External Examiners

The Guidelines on external examining reflect of University Regulations and procedures approved by the Senate which relate to External Examiner processes, together with generally accepted good practice. From the selection and appointment of Examiners, responsibility of Examiners and reporting, through to scrutiny of reports, the Guidelines provide a comprehensive guide for Examiners, academic staff and administrators and ensure that the correct procedures may be referred to and are followed.

The main purposes and functions of the external examiner system are to:

Ensure that the academic standard for each award and award element is set and maintained at the appropriate level and that student performance is properly judged against this.
Ensure that the standards of awards in similar subjects are comparable across different universities in the United Kingdom, though their content does of course vary.
Ensure that the processes for assessment, examination and determination of awards are sound and fairly operated.
Report on the standards of student performance and on comparability with students across universities in the UK.

In order to achieve these purposes External Examiners should be able to:

Participate in assessment processes for the award of degrees.
Arbitrate or adjudicate on problem cases.
Comment and give advice on course content, balance and structure, on degree schemes and on assessment processes.

The Guidelines have been written taking into consideration the recommendations and guidelines of the Quality Assurance Agency.

There are many references to the University Regulations throughout the Guidelines. You can download the Regulations from Ordinances and Regulations.

The following documents detail the University's procedures for the appointment of external examiners and their duties and responsibilities for both taught courses and research.