudden closure of our campuses and the cancellation of on campus teaching and exams. It was produced in response to that specific situation and relied on the fact that the majority of teaching had been delivered for that academic year, so could refer to assessment taken before the pandemic. Academic year 2020-21 is different: teaching and assessment has been designed in the context of the pandemic, recognising the need for the majority of learning and assessment to take place online; and in addition, there is no ‘non-pandemic’ period that can be used as a benchmark for student performance.

Further details on this, and the principles supporting our Assessment Support Measures, are provided in the posting from 14 January 2021.