UoL’s ‘safety net’ policy means your grades can’t go below your average

The University of Liverpool has announced a new ‘no detriment’ approach to assessment and marking for the rest of the academic year.

This means a UoL student’s “year average for 19/20 will not be negatively impacted by the difficulties arising from transitioning to online learning and assessment or industrial action.”

Students can only improve on their current grade average, and won’t go below this regardless of future assessments.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Gavin Brown emailed students on Friday evening: “Providing you attain a minimum pass mark overall for the year, calculated from all your completed assessments in 19/20 including those you still need to complete, then we will calculate two overall marks for you as follows:

1. Your overall average for all your assessments in 19/20, and
2. Your overall average for assessments Examination Boards designate as unaffected.”

Despite guaranteeing students will achieve at least their current grade average, he added: “I urge you to try your best in the coming period, as if you achieve higher marks in assessments submitted and examinations undertaken after Sunday, 15 March then you will be able to raise your mark for the year.

Completing your remaining assessments can only help your average and not lower it. This will also apply to postgraduate students with assessments in the autumn, e.g. Masters dissertations.”

Students on courses that are deemed to have “professional recognition” will have to wait for their Schools to confirm whether this policy will be extended to them, but the uni are “working closely with Professional Bodies to adapt their requirements to the present situation.”

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