Cardiff University: Results downgrading is unfair, students' union says

A decision to apply scaling to some results followed careful consideration, Cardiff University says

Students say they have been treated unfairly after their results were downgraded by their university's exam boards.

Cardiff University Students' Union said a number of science and humanities students had "growing concerns" about a decision to scale down exam marks.

It said the decision was "fundamentally unfair" after students had "overcome many challenges during the pandemic".

The university said the decision was taken after careful consideration.

What is scaling?

Course tutors mark students' work and give a provisional mark which is then verified by the university's examining board.

Examination boards sometimes use scaling, where marks are adjusted up or down for an entire year group.

Its purpose is to make sure the academic standards achieved by students are consistent with previous years.

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Emails sent to one student and seen by BBC Wales explain why a course exam board decided to lower marks on certain papers.

They said the board understood it was "frustrating" for students when marks were lowered and it did not take such a decision lightly.

Adjustments were made to ensure the degree was assessed in a comparable way to others in order to protect its value, they said.

Another email explained that provisional marks were found to be "materially higher" compared with past performance on the same modules.

One 23-year-old masters student, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he felt "a sense of injustice" at how the situation had been handled.

"My grades are good enough that I can deal with the negative impact," he said. "I mostly feel a sense of injustice at the way it's been done.

"There are people who have lost up to 20% of the module on these adjustments."

Becky Ricketts said telling students this late in the year was wrong

The students' union said it acknowledged the hard work of staff to adapt to the pandemic and that the university's approach was in line with its existing policy.

"However, students have also had to adapt and overcome many challenges during the pandemic, we feel that the addition of scaling down their marks is fundamentally unfair."

It said earlier in the year it had requested scaling down to be amended due to the pandemic, but said this was "not implemented by the university".

National Union of Students Wales president Becky Ricketts said she was frustrated for students hit by the decision.

"The students' union made it clear their opposition to the policy and to tell students this late into the year is wrong and has left students worried for their outcomes and future prospects," she said.

'Equivalent to previous years'

Cardiff University said examining boards were independent and reviewed the marks given by examiners.

"Examining boards may, after careful consideration, decide to adjust (or scale) assessment or module marks upwards or downwards," it said.

"Importantly, this process adjusts the marks for an individual assessment or module to ensure that the academic standards achieved by students are equivalent to previous years."

It said its scaling approach was developed in consultation with the students' union and published on the student intranet.

Decisions to scale marks were not taken routinely and only after "careful consideration", it said.

The university encouraged students to raise concerns directly.