Examinations and assessments
UK institutions use many different forms of assessment, including:
- 'closed' examinations, where you are not allowed to refer to books or notes and have a specific time to complete a certain number of questions
- 'open' examinations, where you can refer to books and notes and may even be able to take the question paper away and return it by a certain time
- assessed essays, individual projects and dissertations
- group work projects
- a portfolio (a collection of work)
- presentations to a seminar
- a display or performance of work (eg an art show or music performance)
- practical assessments (eg in laboratories or on hospital wards)
Some courses are continuously assessed, meaning that instead of
examinations at the end of the year, your progress is assessed and
marked throughout the year.
The UK Government monitors all higher education institutions and gives them a rating in terms of academic standard.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) produces a series of subject reviews that assess the quality of teaching by subject. Find out more at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/
The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) monitors the quality of research carried out by institutions. These ratings indicate the level of facilities available for a particular subject at a particular institution. Find out more at http://www.hero.ac.uk/
These measurements reflect one particular view of what is good, and should not be the only information you take into account when making your choices.
