Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER IV
pp. 340–346
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS AND TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

The provisions contained in this Chapter are Regulations of the General Board

In this section

TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS
(New Regulations)

ENGLISH TRIPOS

NEW REGULATIONS1

Notice (Reporter, 2018–19, p. 591)

General

Three Parts.

1. The English Tripos shall consist of three Parts: Part Ia, Part Ib and Part II.

2. (a) For the purposes of the regulations and any supplementary regulations, the study of ‘English literature’ shall be understood to mean, in all Parts of the Tripos, the study of literary works written in the English Language (including Old English); of literary works of Britain and Ireland written in languages other than English; and of literary works written in Old Norse and the Medieval Celtic languages.

(b) It shall also be understood to embrace the study of the English language.

(c) The study of ‘English literature’ shall normally also embrace, in all Parts of the Tripos, English literary translations of works originally written in other languages, so long as due consideration is given to the fact of translation.

(d) In Part Ia of the English Tripos, the study of ‘English literature’ shall also embrace such philosophical, historical and other writing as normally comes within the scope of Papers 1 and 2 of that Part as illustrated by reading lists announced by the Faculty Board; likewise in Part Ib, such philosophical, historical and other writing as normally comes within the scope of Papers 3 to 8E of that Part as illustrated by reading lists announced by the Faculty Board.

(e) In Part II of the English Tripos, the study of ‘English literature’ shall also embrace such philosophical, historical and other writing, and such products of non-literary media and expressive forms, as normally come within the scope of Papers 1 to 29 of that Part as illustrated by reading lists announced by the Faculty Board.

(f) In all Parts of the Tripos, relevant comparisons with other materials that fall outside the scope of ‘English literature’ thus defined shall be accepted, both in written papers that focus on the study of ‘English literature’ and (where applicable) in dissertations and portfolios of essays that focus on the same, but only so long as greater weight falls, in each answer, dissertation, or essay offered in this context, on materials that come within that scope.

(g) In addition, in Part Ib and in Part II, the English Tripos shall include certain papers which concentrate on the study of literatures other than ‘English literature’ thus defined. However, it shall not be permissible to make this material the principal basis of any dissertation, of any essay within a portfolio of essays, or of any answer to a written paper that is primarily concerned with ‘English literature’.

3. The scheme of the examination shall be as defined in Regulations 15 to 24.

Notice of variable subjects, etc.

4. Notice of all the variable papers available for examination, and of the variable subjects, texts, or portions of subjects specified for special study, shall be given by the Faculty Board of English before the end of the Easter Term (i) two years prior to the examination in the case of Part Ib of the Tripos, and (ii) one year prior to the examination in the case of Part Ia and of Part II of the Tripos; provided that, in all cases, the Board shall have the power of subsequently issuing amendments if they have due reason for doing so and if they are satisfied that no student’s preparation for her or his examination will be adversely affected. The Board shall have power when they give notice of the variable subjects selected for a particular examination to announce any consequential restriction on the combination of papers that a candidate may offer. The Board shall have power to define or limit by supplementary regulations all or any of the subjects of examination, and to modify or alter such supplementary regulations as occasion may require.

Standing of candidates.

5. The following may present themselves as a candidate for honours in Part Ia:

  1. (a)a student who has not obtained honours in an Honours Examination, provided that she or he has kept one term and that three complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence;
  1. (b)a student who has obtained honours in another Honours Examination, in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that six complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence.

6. The following may present themselves as a candidate for honours in Part Ib: a student who has obtained honours in Part Ia of the Tripos, in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that nine complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence.

7. The following may present themselves as a candidate for honours in Part II:

  1. (a)a student who has obtained honours in Part Ib of the English Tripos, in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that twelve complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence;
  1. (b)a student who has not previously obtained honours in an Honours Examination for the English Tripos but has obtained honours in another Honours Examination, in the year next after or next but one after so obtaining honours, provided that twelve complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence;
  1. (c)a student who has obtained honours in Part Ib of the English Tripos, or a student who has not previously obtained honours in an Honours Examination for the English Tripos but has obtained honours in another Honours Examination, and who in either case has then spent an intervening year undertaking legitimate study in another University, in the year next but one after so obtaining honours; provided that twelve complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence, and subject to the provision in Regulation 22(c)(i);
  1. (d)an Affiliated Student, in accordance with the General Regulations for Affiliated Students, and subject to the terms of Regulation 22 of the English Tripos that pertain to Affiliated Students.

8. No student shall be a candidate for more than one Part of the English Tripos, or for any of its Parts and also for another Honours Examination, in the same term.

9. No student who has been a candidate for any Part shall again be a candidate for the same Part.

Examiners and Assessors.

10. (a) To conduct the examination in each Part of the Tripos the Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they deem appropriate.

(b) The Faculty Board shall have power to nominate Assessors to assist the Examiners for each Part of the Tripos. Assessors may be summoned to meetings of the Examiners for the purpose of consultation and advice but shall not be entitled to vote.

(c) The same person may serve as an Examiner both for Part Ia and Part Ib simultaneously. Any person who is an Examiner for one Part of the Tripos may also serve as an Assessor for any other Part of the Tripos.

Meetings of Examiners.

11. Before the examination there shall be general meetings of the Examiners for Parts Ia and Ib, and of the Examiners for Part II, when the papers set by each Examiner or Assessor shall be submitted to the whole body of each Part’s Examiners for their approval and shall be settled by the Examiners for each Part.

Class-lists.

12. The Examiners for Parts Ia and Ib, and the Examiners for Part II, shall hold separate meetings, at which the class-list for each Part shall be drawn up. In each of these lists the names of the candidates who deserve honours shall be placed in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes, and in each division of the second class, shall be arranged in alphabetical order.

13. For special excellence in Part Ib a mark of distinction may be awarded, and likewise in Part II.

14. In each examination, candidates must not present the same material more than once, either within any given paper or across the examination as a whole. Nor should candidates present the same material more than once as they are examined for the different Parts of the Tripos.

Part Ia

Papers in Part Ia.

15. The papers in Part Ia shall be as follows:

Paper 1.

Practical criticism and critical practice I

Paper 2.

Shakespeare

Paper 2 shall be examined by a portfolio of essays.

16. Every candidate for Part Ia shall offer both papers.

17. (a) The portfolio for Paper 2 shall consist of three essays. All of the essays shall be on topics falling within the scope of that paper. Relevant comparisons may be made with other materials, whether those be drawn from elsewhere in Parts Ia and Ib or (in accordance with Regulation 2(f)) from beyond ‘English literature’, so long as greater weight falls, in each essay, on materials that come within the scope of Paper 2. The portfolio as a whole must also demonstrate substantial knowledge of the set text specified for this paper.

(b) Each essay shall be not fewer than 1,500 words and not more than 2,000 words in length. The prescribed length shall exclude any notes. The essays shall be typewritten, in English, paying proper attention to style and presentation.

(c) Candidates shall be required to declare that the essays are their own work and that they do not contain material used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose prior to the date of their submission. Where appropriate, full and proper acknowledgment must be given to the work of others. Each essay must be accompanied by a bibliography of the books, articles, and electronic and online resources used in its preparation. The prescribed length shall exclude these bibliographies.

(d) The portfolio shall be submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in accordance with arrangements approved by the Faculty Board so as to arrive at the Faculty not later than 11 a.m. on the last Wednesday of the Full Easter Term of the examination.

(e) Candidates may be called for a viva voce examination in connection with their portfolios.

Part Ib

Papers in Part Ib.

18. The papers in Part Ib shall be as follows:

Paper 3.

Early medieval literature and its contexts, 1066–1350 (also serves as Paper 20 of Part II of the English Tripos, as Paper O9 of Part II of the Classical Tripos, and as Paper 11 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos)

Paper 4.

English literature and its contexts, 1300–1550 (also serves as Paper 21 of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 5.

English literature and its contexts, 1500–1700 (also serves as Paper 22 of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 6.

English literature and its contexts, 1660–1870 (also serves as Paper 23 of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 7A.

English literature and its contexts, 1830–1945 (also serves as Paper 24A of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 7B.

English literature and its contexts, 1870–present (also serves as Paper 24B of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 8A.

Old English language and literature (Paper 5 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 25 of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 8B.

Old Norse language and literature (Paper 6 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 26A of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 8C.

Medieval Welsh language and literature (Paper 7 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 27A of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 8D.

Medieval Irish language and literature (Paper 8 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 28A of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 8E.

Insular Latin language and literature (Paper 9 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 29 of Part II of the English Tripos)

Paper 9A.

Greek literature (Paper 5 of Part Ib of the Classical Tripos)

Paper 9B.

Latin literature (Paper 6 of Part Ib of the Classical Tripos)

Paper 10A.

Introduction to French literature, linguistics, film and thought (Paper Fr.1 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10B.

Love, violence and power in France, 1100–1500 (Paper Fr.3 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10C.

Rethinking the human: French literature, thought and culture, 1500–1700 (Paper Fr.4 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10D.

Revolutions in writing, 1700–1900 (Paper Fr.5 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10E.

Innovation and upheaval: deformation and reformulation in the 20th and 21st centuries (Paper Fr.6 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10F.

Italian texts and contexts (Paper It.1 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10G.

Introduction to German studies (Paper Ge.1 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10H.

The making of German culture (Paper Ge.4 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10I.

Modern German culture I, 1750 to 1914 (Paper Ge.5 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10J.

Modern German culture II (Paper Ge.6 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10K.

Introduction to the language, literatures and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world (Paper Sp.1 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10L.

Introduction to the language, literatures and cultures of Portuguese-speaking countries (Paper Pg.1 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10M.

Introduction to Russian culture (Paper Sl.1 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10N.

Russian culture from the Golden Age to the Silver Age (Paper Sl.4 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10O.

Russian and Soviet culture from 1900 (Paper Sl.5 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 10P.

Introduction to the language, literature and culture of Ukraine (Paper Sl.9 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Every paper shall be set for three hours except Papers 9A and 9B, which shall be set for three hours plus an additional fifteen minutes’ reading time.

19. Every candidate for Part Ib shall offer Paper 4 and any three papers from amongst Papers 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, provided that:

  1. (i)a candidate may offer only one of Paper 8 or Paper 9 or Paper 10;
  1. (ii)only one option may be offered from amongst the list of options available for Paper 7, and likewise for each of Papers 8, 9 and 10;
  1. (iii)in substitution for one of Papers 4, 5, 6 and 7 a candidate may offer a dissertation, to be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 20, on a topic falling within the scope of that paper; except that if a candidate submits a dissertation in substitution for Paper 5 it shall not be wholly or largely on the subject of Shakespeare and his writings;
  1. (iv)a candidate for the English Tripos offering an option under Paper 8 or Paper 9 or Paper 10 shall be required to offer this option as a written paper, and may not substitute it with any form of coursework, albeit that such substitutions may be available to candidates who are offering the same papers for the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, or the Classical Tripos, or the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos;
  1. (v)a candidate offering any of Papers 5, 6, 7A and 7B as a written paper shall be required to demonstrate, in each such paper offered, substantial knowledge of English literature before and after the medial date specified for the paper in question.
Dissertations.

20. (a) A candidate who intends to offer a dissertation under Regulation 19(iii) shall submit the proposed topic of the dissertation for formal approval to the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Faculty Board through her or his Director of Studies in accordance with the arrangements for such notification approved by the Board. Such proposals must be made by the penultimate Friday of the Full Michaelmas Term preceding the examination. Once a topic has been approved on behalf of the Faculty Board, no change shall be made to it without further formal approval. A candidate may, however, submit a revised topic for approval so as to reach the Director of Undergraduate Studies at any time up until the sixth Wednesday of the Full Lent Term preceding the examination.

(b) The dissertation must be on a topic of ‘English literature’ (as defined under Regulation 2) falling within the scope of the paper for which the dissertation is substituted. Relevant comparisons may be made with other materials, whether those be drawn from elsewhere in Parts Ia and Ib or (in accordance with Regulation 2(f)) from beyond ‘English literature’, so long as greater weight falls on materials that come within the scope of the relevant paper. Where the dissertation is in substitution for Paper 4, it must engage with and quote Middle English texts in the original language (that is, not from Modern English translations), discussing, where relevant, any linguistic difficulties. Modern translations may be used for texts written in languages other than English.

(c) The length of a dissertation shall be not fewer than 4,000 words and not more than 5,000 words. The prescribed length shall include appendices, although appendices beyond the prescribed limit may be allowed in special circumstances, subject to formal approval given on behalf of the Faculty Board not later than the sixth Wednesday of the Full Lent Term preceding the examination. Every dissertation shall be typewritten, in English, paying proper attention to style and presentation.

(d) Candidates shall be required to declare that the dissertation is their own work and that it does not contain material used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose prior to the date of its submission. Where appropriate, full and proper acknowledgement must be given to the work of others via footnotes. The dissertation must be accompanied by a synopsis of its contents of not fewer than 100 words and not more than 150 words, and by a bibliography of the books, articles, and electronic and online resources used in its preparation. The prescribed length detailed under sub-paragraph (c) above shall exclude the synopsis, notes and bibliography.

(e) The dissertation shall be submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in accordance with arrangements approved by the Faculty Board so as to arrive at the Faculty not later than 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the Full Easter Term in which the examination is to be held.

(f) Candidates may be called for a viva voce examination in connection with their dissertations.

Part II

Papers in Part II.

21. The papers in Part II shall be as follows:

Group A

Paper 1.

Practical criticism and critical practice II

Paper 2.

Tragedy (also serves as Paper O3 of Part II of the Classical Tripos)

Paper 3.

Compulsory dissertation

Group B

Paper 4.

Optional dissertation

Paper 5.

Chaucer

Paper 6.

Medieval English literature, 1066–1500 (also serves as Paper 13 of Part II of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos)

Paper 7.

Early Modern drama, 1588–1642

Paper 8.

Material Renaissance

Paper 9.

Love, gender, sexuality, 1740–1824

Paper 10.

English literature, 1847–1872

Paper 11.

Prose forms, 1936–56

Paper 12.

Contemporary writing in English

Paper 13.

Postcolonial and related literatures

Paper 14.

American literature

Paper 15.

The ethical imagination

Paper 16.

History and theory of literary criticism (also serves as Paper O4 of Part II of the Classical Tripos)

Paper 17.

Lyric

Paper 18.

Visual culture

Paper 19.

A paper or papers in English literature announced by the Faculty Board from time to time

Group C

Paper 20.

Early medieval literature and its contexts, 1066–1350 (Paper 3 of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 21.

English literature and its contexts, 1300–1550 (Paper 4 of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 22.

English literature and its contexts, 1500–1700 (Paper 5 of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 23.

English literature and its contexts, 1660–1870 (Paper 6 of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 24A.

English literature and its contexts, 1830–1945 (also serves as Paper 7A of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 24B.

English literature and its contexts, 1870–present (also serves as Paper 7B of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 25.

Old English language and literature (Paper 5 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 8A of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 26A.

Old Norse language and literature (Paper 6 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 8B of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 26B.

Advanced medieval Scandinavian language and literature (Paper 6 of Part II of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos)

Paper 27A.

Medieval Welsh language and literature (Paper 7 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 8C of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 27B.

Advanced medieval Welsh language and literature (Paper 7 of Part II of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos)

Paper 28A.

Medieval Irish language and literature (Paper 8 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 8D of Part Ib of the English Tripos)

Paper 28B.

Advanced medieval Irish language and literature (Paper 8 of Part II of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos)

Paper 29.

Insular Latin language and literature (Paper 9 of Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, also serves as Paper 8E of Part I of the English Tripos)

Paper 30.

A prescribed Greek author or authors, and a prescribed Latin author or authors (Paper A1 of Part II of the Classical Tripos)

Paper 31.

Prescribed Greek texts (Paper A2 of Part II of the Classical Tripos)

Paper 32.

Prescribed Latin texts (Paper A3 of Part II of the Classical Tripos)

Paper 33.

Topics in medieval studies to be specified by the Faculty Board from time to time (Paper Fr.7 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 34.

Wondrous forms in the age of Montaigne (Paper Fr.8 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 35.

Reason, experience and authority: French literature, thought and history, 1594–1700 (Paper Fr.9 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 36.

Enlightenment and its limits (Paper Fr.10 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 37.

Gender, desire and power in 19th century French culture (Paper Fr.11 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 38.

Ethics and experience: literature, thought and visual culture of the French-speaking world (1900 to the present) (Paper Fr.12 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 39.

Dante and the culture of his age (Paper It.7 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 40A.

A special subject in comparative literature (i) (Paper CS.4 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)2

Paper 40B.

The body (Paper CS.5 of the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos)

Paper 41A.

Historical linguistics (Paper 11 of the Linguistics Tripos)

Paper 41B.

History of the English language (Paper 13 of the Linguistics Tripos)

Every paper shall be set for three hours except Paper 1 which shall be set for three and a half hours. Under the provisions of Regulation 4, the Faculty Board shall announce, each year, the variable papers in Group B (Papers 5 to 19) and Group C (Papers 25 to 42) that shall be available for examination in the following year. A question paper shall be set for every paper in the given year’s schedule (other than Papers 3 and 4) for which there is a candidate.

22. Every candidate for Part II shall offer:

  1. (a)Papers 1, 2 and 3;
  1. (b)either(i)if the candidate takes the examination in the year after obtaining honours in any Honours Examination, two papers chosen from amongst Papers 4 to 42;
  1. or(ii)if the candidate takes the examination in the year next but one after obtaining honours in any Honours Examination, or if the candidate is an Affiliated Student, three papers chosen from amongst Papers 4 to 42; provided that since the availability of each of Papers 5 to 19 and Papers 25 to 42 for examination in any given year will not be confirmed until the Easter Term of the preceding year, these papers should not be selected for study until the year of actual examination, and then only in accordance with the list of papers announced as available that year.
  1. (c)In offering papers for examination, the candidate’s choices shall be further governed by the following provisions:
  1. (i)if a candidate takes the examination in the year next but one after obtaining honours in any Honours Examination but has spent the intervening year undertaking legitimate study in another university, the candidate shall offer only two papers chosen from amongst Papers 4 to 42, sub-paragraph (b)(ii) above notwithstanding;
  1. (ii)no candidate shall offer both Papers 24A and 24B, or both Papers 26A and 26B, or both Papers 27A and 27B, or both Papers 28A and 28B, or both Papers 40A and 40B;
  1. (iii)a candidate who has obtained honours in Part Ib of the English Tripos or any allowance on that examination towards a degree shall not offer any of Papers 21 to 24;
  1. (iv)if a candidate has not previously obtained honours in Part Ib of the English Tripos and either takes the Part II examination in the year next but one after obtaining honours in another Honours Examination or is an Affiliated Student, the candidate shall offer at least one paper from amongst Papers 20 to 24;
  1. (v)a candidate shall not offer any paper that he or she has previously offered in another Honours Examination;
  1. (vi)a candidate offering any of Papers 22, 23, 24A or 24B shall be required to demonstrate, in each such paper offered, substantial knowledge of English literature before and after the medial date specified for the paper in question;
  1. (vii)a candidate for the English Tripos offering any of Papers 25 to 42 shall be required to offer them as written papers, and may not substitute them with any form of coursework, albeit that such substitutions may be available to candidates who are offering the same papers for the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, or the Classical Tripos, or the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos, or the Linguistics Tripos;
  1. (viii)a candidate for Part II of the English Tripos offering any of Papers 21, 22, 23, or 24 shall be required to offer them as written papers, and may not substitute them with any form of coursework, albeit that such substitutions may be available to candidates who are offering the same papers for Part Ib of the English Tripos;
  1. (ix)dissertations offered under this Regulation, whether for Paper 3 or Paper 4, shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 24.
Schemes of work.

23. (a) Every candidate shall submit her or his scheme of work (a list of papers to be offered for examination), together with the proposed topic(s) of her or his dissertation(s), for formal approval to the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Faculty Board through her or his Director of Studies in accordance with the arrangements for such notification approved by the Board. Submissions must be made by the penultimate Friday of the Full Michaelmas Term preceding the examination.

(b) The Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Undergraduate Submissions Committee, acting on behalf of the Faculty Board, shall consider each such submission with respect to two considerations:

  1. (i)where a candidate offers both Papers 3 and 4, if one of the dissertations so offered is in the same field as one of the candidate’s papers, these parties may decline to allow the candidate to offer the second dissertation in the field of that same or any other of her or his papers;
  1. (ii)where a candidate offers six papers, these parties shall consider the overall balance of the candidate’s scheme of work and the potential for overlap, whether between papers or between papers and the dissertation(s), and may reject such proposals which, in their opinion, fail to demonstrate sufficient breadth.

(c) Once a scheme of work and topic(s) have been approved on behalf of the Faculty Board, no change shall be made to them without further formal approval. A candidate may, however, submit a revised scheme and/or topic(s) for approval so as to reach the Director of Undergraduate Studies at any time up until the sixth Wednesday of the Full Lent Term preceding the examination.

Dissertations.

24. (a) Every candidate, in offering one or more dissertations under Regulation 22, shall submit the proposed dissertation topic(s) for formal approval in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 23.

(b) Dissertations must be on topics of ‘English literature’ as defined under Regulation 2, save that (Regulation 2(c) notwithstanding) where Part II ‘English literature’ papers such as Papers 2, 15 and 16 encompass the study of specified musical or foreign-language materials, permission to make these latter materials the primary focus of a dissertation shall be at the discretion of the Undergraduate Submissions Committee, acting on behalf of the Faculty Board. Relevant comparisons may always be made with any foreign-language materials or materials that fall outside the scope of ‘English literature’ without obtaining prior permission, so long as those comparisons are made subject to the terms of Regulation 2(f).

(c) The length of each dissertation shall be not fewer than 6,000 words and not more than 7,500 words. The prescribed length shall include appendices, although appendices beyond the prescribed limit may be allowed in special circumstances, subject to formal approval given on behalf of the Faculty Board not later than the sixth Wednesday of the Full Lent Term preceding the examination. Each dissertation shall be typewritten, in English, paying proper attention to style and presentation.

(d) Candidates shall be required to declare that dissertations are their own work and that they do not contain material already used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose prior to the date of their submission. Where appropriate, full and proper acknowledgment must be given to the work of others via footnotes. Each dissertation must be accompanied by a synopsis of its contents of not fewer than 100 words and not more than 150 words, and by a bibliography of the books, articles, and electronic and online resources used in its preparation. The prescribed length detailed under sub-paragraph (c) above shall exclude the synopsis, notes and bibliography.

(e) Dissertations shall be submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in accordance with arrangements approved by the Faculty Board so as to arrive at the Faculty not later than 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the Full Easter Term in which the examination is to be held.

(f) Candidates may be called for a viva voce examination in connection with their dissertations.

Temporary Regulation

25. The examination for the English Tripos (New Regulations) shall be held for the first time as follows:

Part Ia in 2021

Part Ib in 2022

Part II in 2022, both for candidates for the one-year Part II and for candidates completing the two-year Part II at that time.

Footnotes

  1. 1. These regulations will come into effect in accordance with the timetable in Temporary Regulation 25, p. 346.a
  2. 2. This paper is suspended until further notice.a