Overview of Examinations

This page aims to give you an overview of the examinations you will sit as part of your undergraduate degree.  Links to where to go to find further information are given below but if you have any questions do speak to your college tutor.

There are two types of examinations: college examinations and University examinations. College examinations, called collections, are set by your college tutor and usually take place at the start of term.  Collections do not count towards your degree classification(s) but give you an opportunity to obtain feedback on your progress.

University, or public, examinations are set by the University. You will sit University examinations in each year of the undergraduate degree course: Prelims, Part A, Part B and, for students on the four year course, Part C.  For students on the three course, the University exams you sit in Part A and Part B will determine your degree classification.  Students on the four year course are awarded a doubly classified degree.  One classification is awarded for Parts A & B, and a separate classification is awarded for Part C. See the sections below for further information.

Prelims

You will sit the written papers for the preliminary examination at the end of Trinity term in your first year.  The marks for these written papers and, for mathematics students, the marks for the computational mathematics projects will be combined to give weighted averages.  The weighted averages, together with the marks for the individual papers, will be used to determine your classification for Prelims.  The possible classifications are distinction, pass, partial pass or fail.  

Your Prelims marks do not count towards your final degree classification(s), but the marks for the individual papers will appear on your degree transcript.  In addition, you need to obtain at least a pass for Prelims in order to proceed to Part A.

Further information about the format of papers, the formula for calculating the weighted averages and the criteria used for classification can be found in the Prelims exam conventions.

Part A

The Part A examinations take place at the end of Trinity term in your second year.  You will receive a mark for each of the papers you sit at Part A and these marks will appear on your transcript.  You will not receive a classification for Part A, instead the marks for your Part A papers are carried forward to Part B.  

Further information about the format and weighting of Part A papers can be found in the Part A exam conventions.

Part B

The written examinations for Part B take place in the second half of Trinity term in your third year.  If you opt to take any coursework options, you will also have submission deadlines in Michaelmas or Hilary term, depending on the option taken.  As at Part A, you will receive a mark for each of the papers you take at Part B and these marks appear on your transcript. 

The marks for your Part B papers will be combined with the marks for your Part A papers to give a weighted average for Parts A & B.  The Part B examination conventions explain how the weighted average is calculated.  The weighted average for Parts A & B, together with the individual paper marks, will be used to determine your classification for Parts A & B.  The rules for classification are set out in the examination conventions and the possible classifications are first, upper second, lower second, third, pass or fail. Please note that in order to proceed to Part C a student needs to obtain at least an upper second class for Part B alone. 

For students on the BA course the Parts A & B classification will be the overall classification for their degree and will appear on their transcript and degree certificate.  For students on the MMath course this is the first classification for their doubly-classified degree.

Part C

For students on the MMath course, the written examinations for Part C take place in the second half of Trinity term in your fourth year.  If you opt to take any coursework options, you will also have submission deadlines in Michaelmas or Hilary term, depending on the option taken.  You will receive a mark for each of the papers you take at Part C and, as before, these marks appear on your transcript. 

The marks for the papers taken at Part C are used to calculate a weighted average for Part C. This weighted average and the individual Part C paper marks are used to determine your Part C classification, following the classification criteria in the examination conventions. The possible classifications for Part C are first, upper second, lower second and third.

The Part C classification is the second classification for the doubly-classified degree. Students graduating with an MMath will have both their Parts A & B classification and their Part C classification on their degree certificate and transcript.

Students who do not obtain at least a third at Part C (i.e. have a weighted average less than 40) will not be awarded an MMath degree.  Instead they are eligible for a BA degree with the classification they achieved at Parts A & B.

Resits

Students who obtain either a fail or partial pass for their first attempt at Prelims may take the resit exams in September.  Additionally, students who obtain a pass or fail at Parts A & B or a fail at Part C  may resit Part B or Part C, respectively, on at most one subsequent occasion.  A student who resits Part B may not proceed to Part C.  Further information on resits can be found in the examination regulations or the examination conventions.

How to fill in your answer booklet and cover sheet

When you sit your exams you will be provided with a set of blank answer booklets, and also for some exams you may be provided a coloured cover sheet (Prelims and Part A) to fill in.

On the top of each answer booklet, you should enter:

- Your candidate number (available from your Student Self-Service, do not confuse this with your student number!)

- The title of the exam

- The date of the exam

In the box at the bottom of the booklet, you should clearly indicate which question you have answered. Please answer each question in a separate answer booklet. 

On the cover sheet (Prelims and Part A), you should enter:

- Your candidate number (do not confuse this with your student number!)

-  The numbers of the questions you answered in the 'Question Number' column.

Practice exams

Practice exams are now available to book - there are limited spaces so don't miss out!

You must reserve a place here to attend these events.

Look after yourself!

Preparing for your examinations should be on-going rather than a last minute thing and it's important to remember to look after yourself all year not just during the exams. Here are a few resources which may help. 

Past papers and model solutions

The University keeps an official archive of examination papers (OXAM) which is a helpful resource to students when revising for upcoming examinations. The department also publishes copies of past papers which can be found here

The department’s policy is to release solutions to exams held in even numbered years, dating back to at least 2016. Links to exam solutions and to specimen solutions can be found here: Part APart BPart C. Solutions to exams held in odd numbered years are not released. This is designed to strike the balance between students having access to past solutions for revision and use of past papers for other activities including College collections. The exception to this are the 2019 solutions, which were released as a mitigating measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For Prelims students we provide solutions to exams held in even numbered years, including resits, and a set of sample solutions to some Prelims questions which can be accessed here.

Examination Timetables

Once the examination timetables have been prepared and approved they will appear here on the University website. You will also be sent a personal timetable via Student Self Service. 

Your personal timetable showing your papers and the dates, times and location at which they will take place will be published online at least two weeks before your first examination.

Examination Information for Joint Schools

Computer Science Examination Information

Philosophy Examination Information

Statistics Examination Information

Consultation sessions

Consultation sessions are arranged in Trinity term for third and fourth year students to help you to revisit previously covered topics. Further details including information on the format of a consultation session and what to expect can be found here. We will release a timetable for consultation sessions in Week 0 for Trinity term. 

More information and guidance on what to expect will be provided nearer Trinity Term. 

Submitting a Mitigating Circumstances Notice to Examiners (MCE)

If you believe your performance in an assessment has been seriously affected by circumstances related to serious personal circumstances such as acute serious illness, chronic illness (including mental health conditions) bereavement etc. you should submit a mitigating circumstances notice to your examiners (MCE). Here is the mitigating circumstances guidance online.

Academic Appeals 

Under the University Academic Appeals Procedure you can raise an appeal against decisions of an academic body only on the following grounds: 

  • There was an error in the decision-making process
  • There was a procedural irregularity
  • There was bias or perception of bias in the decision-making process

There is no right of appeal over matters of academic judgement i.e. decisions that can only be made by applying an academic expert’s opinion. You cannot, therefore, appeal because you disagree with the examiners’ assessment of how well you met the assessment criteria.

Further information can be found on the University Academic Appeals webpage. Here is the link to the student guide to academic appeals: https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/studentacademicappealsguidancemt20pdf.pdf 

Other useful resources

Please contact us with feedback and comments about this page. Last updated on 05 Dec 2023 16:29.