Examinations and assessment

The Global Course Leader may release a sample of past examination papers for revision purposes and learning how to navigate examination questions (the format of which might differ year on year). Pedagogical reasons will determine whether papers are made available.  Solutions to past examination papers are not provided as standard practice. They may be provided if deemed pedagogically appropriate by the Global Course Leader.  Solution notes may be provided for marking and moderation purposes, but these are not necessarily model answers.  In all cases, there should be comprehensive communication to students regarding the assessment strategies, including whether there are opportunities to practice past exam papers and whether solutions will be provided.

Students are responsible for ensuring that handwritten assessment work submitted is legible, and, where relevant, they should seek the appropriate support and guidance from Disability Services or the Student Advisor/Personal Tutor.   Where a new student has previously received support prior to joining Heriot-Watt University they must arrange to meet Disability Services as soon as possible to seek guidance and determine what level of support or adjustment is appropriate. If the main marker finds any part of the completed handwritten assessment illegible, a second marker (the moderator of the marking) will attempt to mark the work (or part thereof). If there are issues with the legibility of the work, irrespective of whether it was possible to mark the work in whole or part, the Global Course Leader will, after the release of marks, inform the student and recommend they discuss with the Student Advisor/Personal Tutor, possible actions to avoid recurrence in the future.

Ethics Statement

• The University Policy on the Use of Calculators can be found here

• Examples of Approved and Non-Approved Calculators

Any adjustments which have been approved by Disability Services for during the assessment diet will be accommodated and put in place.

For further information on the variety of adjustments that may be put in place for students, we recommend you visit the Glossary Guide to Reasonable Adjustments webpage on the Disability Service webpages.

Students are required to settle debt 8 days before the date of their first assessment to gain access to Canvas. 

Assessment for IDL/Online students will be in the format of Final Online Assessment and the duration of the assessment will be published on the Assessment Timetable.

Final Online Assessment 

• Final Online Assessment Guide

CANVAS online exams guide.

Student Guide - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Content Creation Tool & University Study

If there are foreseeable but unavoidable reasons why you are not able to sit an exam, you may apply for Mitigating Circumstances in advance to avoid academic penalties.

Further details and guidance can be found here.

We wish you all the best as you prepare for the in-person exams and final online assessment. If you have any further questions, contact your personal tutors or course leaders and check out the Skills Hubs.