Commonly asked questions following Exam Board results

The Advice Team can help you with questions on:

• exam board decision
• borderline classifications
• resits
• missing or incorrect marks
• appeals and complaints

Contact: su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk 

Information on your resit

If you need to resit coursework or another assessment

• check blackboard for details
• contact your programme team if you are unsure
• If you can not find the information, raise an enquiry through your student portal

If you need to resit an exam

• your exam board letter should include a timetable link
• exam timetables may take a few weeks to be released
• check regularly for updates

Understanding your exam board options

Some students may be offered one of the following options, these options usually follow when a student has already completed a resit and they did not pass. 

Important information

• Check if you have a deadline to confirm an option. These tend to be 5 or 10 days, if you do not select an option by the deadline, the university may automatically apply the lower award and you will need to leave the university
• If you submit an appeal, still select an option. Do not wait until an appeal outcome to select an option
• Please speak to the university if teaching is required, as there will be funding and visa implications with these options

Academic Misconduct delays

If your results have been deferred due to academic misconduct, this usually means:

• An investigation is ongoing, you may have already been told about the allegation. At times this may be the first time you are told. 
• You have recently attended a stage 1 or stage 2 meeting, please contact the university to ask when the updated results will be released
• If you are waiting for a meeting, you will need to wait until the investigation is completed. We are unable to speed up this process

For support with academic misconduct allegations, please see our webpage

Missing or incorrect marks

If you think a mark is missing or incorrect, contact Ask4Help and include:

• a screenshot of the correct marks from blackboard
• details of your module code and name

You can raise your concerns through your student portal

Understanding borderline and why you may not have been allocated the higher classification

Borderline ranges

Marks ending with either 8 or 9, will be commonly considered as borderline. Please note this is just for overall marks and not for individual modules.

How borderline works

A higher classification depends on how many credits are at the higher level, a minimum of half must be in the higher boundary. Your exam board letter will confirm the module marks and credits. If you are unsure contact the Advice Team via su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk with a copy of your results, and we can check

Can I request a remark?

Unfortunately, students can not request a remark. The university does not have a remark policy. Any concerns on your marks would need to be discussed with the university or through an appeal. Even if your appeal was upheld, you will not be allocated a remark

Concerns with marks and feel these do not reflect your work

We understand it can be upsetting or disappointing to receive unexpected marks. However:

• students can’t challenge a mark because they feel it is low or unfair or because it is their own judgement that their work is worth a higher mark
• This is called a question of academic judgment and staff marking work are qualified and have the expertise to mark students’ work
• This also means that students can’t challenge a mark through an appeal on the basis that they feel that their work is of higher quality
• The university operates a robust marking and moderation process that includes both internal and external examiners that have been involved in checking marks to ensure consistency and fair marking

Concerns with feedback, teaching or supervisor support

If you are unhappy with your marks or feedback, it may be helpful to contact the marker or module tutor first. They may be able to explain the feedback in more detail, provide additional context, or identify any errors that can be corrected.

If you remain dissatisfied after speaking with the mark, you may wish to raise your concerns through the university complaints process

If you have any other questions or would like further explanation of any of the information above, please contact the Advice Team via su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk