Form and conduct of examinations

Notices by Faculty Boards, or other bodies concerned, of changes to the form and conduct of certain examinations to be held in 2019–20, by comparison with those examinations in 2018–19, are published below. Complete details of the form and conduct of all examinations are available from the Faculties or Departments concerned.

Chemical Engineering Tripos, Part IIb, 2019–20

The Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Syndicate gives notice that, with effect from the examinations to be held in 2020, the form of the examinations for Part IIb of the Chemical Engineering Tripos will be changed as follows:

The written examination papers for Group B and Group C modules will each contain two questions, and candidates must answer all questions.

All other parts of the examination remain unchanged.

Candidates may obtain full information about the examinations for 2020 on the Tripos website at: https://www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/undergraduates/current-students.

Economics Tripos, Part IIa, 2019–20

The Faculty Board of Economics gives notice that, with effect from the examinations to be held in 2020, the form of the examinations for the following papers for Part IIa of the Economics Tripos will be amended as outlined below.

Paper 3. Theory and practice of econometrics project

Previously, there were five questions set for the project, with students being asked to select one title.

The project will now have four questions set, with students being asked to select one title.

Paper 7. Labour

Previously, the paper was sectioned, with students required to answer four questions in total, with: two out of three questions on Supply and Demand, Human Capital [50%]; one out of two questions on Signalling, Wage Structure, and Unions [25%]; one out of two questions on Family, the State and the Labour Market [25%].

The paper will now be a sectioned paper, with students required to answer four questions in total, with: two out of three questions on Supply and Demand, Human Capital [50%]; two out of three questions on Signalling, Job Search, and Family Structure [50%].

Paper 8. History and philosophy of economics

Previously this paper was examined by a three-hour unseen exam with students required to answer a total of three questions from a sectioned paper, with at least one question from each section.

The paper will now be examined by a two-hour examination paper and an essay. The paper will examine the Philosophy of Economics, and Social Ontology, where students will be required to answer two out of four questions. Each question will have equal weight. The essay will be set on the History of Economics. In 2020 the dates of the essay will be 21 to 27 April. The examination paper and essay will be weighted 50/50%.

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery: Final M.B. Examination, 2019–20

The Faculty Board of Clinical Medicine gives notice that, with effect from the assessments to be held in 2019–20, the form of the examination for the Final M.B. Examination for Parts I, II and III (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 483) will be as follows:

Final M.B. Examination, Part I

The Final M.B. B.Chir. examinations are concerned with the principles and practice of Medicine and Surgery in their broadest sense, in line with the learning objectives for Year 4. The Part I examination may include material relating to General Medicine, General Surgery, Therapeutics and Prescribing, Women’s Health, General Practice, Pathology, Public Health Medicine, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and other medical and surgical specialities as appropriate.

The Part I examination is designed to assess the candidate’s

•knowledge and experience of Medicine and Surgery in their broadest sense (as defined above) in line with the Year 4 learning objectives;

•understanding of the pathological basis of disease;

•ability to apply that knowledge and experience to the management of patients;

•ability to communicate effectively with patients and to respect their autonomy;

•experience of ethical problems in clinical medicine.

Candidates may be asked to interpret radiographs and scans, electrocardiograms, clinical photographs and other data. Knowledge, skills and behaviour will be assessed. Written papers are assessed without knowledge of the candidate’s name.

The examination comprises two components:

Component 1
Written Examination: Single Best Answer Paper	Marks:	40% of the Part I total
	Length:	3 hours
	Structure:	Up to 150 five-option, single response computer-marked questions To pass: students must achieve the pass mark as set by the examiners, or higher
Component 2
Clinical Examination:	Marks:	60% of the Part I total
	Length:	Up to 2.5 hours
	Structure:	Up to eleven stations of up to 12 minutes’ duration, testing history-taking, clinical reasoning and other interpersonal communication skills, and core clinical/physical examination skills, using real and simulated patients. To pass: students must achieve the pass mark, as set by the examiners, or higher. In addition, candidates must achieve a pass in at least three of the communication skills stations and in at least three of the clinical/physical examination skills stations. Where a station is made up of two sub-stations, a pass in both sub-stations is required to achieve an overall pass on that station.

Note: to achieve an overall pass in the Final M.B. Part I Examination, students must pass both components; one resit opportunity will be permitted.

Final M.B. Examination, Part II

The Final M.B. B.Chir. examinations are concerned with the principles and practice of Medicine and Surgery in their broadest sense, in line with the Year 5 learning objectives. The Part II examination may include material relating to General Medicine, General Surgery, Therapeutics and Prescribing, Women’s Health, General Practice, Pathology, Public Health Medicine, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and other medical and surgical specialities as appropriate.

The Part II examination is designed to assess the candidate’s

•knowledge and experience of Medicine and Surgery in their broadest sense (as defined above) in line with the Year 5 learning objectives;

•understanding of the pathological basis of disease;

•ability to apply that knowledge and experience to the management of patients;

•ability to communicate effectively with patients and to respect their autonomy;

•experience of ethical problems in clinical medicine.

Candidates may be asked to interpret radiographs and scans, electrocardiograms, clinical photographs, and other clinical data. Knowledge, skills and behaviour will be assessed. Written papers are assessed without knowledge of the candidate’s name.

The examination comprises three components:

Component 1
Single Best Answer Paper	Marks:	25% of the Part II total
	Length:	3 hours
	Structure:	Up to 150 five-option, single response computer-marked questions To pass: students must achieve the pass mark as set by the examiners, or higher
Component 2
Extended Clinical Cases Paper	Marks:	25% of the Part II total
	Length:	3 hours
	Structure:	Up to ten questions of short answer format To pass: students must achieve the pass mark as set by the examiners, or higher
Component 3
Clinical Examination	Marks:	50% of the Part II total
	Length:	Two circuits, each lasting up to 75 minutes (total examination time up to 2.5 hours)
	Structure:	Two circuits, each comprising six stations of up to 12 minutes’ duration, testing history-taking, clinical reasoning and other interpersonal communication skills and core clinical/physical examination skills, using real and simulated patients. One circuit will focus on Paediatrics, and the other on Women’s Health (the latter may require the assessment of major adult systems, e.g. cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, neurological). To pass: students must achieve the pass mark, as set by the examiners, or higher. In addition, candidates must achieve a pass in at least three of the Paediatric examination stations and in at least three of the Women’s Health examination stations. Where a station is made up of two sub-stations, a pass in both sub-stations is required to achieve an overall pass on that station.

Note: to achieve an overall pass in the Final M.B. Part II Examination, students must pass all three components; one resit opportunity will be permitted.

Final M.B. Examination, Part III

The Final M.B. B.Chir. examinations are concerned with the principles and practice of Medicine and Surgery in their broadest sense in line with the Year 6 learning objectives. Accordingly, they may include material relating to General Medicine, General Surgery, Therapeutics and Prescribing, Women’s Health, General Practice, Pathology, Public Health Medicine, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and other medical and surgical specialities as appropriate.

The Part III examination is designed to assess the candidate’s

•knowledge and experience of Medicine and Surgery in their broadest sense (as defined above) in line with the Year 6 learning objectives;

•understanding of the pathological basis of disease;

•ability to apply that knowledge and experience to the management of patients;

•ability to communicate effectively with patients and to respect their autonomy;

•experience of ethical problems in clinical medicine.

Candidates may be asked to interpret radiographs and scans, electrocardiograms, clinical photographs and other data.Knowledge, skills and behaviour will be assessed. Written papers are assessed without knowledge of the candidate’s name.

The examination has three components, two written and one clinical.

Component 1: This component is made up of two elements
1A: Single Best Answer (SBA) Paper One	Length:	2.5 hours
	Structure:	Up to 125 five-option, single response computer-marked questions
1B: Single Best Answer (SBA) Paper Two	Length:	2.5 hours
	Structure:	Up to 125 five-option, single response computer-marked questions
		To pass: marks for 1A and 1B will be combined and students must achieve the pass mark, as set by the examiners, or higher
Component 2
Short Answer Question (SAQ) Paper	Length:	2 hours
	Structure:	Up to eight structured short essay questions assessing ethics, law, public health and professionalism skills and knowledge
		To pass: students must achieve the pass mark, as set by the examiners, or higher
Component 3: This component is made up of two elements
3A: Simulated Clinical Encounter Examination (SCEE)	Length:	Up to 2.5 hours
	Structure:	Up to nine stations of up to 16 minutes each, assessing history‑taking, clinical reasoning and other interpersonal communication skills using simulated patients/professionals
3B: Clinical Examination (CE)	Length:	Up to 2.5 hours
	Structure:	Up to nine stations of up to 16 minutes each, testing core clinical and physical examination skills using real patients. Candidates may also be asked to interpret radiographs and scans, electrocardiograms, clinical photographs and other data.
		To pass: marks for 3A and 3B will be combined and students must achieve the pass mark, as set by the examiners, or higher. In addition, candidates must achieve a pass in at least four of the SCEE stations and in at least four of the CE stations. Where a station is made up of two sub‑stations, a pass in both sub-stations is required to achieve an overall pass on that station.

Note: to achieve a pass in the Final M.B. Part III Examination, students must pass all components. One resit opportunity will be permitted for the written components within the same academic year. Any candidate failing the clinical assessment (comprising SCEE and CE elements) will be required to repeat the final year of the course before resitting the clinical component.

Economics for the M.Phil. Degree, 2019–20

The Faculty Board of Economics gives notice that, with effect from the examinations to be held in 2019–20, the form of the following papers for the examination in Economics for the degree of Master of Philosophy will be as follows:

E101. Applied microeconomics

Previously the paper was sectioned. Section A: four out of six questions; Section B: one compulsory question. Each section carried equal weight, and questions within Section A carried equal weight.

The paper will now have four mandatory questions in Section A, and one mandatory question in Section B. Each section carries equal weight, and questions within Section A carry equal weight.

S180. Labour economics

Previously the paper was a two-hour paper with candidates required to answer three out of four questions (70% of the marks) and a presentation of a paper (30% of the marks).

The paper will now be unsectioned, with students required to answer four compulsory questions (70%) and a presentation of a paper in class (30%). Each question carries equal weight.