The information below will help you understand the status of provisional marks and what the numbers, letters and symbols in the table mean.
When will you receive your provisional marks email?
Students following taught postgraduate programmes that receive their results in November will be sent provisional marks, by email, on 1 August 2024. We send this email so that you can find out marks from your taught courses without having to wait for the full set of final results in November.
It takes some time to send results to students on a particular date. On the release day we have to undertake a number of quality assurance processes and, where results are being sent by email, generate the email text. We sometimes do this outside of normal working hours to ensure we do not overload our systems. This means that your results may not be published until late into the evening, possibly up to 23:59.
What is the status of these marks?
The information contained within your provisional marks emails is subject to change. We share provisional marks to allow you to prepare for your next steps, either at LSE or elsewhere. However, sharing marks at this stage means they have not been ratified by the relevant exam boards and can therefore change. This means that provisional marks emails cannot be used an official record, they are for your reference only. However in certain circumstances we can confirm provisional marks to third parties.
We cannot accept responsibility for any issues arising from changes to provisional marks. It is not possible for the Student Services Centre to discuss provisional marks. You cannot appeal against provisional marks or request an administrative mark check for them.
Assessments with an asterisk (*)
If an asterisk (*) shows against an assessment this means that you have a confirmed deferral in place for that specific assessment. If an asterisk (*) shows against a course this means that you a confirmed deferral in place for at least one assessment in that course.
Missing assessment marks
If there is a blank space against an assessment, this means the mark has not yet been received by the Student Services Centre. For some assessments (particularly dissertation, capstone and similar) this will be because marking is ongoing. This is perfectly normal - marks for these type of courses would never normally be available at this time of year and are only published in November.
Missing course marks and grades
If there is a blank space against a course, this means that we are missing a mark for at least one of the assessments in that course and thus cannot calculate an overall provisional mark and grade for the course. Again, for some assessments (particularly dissertation, capstone and similar) this is perfectly normal because marking is ongoing.
Grades
Where we have a full set of marks available for a given course your email will also show an overall mark and grade for that course. You can interpret the grades using the list below:
DI = Distinction
M = Merit
P = Pass
F = Fail
FB = Bad Fail
NA = At least one component of assessment in the course has been deferred
AB = Absent from all components of assessment
I = Incomplete (i.e. you were absent from at least one component of assessment but have complete others)
Confirming provisional marks to third parties
In certain circumstances, your home department may be able to send a letter outlining provisional marks to certain third parties.
These letters will only show overall provisional marks and grades, so it will only include courses where all the provisional assessment marks are available and an overall provisional mark and grade has been calculated. The letter can only be sent directly to a potential employer or education institution and only at your request; you must request the letter and you will not be sent a copy.
To request a letter please contact the relevant person in your academic department, (usually this is your Programme Manager or Programme Administrator). You will need to provide them with the contact details of the person that you would like the letter to be sent to.
Exceptional circumstances and mark changes
Provisional marks emails are sent before the Exam Boards have completed their work. This means that Exceptional Circumstances will not have been considered yet. You will need to wait until final results are published on 19 November to find out the outcome of your Exceptional Circumstances submission.
Similarly, if you already know that a mark will be changed this will not necessarily show in your provisional marks email because it may need to be ratified by the exam board. Again, you will need to wait until final results are published on 19 November.
Questions about your provisional marks
It is not possible for the Student Services Centre to discuss provisional marks. f you have any queries about a mark please contact the academic department responsible for teaching the course.