In this article you will find information in relation to the following, if industrial action were to occur again in the future:
- Students or graduates affected by the 2023 marking and assessment boycott
- Marking and results
- Progression and graduation
- Taking exams and assessments
This article was last updated on 5 April 2024.
I’ve graduated, but some of my work wasn’t marked by the module leader due to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott - will it be remarked?
No, assessments which have already been marked, where your overall results and final degree classification were ratified, will not be re-marked.
If you were made aware that your module was affected by the 2023 marking and assessment boycott but your assessment was marked while the boycott was still active, please be assured that this will mean that another appropriately qualified subject matter expert marked your assessment, in line with the affected assessment’s marking scheme. To assure and monitor the quality of the education we provide to you and ensure that marking and assessment reflects your academic achievements and success in meeting programme learning outcomes, this marking by other qualified subject matter experts would have been overseen by senior academics in the faculty.
I’ve graduated, but some of my work wasn’t marked due to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott and I had assessments re-weighted or I was granted condoned credit instead - will it be marked?
No, assessments which were not marked, where your overall results and final degree classification were ratified, will not now be marked.
For more information on re-weighting and awarding of condoned credit due to the marking and assessment boycott, please see the questions below.
I've graduated, and my results show I have 'condoned credit' due to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott, what does this mean?
King’s regulations allow the classification and award of a degree when there are a small number of modules where marks are unavailable. This is only to a maximum of 30 credits (out of the 360 credits that you typically study on a 3-year programme) and can only apply to non-core modules and where the work has been completed and submitted satisfactorily. Where condoned credit was granted as a result of the 2023 marking and assessment boycott, King's assured itself that the learning outcomes for the programme had been met and that the overall average mark reflected your academic achievement.
The credits were awarded to you on the basis of your performance in all other modules. Although you were awarded the credit, those credits were not counted in the calculation of the overall average. The fact that your results show "zero" for a particular module would not have reduced your average mark. This has the same effect as applying the average of your performance in all other modules to those with missing marks.
Your final transcript and Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) will show where you were awarded condoned credit due to the boycott. You can download these documents through Gradintelligence, as well as an additional accompanying letter to help explain the situation to potential employers or other universities. Please see this article for further information on how to do this.
I've graduated, and my results previously showed I had a 'condoned fail' due to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott, has this now been updated?
Yes, we have changed 'condoned fail' to 'condoned credit' wherever this terminology appeared on your final transcript or Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), if you were awarded condoned credit due to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott. 'Condoned fail' previously appeared automatically due to technical limitations; we understand this may have caused confusion and concern, since students awarded condoned credit due to the boycott did not 'fail' as such, for which we apologise.
If you were affected by this, you can download your updated HEAR and final transcript through Gradintelligence. Please see this article for further information on how to do this. You'll also find an additional accompanying letter on Gradintelligence, which you can provide to potential employers or other universities to explain the condoned credit that appears on your documents.
I've graduated, and my prospective employer is concerned about the impacts of the 2023 marking and assessment boycott, what should I tell them?
King's has extensive regulations in place to assure and monitor the quality of the education we provide and ensure that marking and assessment reflects academic achievements and success in meeting programme learning outcomes, including in the event of industrial action. This includes ensuring that work is marked and assessed by subject matter experts.
If you are applying for a job and your prospective employer has concerns, you may wish to refer them to these FAQs.
For more information on support available to you, please see our article How can King's Careers & Employability help me?
If you were awarded condoned credit due to the boycott, this will be indicated on your final transcript and Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). You can download these documents through Gradintelligence, as well as an additional accompanying letter to help explain the situation to potential employers or other universities. Please see this article for further information on how to do this.
My results show an assessment was 're-weighted' due to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott, what does this mean?
Adjustments to the weighting of assessments (for example, changing an assessment from a weighting of 75% to 100% of the overall module mark) were used only for a very limited number of modules where one or more of the students' marks were missing. Any changes to the weighting of assessments were applied only once it was assured that learning outcomes were still being met and that they appropriately reflect your academic achievement. Adjustments were scrutinised and overseen by King's via the Academic Standards Sub-Committee (ASSC) and applied to the cohort. All individual cases were carefully considered to ensure consistency and fairness to our students.
Can I make a complaint in relation to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott?
Full information on how to make a complaint in relation to the 2023 marking and assessment boycott can be found in our article How can I make a complaint to the university?
Could my marks be affected by industrial action?
King's has extensive regulations in place to assure and monitor the quality of the education we provide to you and ensure that marking and assessment reflects your academic achievements and success in meeting programme learning outcomes. This includes ensuring that your work is marked and assessed by appropriately qualified subject matter experts. The impact of any industrial action on assessment would vary from assessment to assessment and module to module, so each would be considered individually.
Could I submit an academic appeal in relation to industrial action?
As stated within the Academic Regulations, you may appeal on either or both of the following grounds:
- Where there is evidence that assessment(s) may have been adversely affected by mitigating circumstances which the student was unable, or for valid reasons unwilling, to make known before the original decision was reached.
- Where there is clear evidence that assessment(s) may have been adversely affected by a significant administrative error on the part of the College or in the conduct of the assessment.
It is not possible to appeal the academic judgement leading to your marks or your overall degree classification.
For more information, please see our article How can I make an academic appeal?
Would there be any impact on my ability to progress from one year of study to the next?
In the event of industrial action, we would take all available steps to minimise any disruption and ensure that you could progress from one year of study to the next (or from a pre-sessional or foundation course onto your main degree programme). You would still be able to progress pending completion of marking and/or ratification of results at a later date if required.
Any programme with Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body progression regulations would be subject to specific focus to ensure we continued to meet their requirements.
Would there be any impact on my ability to finish my studies and graduate?
In the event of industrial action, we would take all available steps to minimise any disruption and ensure that you could graduate at the end of your degree as normal, as long as you met the requirements of your programme.
If needed, we might put in place mitigations such as re-weighting of assessments or granting of condoned credit to enable you to graduate.
Any programme with Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body progression regulations would be subject to specific focus to ensure we continue to meet their requirements.
Would exams still go ahead?
In the event of industrial action, assessment periods would take place as normal. King’s would put arrangements in place to ensure that all your exams would take place as planned.
Please note that some faculties organise exams locally, separate from the central exam timetable; these would also still go ahead as planned.
Faculties and departments would work hard to minimise any disruption due to industrial action and we would inform you in the unlikely event that your exam were disrupted for any reason.
Would I be entitled to an extension for coursework, dissertations, or other submissions of work due to industrial action?
Deadlines set for submitting work, including dissertations, would still apply as normal in the event of industrial action. Your faculty or department would aim to maintain assessment deadlines but would also look at whether there might be instances in which revised deadlines might be appropriate for you.
You would be expected to continue to submit your assessments in line with existing deadlines. You would be notified if there were any changes to assessment submission arrangements.
If my teaching and learning sessions were cancelled due to industrial action, would I be assessed on those topics in examinations or assessments?
For your examinations and assessments, we would ensure that you are not disadvantaged if any learning or teaching were missed due to industrial action. We would also ensure that we maintain our academic quality and high standards.
What if an in-class assessment (including oral examinations and presentations) were to not take place because of industrial action?
If an in-class assessment were unable to take place because of industrial action, faculties or departments would try to ensure that the assessment is rescheduled or assessed by other means where possible.
I'm a postgraduate research student, what if the oral examination for my thesis were disrupted because of industrial action?
It is unlikely that oral examinations would be affected by industrial action and we would do our best to ensure that these could still take place at the appropriate time. If you had any concerns, we would ask you to please contact your supervisor in the first instance, who would be able to work with other staff members and central services if necessary.
For more information on how industrial action might affect you generally and for dates of any industrial action currently scheduled, please read our article How might students be affected by industrial action?