Here are the marking criteria for a typical exam essay at Level 2 and Level 3. Note in particular sections on extra reading.
A first class answer: the candidate has achieved essentially all that could be expected
Such an answer will show...
1. ...accurate information, but may contain statements the examiner would qualify, or errors that affect only minor details.
2. ...detailed content, with a range of detailed descriptions of the relevant concepts and experiments.
3. ...complete coverage, addressing all the main areas required by the examiners, although minor omissions are acceptable.
4. ...a structured account, so that the material answers the question rather than simply regurgitating lecture notes from the relevant area. Where the question has a particular slant, this will have been recognised.
5. ...evidence of understanding, so that there is no doubt the candidate fully understands the material presented.
6. ...appropriate use of sources from the candidate’s own reading. At Level 3, answers should normally include relevant new material that was not formally taught in the module being examined (e.g. from literature recommended by the lecturer or from relevant material or sources found by the student). At Level 2, there may be little explicit evidence of additional material, but the examiner may nevertheless judge from the presentation of an answer that the student has read and understood appropriate source material.
NOTE: An answer that faithfully reflects the content of a lecture, without demonstrating understanding is not first class.
All the above criteria must be judged in the context of what could reasonably be expected in the time available under examination conditions.
An answer that fully meets criteria 1-6 above should routinely be awarded a mark of at least 80, and markers should consider awarding 85 or above for an outstandingly good answer. Essay marks in the range 85-100 will be drawn to the attention of external examiners as being ‘First with Distinction’. The following grades are suggested for ‘First with Distinction’:
85 Fully satisfies the marker’s expectations of the best that could reasonably be expected under exam conditions.
92 Exceeds the marker’s expectations of the best that could reasonably be expected under exam conditions.
100 Difficult to conceive of any improvement.
Answers that do not fully meet criteria 1-6 above may also be judged to be of first class quality, although a first class answer will normally have at least four of the criteria rated as 1st class and have no criterion rated at less than 2i standard.
An answer that is rated 1st class on three criteria and 2i on the other three should be regarded as borderline, and awarded a low 1st or a high 2i as deemed appropriate by the marker.
An Upper Second Class answer: basically sound but without the distinction of a first. The student clearly has shown a good grasp of the material but the answer falls short of the expectations of a first.
An essay that shows a 2i performance on every criterion will typically...
1. ...be largely accurate, with no significant errors.
2. ...be detailed, but not necessarily in all aspects.
3. ...show broad coverage, with no significant omissions.
4. ...be structured in a way that does not bring out the full relevance of the material.
5. ...not be fully convincing in demonstrating understanding.
6. ...show limited evidence of background reading, or include additional material of limited relevance or accuracy.
A typical 2i answer is one where the assessments on most of the six criteria are in the 2i class, or where there is a balance between criteria rated in the 1st, 2i and 2ii classes.
A Lower Second Class answer: basically sound but with clear defects
The student clearly understands the general concepts and what is required by the question. An essay that shows a 2ii performance on every criterion will typically...
1. ... show moderate accuracy overall or contain one or more significant or major errors.
2. ... be moderately detailed.
3. ...show moderate coverage, with one or more significant omissions.
4. ...be structured in a way that brings out the relevance of the material to only a limited extent.
5. ...show a clear failure to understand an important concept, or evidence of incomplete understanding of several topics.
6. ...show no evidence of background reading.
A typical 2ii answer is one where the assessments on most of the six criteria are in the 2ii class, or where there is a balance between criteria rated in the 2i, 2ii and 3rd/pass classes.
A third class or pass answer: weak
The student clearly has only a limited understanding of the topic examined. An essay that shows a 3rd class or pass performance on every criterion will typically...
1. ...contain sufficient amount of accurate material to be worthy of a pass.
2. ...show little detail.
3. ...show only limited coverage.
4. ...fail to bring out the relevance of the material or contain large tracts of irrelevant material.
5. ...show a clear failure to understand several topics.
6. ...show no evidence of background reading.
A typical 3rd/pass answer is one where the assessments on most of the six criteria are in the 3rd/pass class, or where there is a balance between criteria rated in the 2ii, 3rd/pass and F classes.
A failed answer: unworthy of a future graduate
The student does not understand the topic examined. Little relevant material is presented, and its significance is not made clear.
The following grades are suggested for fail answers:
35 Contains some accurate information that is relevant to the question, but the essay as a whole is not worthy of a pass. An essay that completely fails to address the question must fail, but if it would have been a pass answer to a different question in the same subject area, it may be awarded a mark in the range 25-38, depending on the quality of the essay and the degree of irrelevance to the question set.
25 Contains a very limited amount of material that is relevant to the question, and even this limited amount is presented in a confused way or contains serious errors.
15 Contains no material that is relevant to the question, but has some material that would have been relevant to, although not sufficient to pass, a different question in the same subject area.
5 No material relevant to the subject area being examined.