This page offers information to Examiners and Administrators who are undertaking the administration of the Overall Degree Classification.
Information aimed at third parties can be found online here.
In the Easter Term 2023, students for the degree of Bachelor of Arts will be awarded an overall degree class for the first time.
The background to the implementation of the overall degree classification can be found in the Joint Report of the Council and General Board on the introduction of a final degree classification, published in the University Reporter 23 January 2020.
A User Guide for Examiners and Faculty/Department administrators to support them in the operational processes to upload the ODC onto CamSIS can be found here.
Information was circulated to Schools, Chairs and some Senior Examiners on 27 February 2023 and is available here.
A template excel file for departments to view the upload file structure which includes separate tabs for sample data and a key can be found here. When in use, the file will be .csv rather than excel.
Some FAQs are shown below, these will be added to over the coming weeks
Q. Who is eligible for an Overall Degree Classification?
The ODC is awarded to candidates for the BA degree who meet the following criteria:
- matriculated on or after Michaelmas Term 2020
- completed the requirements for the degree no earlier than the Easter Term 2023.
Q. What Classes can be used in the Overall Degree Classing?
The following Classes can be awarded:
Class I, Class II (undivided), Class II, division i, Class II, division ii and Class III
Additionally, where a Tripos allows award of a Class I with distinction in the regulations for its Part II, Exam Boards can award Class I with distinction in the Overall Degree Classing.
Q. When do students on the integrated Masters course (e.g. BA+MEng) get the ODC?
As these students meet the requirements for the BA degree at the end of their third year of study (although they do not graduate until the end of the fourth year), the ODC is awarded at the end of the third year.
Q. A student transferred into the subject for their Part II year - how should the ODC be calculated?
Students should not be disadvantaged by transferring to a different Tripos and Examiners should not be exercising academic judgement on a student’s performance in a subject outside of their Tripos.
Where a student is transferring into a course they should be classed in line with the rest of that course’s cohort.
Examples can be found on page 5 of the guidance on marking and classing which is available here.
Q. What happens if a student received an 'Allowed to Progress' in year 2, where that year 2 is weighted?
In these circumstances, the scheme 0:0:100 should be applied by the Examiners when awarding the ODC, irrespective of the ODC for the rest of the cohort
Q. What is the ODC when a student is awarded an Ordinary degree, or a DDH?
Where a student has been awarded an allowance towards the Ordinary degree, or has been Declared to have deserved Honours, no overall degree classification is awarded.
If an ODC had been awarded prior to the allowance, the ODC will be removed from the student's record.
Q. A student has had their Class amended due to an allowance. Does the ODC also have to be recalculated?
Yes, if the Class change could affect their ODC, this too should be reviewed and reported back in your response to the EAMC.