Bristol Uni announces big changes to term dates for the 2024/25 academic year

The term dates have been changed to create less stress around assessment periods

10 months ago

As of September 2024, Bristol Uni term dates will be changing to both begin and finish earlier, as well as having the same assessment period for all courses before the winter break.

Welcome week will start earlier, beginning on 9th September, whilst the summer break will begin earlier on 25th May. Rather than having exams after the Christmas holidays, all assessments will happen in one week only, 9th-13th December, in time for the winter break on December 16th.

To help students prepare, an assessment preparation week will run from 2nd-6th December.

This change comes after a long period of both staff and students “feeling overloaded” around assessment periods, causing the university to make sure there is “less activity during vacation periods” so that “results of assessments are processed as efficiently as possible.”

On the Bristol University website, further information is provided regarding the reasonings for the change, explaining that “you [students] told us you were not getting a proper break during the winter holiday because you had to use your time writing or revising for January assessments. The new structure will allow you to complete exams and assessments before the winter break.”

Many students felt they were beginning TB2 without sufficient feedback from TB1 exams, as the page continues: “You have also told us that you need feedback on your assessments as early as possible.

“The earlier TB1 assessment period will help you with your learning through TB2.”

So, the key changes are as follows:

Welcome week will start earlier, beginning 9th September 2024
Consolidation Week (reading week) for all students will be 21st-25th October 2024

2nd-6th December will be Assessment Preparation week, followed by the TB1 assessments. All assessments will happen in one week only, and will all be completed before the winter break running from 16th of December to 3rd of January
TB2 starts with a preparation week, commencing 6th January 2025.
TB2 reading week, standardised across the whole of Bristol University, will be from 17th-21st February 2025
Preparation week for TB2 assessments begins 31st March before spring vacation commences on 7th April until 25th April.
The TB2 assessments will take place over three weeks, the same as it does currently, from 28th April to 16th May.
The earlier start to the beginning of the year is then reflected with an earlier finish date, with 26th May 2025 marking the start of summer break.

These changes are expected to “streamline when and how things are done” so the academic year will run smoothly, with less stress around assessment and marking periods.