REVIEW PROCEDURE FOR EXAMINATIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND CERTAIN OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

1. The following regulations shall apply to any University examination listed in the Schedule to these regulations.

2. No representations under these regulations shall be considered unless they relate to

1. (a)the conduct of the examination or;
2. (b)a decision by a Faculty Board or comparable authority not to allow a student who has completed the requirement for the B.A. Degree to progress to that Part of a Tripos required for the M.Eng. or the M.Math. or the M.Sci. Degree.

3. No representations under Regulation 5 shall be considered if they reach the Registrary later than 4 p.m. on the third day (excluding Saturday and Sunday) after the candidate concerned has completed all parts of his or her examination. In exceptional circumstances the Registrary may allow a short extension of this deadline.

4. No representations under Regulation 6 shall be considered if (a) for those relating to 2(a) above, they reach the Registrary later than one month after the date upon which the list of successful candidates is signed or (b) for those relating to 2(b) above, they reach the Registrary later than one month after the date upon which the Faculty Board or comparable authority reaches its decision. In exceptional circumstances the Registrary may allow an extension of these deadlines.

5. Representations concerning the conduct of an examination arising before the list of successful candidates is signed shall be submitted to the Registrary by the candidate or by a Tutor on the candidate's behalf. The Registrary shall thereupon refer the representations to the Chair of Examiners for consideration by the Examiners at their final meeting. The Examiners shall take whatever action they think fit in the light of the representations. Within one week of the signing of the list of successful candidates, the Chair shall submit a report to the Registrary including an explanation of the action taken by the Examiners on the representations. The Registrary shall thereupon send a copy of that report to the candidate, to the Tutor (if any) submitting the representations, and to the Senior Tutor of the candidate's College. If the representations reach the Chair of Examiners after the final meeting they shall be considered in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 6.

6. Representations concerning the conduct of an examination arising after the list of successful candidates is signed shall be submitted to the Registrary by the candidate or by a Tutor on the candidate's behalf. The Registrary shall thereupon refer the representations to the Chair of Examiners. The representations shall be considered by the Chair and at least two other Examiners. Within one month of receiving the representations the Chair shall submit a report to the Registrary including an explanation of any action which the Chair has taken on the representations. The Registrary shall thereupon send a copy of that report to the candidate, to the Tutor (if any) submitting the representations, and to the Senior Tutor of the candidate's College. The same procedures shall apply to representations falling within Regulation 2(b) above, save that the Chair of the Faculty Board or comparable body shall consider the representations with at least two other members and report to the Registrary accordingly.

7. If the candidate concerned is dissatisfied with the response from the Chair of Examiners (or the Chair of the Faculty Board or comparable body as the case may be), the candidate may apply to the Registrary for the matter to be considered by an Examinations Review Committee constituted in accordance with Regulation 8, provided that such an application shall not normally be considered unless it is received by the Registrary within three months of the date on which the report from the Chair of Examiners (or the Chair of the Faculty Board or comparable body as the case may be) is communicated in accordance with Regulation 5 or 6, as appropriate. In exceptional circumstances the Registrary may allow an extension of this deadline. The candidate shall, in the application, provide a full statement of his or her complaint.

8. A Review Committee appointed under these regulations shall consist of three members as follows:

1. (a)one member, who shall have appropriate experience in matters of procedure, appointed by the Council, as Chair;
2. (b)one member who is external to the University appointed by the General Board;
3. (c)one member of the Regent House appointed by the General Board.

In the event that the Chair declares an interest or is otherwise unable to act, the member under category (b) shall act as Chair, and two members of the Regent House shall be appointed to act. In the event that the member under category (b) declares an interest or is otherwise unable to act, two members of the Regent House shall be appointed to act.

9. The General Board shall maintain a panel of members of the Regent House who are willing to serve as members of a Review Committee in class (c), and shall appoint twelve persons to the panel, four persons being appointed in the Michaelmas Term of each year to serve for three years from 1 January following their appointment. When any representations are to be referred to a Review Committee, the General Board shall nominate one member of the panel for appointment as a member of the Review Committee for the particular case. In selecting a member of the panel for appointment as a member of a Review Committee, the Board shall exclude any person who has been involved in the particular case at an earlier stage. A person appointed a member of a Review Committee shall serve until the conclusion of the particular case for which he or she was appointed. In the event that the person so appointed is unable to do so, the General Board shall appoint a replacement member from the panel.

10. The Registrary, or a deputy appointed by the Registrary, shall act as Secretary to a Review Committee.

11. The Secretary to the Review Committee shall notify the candidate of the persons appointed to be members of the Review Committee. The candidate shall be entitled to object for good cause to any member so appointed. The Vice-Chancellor shall rule on any such objection, and his or her decision shall be final. If the Vice-Chancellor allows such an objection, another member shall be appointed to replace the person who was the subject of the objection.

12. A Review Committee shall consider any representations which are referred to them under Regulation 7 which in the judgement of the Committee constitutes a complaint on one or more of the following grounds:

1. (a)that there existed material circumstances relating to the conduct of the examination (excluding circumstances relating to the candidate's course of study) of which the Examiners were unaware;
2. (b)that procedural irregularities occurred in the conduct of the examination, which were of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether the Examiners would have reached the same conclusion had the irregularities not occurred;
3. (c)that there is demonstrable evidence of prejudice, bias, or inadequate assessment in the examination process;
4. (d)that, with regard to representations falling within Regulation 2(b), there existed material circumstances (excluding circumstances relating to the candidate’s course of study) of which the Faculty Board or comparable body were unaware, or that procedural irregularities occurred in the Faculty Board’s or comparable body’s decision which were of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt as to whether that body would have reached the same decision had the irregularities not occurred, or that there is demonstrable evidence of prejudice, bias or inadequate assessment in that body’s decision.

In considering the representations at this stage the Committee shall have power to seek statements from other persons or bodies, as they think fit. If the Committee are of the view that the case does not fall within any of the grounds specified above, they shall dismiss the complaint and shall inform the candidate accordingly.

13. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 12, any statement of complaint received by the Review Committee shall be made available to each of the following:

1. (a)the Chair of Examiners (or the Chair of the Faculty Board or comparable authority if the complaint relates to Regulation 2(b));
2. (b)any person against whom a complaint is laid;
3. (c)any other person specified by the Review Committee.

Each of these persons shall be given an opportunity to submit a written statement to the Committee in response to the complaint. The Committee shall have power to seek statements from other persons or bodies, as they think fit.

14. Any statement submitted to the Review Committee under Regulation 13 shall be made available to the candidate who shall be afforded an opportunity to comment upon it.

15. The Committee shall appoint a day and time for a hearing at which the candidate shall be entitled to be present and to be accompanied by a Tutor or other adviser being either a junior member of the University, an officer of Cambridge University Students Union, or a member of the Regent House; any person accompanying the candidate shall be permitted to act as the candidate's representative and to speak on his or her behalf. Any person or persons against whom a complaint is laid shall also be entitled to be present (and to be accompanied by a member of the Regent House). The Committee may also, at their discretion, invite other parties to attend.

16. A Review Committee shall consider any complaint referred to them under Regulation 7 and shall have power to dismiss the complaint or, if they consider it justified:

1. (a)to require the Chair of Examiners to re-convene as many of the original Examiners as can conveniently be assembled for the purpose of reconsidering their earlier decisions on the particular case, no fewer than three Examiners inclusive of the Chair to constitute a quorum; or
2. (b)to require the General Board to appoint one or more additional Examiners to make an independent report or reports on the work presented by the candidate, and to require the Chair of Examiners to convene a meeting of as many of the original Examiners as can conveniently be assembled together with the additional Examiner or Examiners to reconsider the earlier decisions on the particular case, no fewer than three of the original Examiners inclusive of the Chair, and the additional Examiner or Examiners, to constitute a quorum; or
3. (c)to require the candidate, or the candidate's work, to be re-examined under whatever arrangements may be specified by the Review Committee, after consultation with the Chair of Examiners;
4. (d)to require (if the complaint relates to Regulation 2(b)) the Faculty Board or comparable body to reconsider their decision.

17. The Secretary of the Review Committee shall send written notification of the Committee's decision and the reasons for it to the candidate, the Chair of Examiners (or the Chair of the Faculty Board or comparable body if the complaint falls within Regulation 2(b)), and to the other parties specified in Regulation 13.

18. Subject to any other provisions of the Statutes and Ordinances, the decision of a Review Committee on a particular case shall be final.

19. The Chair of Examiners may appoint a deputy or deputies from among the Examiners to act on his or her behalf in relation to the foregoing regulations during the Chair's absence from Cambridge or for other good cause. The same power of delegation may be exercised by a Faculty Board or comparable authority or its Chair for complaints falling within Regulation 2(b).

20. A Review Committee shall, if they so wish, be entitled to make general recommendations about examination procedures to the General Board, irrespective of the outcome of their consideration of a complaint.

SCHEDULE

Examinations for which the foregoing regulations apply

Examinations, including where appropriate Preliminary, Ordinary, and Qualifying examinations, taken by matriculated students and leading to the following qualifications: