Assessments in 2021/22

Preparing for your assessments

There is a range of support to help you prepare for exams, as well as online assessments. More information about specific support  including: 

• Academic support is available across LSE - resources will be available from your class teachers, academic faculty and departments
• Our exam pages have lots of useful information to help you understand the logistics of taking exams at LSE
• LSE LIFE has a range of support and resources available to you to help you do your best in your exams, including: 
  
  1. LSE LIFE will work with academic departments to provide you with the opportunity to sit a mock exam ahead of the assessment period
  
  2. Online resources on Moodle
   
  3. Assessment-related workshops and events
   
  4. Meet with study advisers to get help and advice on sitting exams 
   
  5. Exams and assessment resources all in one place to help you prepare
  
  6. Get tips and advice for writing your exams by hand
  
  7. Find information about upcoming events and subscribe to LSE LIFE’s weekly update for more information. 
• Find and navigate further support using the Student Support Map, available in the Student Hub.

The purpose of CEAs is to provide an environment that gives all students an equal opportunity in exams.

If you have a documented medical, physical or mental health condition and/or a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia or dyspraxia, CEAs are available within the School’s regulations. 

You can also be considered for short term CEAs if you experience a short term or unexpected medical condition just before or during the exam period.

CEAs and online assessments

If you already have My Adjustments and / or Central Exam Adjustments (CEAs) in place, these will be applied to online assessments as follows: 

• Letters of Notification will be provided for all assessments, as specified in the relevant My Adjustments / CEA.  

• For assessments that take place over a 24-hour period or longer: these assessments have been designed to allow each student the flexibility to plan and balance the tasks required across the whole assessment period. As such, CEAs granting extra time will not be applied to this format of assessment.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition and you do not have My Adjustments or CEAs in place, please visit the DWS webpages to make the necessary arrangements.  

The option to apply for short-term Central Exam Adjustments remains in place if your needs change.

More information about this and how we can support you is available on the central exam adjustments webpages. 

The 2022 Summer Term exam period takes place between Monday 9 May and Friday 17 June 2022 (inclusive).

If you have other assessments during this time, for example take-home or open book assessments, project work, coursework or essays, these will not show in your exam timetable. Please check with course conveners and departments for more information about these assessments. 

The timetable shows the date and start time of all Summer Term exams taking place on campus. Your personal exam timetable, which shows room and seat allocations, will be published on LSE for You by 11.59pm on 3 May 2022.

View the Summer Term 2022 exam timetable

For all other forms of assessments, including online, take home and coursework assessments, please contact your department for submission guidelines and dates. These assessments will not appear in the exam timetable.

To help create a more secure environment for your exams, we’re putting in place enhanced cleaning in exam rooms. We also want to make sure you have access to a high-quality FFP2 mask if you prefer to wear one during your exam – information on where to collect these will be shared soon. There’s also guidance on what you need to do if you feel unwell and are unable to take your exam.

What do I do if I'm anxious about sitting in-person exams?

We know that many students won't have sat in-person exams at LSE. That's why we've put exta study support in place, to help you feel more confident when you enter the exam room.

If you've got concerns about the physical exam environment, you can reach out to LSE's counselling service, a Peer Supporter, or talk to someone immediately via our 24/7 mental health support line. You might also find these tips from the NHS on coping with anxiety about getting "back to normal" helpful.

Finally, the LSE’s Advice team can support you if you need further information or advice.

We understand that you might be anxious about being unable to sit an in-person exam due to illness. If you become unwell before or during an assessment, we will do all that we can to support you and advise you of your options.  

LSE operates a fit to sit policy, which means you should only sit your assessments - whether it's an in-person exam or an online / take home assessment - if you feel well enough to so. If you are unwell, you can defer to the next appropriate resit and deferred assessment period.

What to do if you become unwell during assessments

If you are concerned about your ability to sit an assessment due to illness or any other reason, you can reach out to LSE’s Advice team for information and support.

Why does LSE have a fit to sit policy?

Like many universities, LSE thinks it’s reasonable to place the responsibility on students to decide whether they are well enough to sit an exam or submit coursework – you are best placed to know this. You should think very carefully if you are fit to take the assessment. If you’re not fit, you should defer.

What happens if I’m too ill to defer?

You should submit Exceptional Circumstances (ECs), with evidence that demonstrates that you were too ill to engage with the deferral process.

What if I’m not completely fit, or if I must sit an assessment because I have a job offer and I can’t wait for the resit period?

The advice remains that if you are not fit to sit, you should defer. If you think your performance has been affected in an assessment you can submit Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) for the Exam Board to consider, but you will need to demonstrate why you took the assessment if you weren’t fit to do so and why you didn’t defer. Remember – if your ECs are accepted, your mark still won’t change.

We must ensure the integrity of our assessment processes and devise assessments that are best suited to the subject matter. 

All of our assessments are informed by a pedagogic approach determined by faculty’s expert academic judgement. Assessments at LSE are devised to allow you to best demonstrate your knowledge and understanding, and in some cases an in-person exam is the best way to do this.

Our approach is in line with the Higher Education sector in the UK, with Russell Group universities - who represent the 24 leading institutions in the UK -  also planning to run a mix of in-person and alternative formats.

1. How long should I spend on a 24-hour assessment? 

You'll be provided with guidance on how long to work on your assessment within the 24-hour window. 

These assessments have been designed to be fully completed within a specific number of hours, and not the entire 24-hour period between release and the submission deadline. This gives you the flexibility to plan and balance the tasks required across the whole assessment period.

1. How do I find out what the format of my deferred or resit assessment(s) will be? 

Please contact your department, as they will be able to provide more information about the format of any resit or deferred assessments that you will be sitting in Summer Term.

2. I’ve deferred / need to resit an assessment. When will I take my assessment? 

You’ll take outstanding assessments at the next appropriate assessment period - without needing to wait until the next IRDAP.

For undergraduate students:

• Any assessment deferred during the academic year (i.e. from the January or Summer Exam Periods or courseworks during the teaching terms) will take place in the Undergraduate Resit and Deferred Assessment Period (Undergraduate RDAP) in late summer (usually July/August)
• Any assessment deferred from the Undergraduate RDAP will take place in the January or Summer Exam Periods the following academic year depending on the normal schedule for that assessment.

For postgraduate students: 

• Any assessment deferred during the academic year (i.e. from the January or Summer Exam Periods or courseworks during the teaching terms) will take place in the Postgraduate Resit and Deferred Assessment Period (Postgraduate RDAP) in January the following academic year
• Any assessment deferred from the Postgraduate RDAP will take place in the Summer Exam Period later that year.

3. Is the Graduate Route open to me as a postgraduate student taking a deferred or resit assessment?

The majority of students taking assessments in the Postgraduate Resit and Deferred Assessment Period (RDAP) will not be able to access the Graduate Route, and only those with very particular circumstances may be eligible.

Please speak to LSE's International Student Visa Advice Team (ISVAT) for information and advice about how taking RDAP assessments will affect your visa status.

Please review the Extensions, Deferrals and Exceptional Circumstances student guidance for more information.   

International students should discuss potential visa implications with the LSE International Student Visa and Advice Team (ISVAT) before making a decision to defer an assessment.

1. How can I apply for an extension?

If you are struggling to meet a deadline due to circumstances outside of your control, you can request an extension for assessments lasting more than 24 hours. You should request an extension before the submission deadline of your coursework assessment.

Requesting an extension 

2. How can I request a deferral? 

LSE understands that unfortunate circumstances may arise that impact your ability to perform in an assessment. There is a fit to sit/ fit to submit policy - when you attempt a summative assessment, you are declaring yourself fit to complete it. “Fit” in this instance does not only apply just to physical or mental health, but other factors which may affect your academic performance. You need to decide if you are fit and able to sit and if you’re not, you should defer. 

If you find yourself in a situation where you are not able to attempt or complete an assessment, or obtain a suitable extension, you should request a deferral. You will need to give a reason for your request, with a clear supporting statement, and evidence that corroborates your statement. 

Requesting a deferral

3. How do I submit Exceptional Circumstances (ECs)?

If you do not request a deferral in time and then feel that your performance was affected by your circumstances, or if you were unable to submit the assessment at all, you must submit Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) for consideration.

Likewise, if you attempt an assessment but decide that your circumstances had a significant detrimental impact on your performance in a way you could not have fully anticipated, you should submit ECs. The School defines these circumstances as “sudden, unforeseen, out of the student’s own control and proximate to the assessment(s) in question.” 

Submitting ECs

4. Why are you asking for evidence for extensions / deferrals / Exceptional Circumstances this year?

We have listened to student feedback and we have revised our evidence requirements, such as what can be accepted as evidence – there’s more guidance available on the extensions, deferrals, and Exceptional Circumstances webpages.

5. If I defer my assessment(s) to the Resit and Deferred Assessment Period, will any of my marks/grades be capped? 

If you defer your assessment and sit/submit it for the first time in an undergraduate or postgraduate resit and deferred assessment period, your mark will not be capped.   
 
If you defer a resit attempt, this will be capped at Pass for the purpose of degree classification. The actual (uncapped) mark that you achieve in the course will be included in your academic transcript. More information about capping can be found on the re-entry webpages.

6. I’m an undergraduate student - if I defer my assessment(s), do I assume that I have completed the year and apply to next year’s courses as usual?

Students who defer any assessment in 2021/22 will be entered to take their outstanding assessments in the next undergraduate Resit and Deferred Assessment Period (RDAP).

The undergraduate RDAP allows undergraduate students to attempt to meet the progression requirements in time for the start of the next academic year. If you have not yet progressed when you receive your results in July 2022, but may be able to progress once you complete RDAP, you can select your courses for your next year of study as normal.

If you are unable to progress following the IRDAP, Student Services will remove the 2022/23 courses from your record, and you will be expected to take your outstanding assessments during the following academic year as an unregistered candidate.

7. I’m in the first/second year of my undergraduate studies – what do I need to pass by the end of the academic year to be able to progress to my next year of study? 

Students in their first year of a BA or BSc programme must pass at least three units to be eligible to progress to their second year. Students in their second year of a BA or BSc programme must pass at least seven units from their first and second year combined to be eligible to progress to their third year. A failed unit, a deferred assessment, or an assessment from which you are absent will be counted as a non-passed unit.  
 
There are different progression rules for the LLB. If you are an LLB student, you should refer to your academic department and information in the LLB Classification Scheme.  
 
More details about re-entry can be found on the re-entry webpages and information about what happens if you are unable to progress can be found at this link.

8. I’m in the final year of my undergraduate studies – do I need to pass all courses in order to be awarded? 

As a final year student, you will be awarded a degree if you attempt all assessments and as long as you fail no more than three whole units overall. If you have deferred any assessments, you will need to attempt these before you are eligible for the award of the degree.

If, having attempted all assessments you can be classified for a degree then you will be awarded, and you will not be able to resit any failed papers. If you have failed one unit at the point of classification, you will not be penalised. If you fail more than one unit and are awarded a degree, penalty rules may be applied, as outlines in the three year or four year BA/BSc Classification Schemes. 

If you cannot be awarded in July, you will be re-entered for all outstanding assessments in the undergraduate IRDAP and awarded in September.  

There are different award rules for the LLB – if you are an LLB student, you should refer to your academic department and information in the LLB Classification Scheme.  

Please refer to the publication of results webpages for a full list of results publication dates.