This article provides general information about examinations and assessment.
Most programmes include a combination of coursework and examinations. You can find more information in our article: How does assessment at university work?
Details of the assessments for your programme and modules can be found in your Programme Handbook and on the relevant module pages.
It's important that you're familiar with the University's assessment regulations and any guidance provided by your programme. Not following these requirements could have serious consequences, so make sure you read the information in the sections below, along with any assessment guidance shared with you.
At King’s, marking of assessments must be conducted in accordance with the Regulations for taught programmes, the requirements of the Assessment & Regulatory Oversight Sub-Committee, and approved assessment schemes drawn up by individual Assessment Sub-boards. Markers follow the University and Faculty marking models and criteria.
There is more information on marking guidance and regulations in our article Marking & award classifications at King's.
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) uses stepped marking. This was initially launched by the University as a pilot, in consultation with the King’s 100 Student Panel, and was later rolled out across faculties.
Stepped marking is used to assess work that is marked against criteria and/or graded on a scale. It isn’t used for assignments that use numerical scores or have a clearly correct answer, such as multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
Your programme handbook will note which module assignments/assessment types will use the Stepped Marking Scheme. Please see: IoPPN Stepped Marking Criteria.
How your assignment is marked with a stepped marking scheme
Your work is marked against published assessment criteria by using the grade descriptors.
Markers decide first on the grade (class), for example 2.1/Merit. By considering the grade descriptors the assessment is then assigned to a band inside the grade, i.e. lower, middle, or higher range.
The step maps onto a numerical mark, for example a ‘high 2.1/Merit’ = 68%. This mark is recorded on the system.
If the module is assessed by one component, the fixed percentage point becomes the overall module mark. If the module is assessed by more than one component, the fixed percentage points for each component is averaged to produce the overall module mark, so you may get a module mark that is not on the steps, like 67%.
You must submit your coursework assessments electronically through the relevant KEATS module page by the published deadline. Details of each assessment, including submission deadlines, will be available on the module page.
Once submitted, your assessment will automatically be checked using an online text-matching service, such as Turnitin, to identify any inappropriate overlap with your own work or the work of others. You'll also be required to confirm that the work submitted is your own.
You can read more about academic honesty and integrity in our article: How does the university handle academic misconduct?
be typed on A4 white paper
use a size 12 font
use at least 1.5 line spacing
have numbered pages
Your title page should include:
your student ID number (not your name, as work is marked anonymously in accordance with King's policy)
the full title of the essay or coursework
the module title and code, where applicable
the word count
Important to know: You must adhere to the prescribed word limit for your coursework. The permitted variation is usually ±10 per cent, although this will be confirmed for each assessment. Exceeding the permitted word limit may result in a penalty.
Referencing:
The Harvard, APA or Vancouver referencing systems are generally recommended, but you should refer to any programme-specific guidance you receive. Please make sure you use the same referencing system consistently throughout your work
To promote consistency across our programmes, the IoPPN has developed an assessment coversheet for use with all assessments.
The coversheet includes important information, such as the module and assessment title, your name and student number. It also includes a common ‘declaration by students’, confirming that you've read and understood the University's misconduct regulations and guidance on the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), and that the work you submit is your own.
As King's requires you to acknowledge the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in assessments, the coversheet includes a series of statements about their use. We ask you to tick all statements that apply to your use of AI in each assessment as this will help us improve our teaching and guidance if we know when and how students use these tools.
If you have any questions about using AI in your assessments, contact your Module Leader and/or Programme Lead.
You can see the generic IoPPN Assessments Cover Sheet on KEATS. Your module or programme may use a modified version of the assessment coversheet. Before submitting your assessment, check your module or programme KEATS page to make sure you're using the correct version.
Undergraduate Students
More information on Research Project Preparation will be shared on the 6PAHPRES/6PASNRES KEATS module pages.
Postgraduate Students
A key component of programme assessment is designing, executing and writing-up a small scale research project which is submitted by the end of the first year (F/T) or second year (P/T). To support you in this, you are allocated a research supervisor who will provide topic-specific or methodological advice and feedback regarding your project.
For full details on the preparation of your research dissertation, please refer to the separate ‘Research Guidelines for Students’ provided by the Programme Office and available on KEATS.
For full details on the preparation of your programme's research project/dissertation, please refer to the relevant module KEATS page.
For support with ethical approval applications, research passports and any other information regarding research within the IoPPN or the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), please visit the Research & Development Office pages.
For further information at University level, please visit the Research Ethics office webpages.
The exam rubric tells you how many questions you must answer in each section of your exam.
If you answer too few or too many questions, your exam will still be marked and the following rules will apply:
All answers in your exam script will be marked by both examiners.
If you answer fewer questions than required, your mark will be calculated using the questions you answered. Any questions you were required to answer but left blank will receive a mark of zero.
If you answer more questions than required, the question or questions with the lowest mark will be excluded from your final mark. If the two examiners identify different questions as having the lowest mark, a separate experienced marker will determine your final mark.
Important to know: If you don't attend an exam or submit a piece of assessed coursework, you'll normally receive a mark of zero, unless you have approved mitigating circumstances. You can find more information in the article What are Mitigating Circumstances?
We've developed guidance to help you understand how you can use AI in different types of assessment. You can find the AI Guidance documents for different assessment types on KEATS.
This comes as a response to the King's Student AI Manifesto, which calls for clearer direction on the appropriate use of AI in your studies.
Important to know: This guidance provides general advice and may be adapted by your programme or module to reflect specific learning outcomes. Always check the guidance and assessment information provided on your KEATS module or programme pages first.
Material for assessment, including essays and dissertations, must be submitted by the dates specified in your Programme Handbook and on the KEATS module page.
For coursework with a submission deadline of 10 working days or more after the coursework is set, work submitted within 24 hours after the deadline will still be marked. However, where the assessment is marked out of 100, a penalty of 10 raw marks will be deducted. For assessments not marked out of 100, the Assessment Sub-Board will apply an equivalent penalty. If the deduction takes you below the pass mark, your coursework mark will be capped at the pass mark.
Work submitted more than 24 hours after the deadline will receive a mark of zero and the academic regulations on reassessment will apply.
Exceptions may be made if you've experienced illness or other mitigating circumstances that are accepted by the Assessment Sub-Board following the submission of a Mitigating Circumstances request.
You should avoid submitting your work to KEATS in the last few minutes before the deadline. KEATS can sometimes experience technical difficulties or become overloaded, which may delay your submission and result in it being submitted late.
The University's feedback policy applies to all students and staff involved with the delivery of assessment and feedback. You can find more information in the King's Feedback Policy.
At the IoPPN, we're committed to providing prompt and meaningful feedback on every piece of work you submit. We follow the University's policy to return coursework feedback within four weeks of submission.
You'll usually receive qualitative feedback from the markers in the KEATS submission area or through Turnitin Feedback Studio. In many cases, you'll also receive a provisional mark, which will be confirmed later by the Programme Assessment Sub-Board.
What to do if you have questions about your mark or feedback
At the IoPPN, we have processes in place to ensure the marks and feedback you receive are accurate and helpful. We therefore hope that the feedback you receive will answer any questions you may have about your mark.
However, if you have questions about a specific mark or piece of feedback on your coursework, you should first contact the marker by email to arrange a meeting. If you don't know who marked your work, contact your Programme Support Team for advice on what to do next.
If you still have questions about the feedback you've received, you should arrange a meeting with the relevant Module Leader.
If you continue to have questions after these meetings, or if you have questions about a series of marks, you may email your Programme Leader to arrange an appointment.
Although you may receive further feedback and guidance, your mark won't be changed. Marks awarded for compulsory assessments, such as coursework essays or unseen examinations, aren't negotiable, and the academic regulations don't permit appeals on the grounds of academic judgement.
However, if you think an administrative error may have occurred, contact your Programme Officer so the necessary checks can be carried out.
Provisional v Final (Ratified) Marks
Results for examinations and coursework are agreed and ratified by the Programme Assessment Sub-Board. Confirmation of your final degree results will be sent to you by email through Student Records after the final Assessment Sub-Board. Your full results will also be released electronically through Student Records.
Your programme may release unconfirmed 'raw' marks before they have been ratified by the Programme Assessment Sub-Board. However, these marks remain provisional until they have been formally agreed and ratified. You can't appeal your marks until this process has been completed.
Information about reassessments and re-sits is available in the Assessment category on Student Services Online.
Specific details of your reassessment or re-sit will be available on the relevant KEATS module page.
The programme Assessment Sub Board will consider exit awards where a student has failed one or more modules and has exhausted all reassessment and condonement opportunities, or where a student has terminated their studies early. The Exit Awards for your programme can be found in your Programme Handbook on KEATS.
We understand that unexpected situations such as illness, bereavement, or difficult personal or family circumstances can affect your ability to study or complete assessments. These are known as mitigating circumstances.
If you believe your ability to complete an assessment of any type might be or has been, adversely affected by mitigating circumstances, you should complete and submit a mitigating circumstances request.
You can find all the information you need in the articles What are mitigating circumstances? and How can I apply for mitigating circumstances?.
We understand that your performance in an assessment may have been affected by adverse circumstances and that once your results have been released, you may want to submit an academic appeal. Information about the criteria and process for doing so can be found in our article How can I make an academic appeal?.
Please undertake the Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism KEATS course offered by King's Academic Skills for Learning. This module is aimed at helping you to avoid breaching the University's academic misconduct policy.
You must not use file sharing sites and essay mills for your assessments. These are sites where contract cheating solutions can be purchased by students. Use of these sites seriously breaches academic integrity, and you may be severely penalised by the University. More information on contract cheating is available in the Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism course.
King’s College London is committed to developing and encouraging high standards of academic practice amongst its staff and students. This involves safeguarding the integrity of its assessment and academic awards and ensuring any actions that interfere with this are dealt with appropriately.
As a student at King’s, you’re part of an academic community that values trust, fairness and respect and actively encourages students to act with honesty and integrity. The King’s Community Charter sets out that each member of our community is responsible for ensuring academic integrity is upheld.
The Academic Misconduct Policy provides full details, including the responsibilities of students and the College, as well as definitions of different types of academic misconduct and related terminology and the possible outcomes of academic misconduct. This should be read in conjunction with the Academic Misconduct Procedure document.