King’s Law students to sit take-home exams due to coronavirus

Traditional exams have been cancelled over coronavirus fears


The Dickson Poon School of Law has announced that law students at King’s will be sitting take-home exams.

This comes shortly after the university informed students that they “will not hold conventional unseen exams” for the exam period this spring between April 27th and May 20th.

In a university-wide email, KCL’s senior vice president outlined the university’s ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic, stating that most traditional exams will not go ahead and “alternative assessment formats and modes will be utilised.”

Shortly after, Law students were informed via a department email that they would be sitting take-home exams.

Gillian Douglas, Executive Dean of the law school, explained that “the School has decided that our adjustment will be that modules that would have had exams taken on campus will instead be assessed via take-home examinations”.

There has however been no clarification over what a ‘take-home exam’ entails or when they will be sat.

Some students have been expressing their disappointment and frustration with the lack of communication from the department.

Third-year law student Katie said, “The lack of support, clarity and respect is shocking. Students are left in the dark, and have to fight for any kind of information or concession regarding external issues beyond their control.”

Speaking of the damaging impact this disruption will have on students, third-year Lucy said, “Law school expects us to achieve excellence across the board and go on to become leaders in our field, and yet rarely give us the capacity to do so.

“The confusion and miscommunication between students, lecturers and administration staff is a discredit to the potential of the 2020 Law LLB cohort.”

The news of the alternative assessments came on the day that exam timetables were due to be released – minutes before the end of the workday – prompting third-year law student Emily to suggest, “This is the furthest the administration have ever gone to postpone releasing the exam timetable. Seems a bit drastic, really.”

Details are yet to be finalised and the department promises an update before the end of term in two weeks.

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