Assessment and Examination Regulations

Assessment

Section 21 of the Act: Written and Oral Examinations and other forms of Assessment and Tests

• Subject to the Statute, the examinations and or other forms of assessment of the University shall be conducted under the control of the Senate.
  
  
• The University may, for the purpose of any examination or other form of assessment determined by the Council on the recommendation of the Senate, make use of external examiners or moderators appointed by the Council on the recommendation of the Senate.

Requirements

• Subject to the provisions of the Act and this Statute, a candidate shall pass in an examination or other form of assessment of the University in every module that he/she is required to take towards a degree, diploma or certificate.
  
  
• A student shall not be admitted to any form of assessment unless he has paid all fees or any fines imposed by the University: provided that the Senate may exempt a student from this provision.
  
  
• A student shall, in accordance with the rules laid down by the departments and Schools attend lectures and tutorials satisfactorily and obtain assement marks which shall be taken into consideration in admitting the student to assessment and determining his final mark.
  
  
• Progress within the curriculum for a degree, diploma or certificate shall be prescribed in the respective rules. Continuation of studies for a specific degree, diploma or certificate during a year of study may be changed or cancelled by the Senate if it deems it necessary in the interests of the University.

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Written and Oral Examination Centres

Written and oral examinations shall be conducted at such places as the Senate may approve as assessment centres.

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Dates and Times of Assessment

The date and time of an assessment shall be determined by the Senate and it may determine different dates and times for assessment.

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Absence Owing to Illness

• A candidate who, owing to illness, is prevented from presenting himself/herself for assessment shall inform the Dean or have him informed, in writing, of such illness before the start of the assessment, and such a notice must be supported within seven days from his date by a certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner.
  
  
• The Senate may decide that a student mentioned in d(I) must present himself/herself for assessment on a date and at a place as determined by the Senate.

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Assessment Rules and Instruction

• Any student shall strictly adhere to the assessment rules which the Senate may issue, as well as to any instruction referred to which the Senate may make known to him/her through the assessor (lecturer)
  
  
• The Senate may issue rules (in these regulations referred to as "Assessment rules") to a student in connection with the writing of an examination and any other form of assessment , and such rules refer to;
  
  • matters referred to in these regulations;
    
  • the execution of instruction of the invigilator;
    
  • times to report for an assessment;
    
  • late reporting to the assessment room;
    
  • objects which may be taken into the assessment room;
    
  • the identification of a candidate and proof of entry for the assessment; and
    
  • any other assessment matter which the Principal may deem necessary.

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Assessment Security

• Unless specifically otherwise provided in these regulations, no person shall prior to the date determined in terms of article © for the assessment concerned, have in his possession, buy, sell, reproduce or in whatsoever way copy or have copies made of the question paper referred to.
  
  
• Any person who contravenes the provision of subarticle (f) (i) shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding R500.
  
  
• In case of a written examination no person except the chief invigilator , or an invigilator by direction of the chief invigilator, shall open the sealed envelope containing the examination papers and the chief invigilator or the invigilator referred to shall open it only on the date and at the time fixed in terms of regulations for the examination paper concerned in the presence of students in the assessment room.
  
  
• No person, except the invigilators, the students for the examination concerned or any person authorised thereto by the Senate shall be permitted in the assessment room during the time fixed for the examination.

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Irregularities by Students

If any student

• unless otherwise provided by an authorised person for an assessment, takes into the assessment room or has in his possession while he is in the room, any book, memorandum, notes, card or other document or paper other than such as may be supplied to him by the invigilator, his admission card and identification document; or
  
  
• in any irregular manner helps or attempts to help another student, obtains or attempts to obtain help or communicates or attempts to communicate with any person (except the invigilator); or
  
  
• disregards the assessment rules or examination instructions and, after being warned by the invigilator, continues to disregard the rules and regulations referred to; or
  
  
• creates a disturbance in an assessment room or behaves in an improper or unbecoming manner and refuses, after being warned by the invigilator, to stop causing the disturbance or his improper or unbecoming behaviour; or
  
  
• disregards the arrangements of the invigilator and, after being warned by the invigilator, continues to disregard the arrangements referred to: the invigilator shall immediately bring such irregularity to the notice of the chief invigilator.

The chief invigilator may, after he has confronted the student concerned with the alleged irregularity and has afforded him the opportunity to present his side of the case in writing, or verbally, in the presence of an invigilator or other witness confiscate the student's script, make a note of the time and circumstances surrounding this action and allow the the student to continue with the written examination in a new script.

A student who continues to create a disturbance for other students in spite of a warning by the invigilator may be expelled from the assessment room by the chief invigilator in the presence of an invigilator or another witness.

The chief invigilator shall, immediately after the written examination, submit a complete report, together with the student's written statement (or, in the case of a verbal statement, the chief invigilator's written version thereof) and any other evidence regarding the matter, to the Principal.

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Action by the Principal

Should the Principal be of the opinion that a student or group of students has obtained an unfair advantage because

• the contents of a assesment question for which a student or group of students have entered have become known to him or them prior to the date and time on which the assessment is conducted; or
  
  
• any of the provision of (g)(I)-(v) has been contravened;
  
  
• another person pretend to be the student concerned at the assessment session; or
  
  
• some irregularity or other has occurred in connection with the writing of such examination or the handling of a script after such assessment has been conducted, the Principal may take one or more of the following steps:
  
  • prohibit the student or group of students from entering the assessment room or from further writing the examination;
    
    
  • refuse to recognise the results obtained by the student or group of students in the written examination;
    
    
  • refuse any person referred to admission to an assessment for such period as the Principal may determine;
    
    
  • instruct that any success in a module or an examination as a whole with which such student has been credited be cancelled; or
    
    
  • reject the examination script in respect of the subject concerned.

The Principal may require a student or group of students to rewrite the examination as a whole or in part on such date, time and place as he may determine.

The Principal may, within three months after cancellation of any success, by notice in writing require a person to whom a diploma or certificate has been issued on the grounds of such success to return such diploma or certificate to the Principal for cancellation within three weeks of such notice for cancellation.

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Consequences of Suspension or Exclusion from the University

If a student who is a candidate in terms of the Act is suspended or expelled from the University on account of misconduct after the assessment has begun, the Principal may take one or more of the following steps:

• refuse to recognise the results obtained by the student in the assessment; or
  
  
• prohibit the student from further writing the examination; or
  
  
• instruct that any success in any subject or examination with which the student was credited at such examination be cancelled

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Examination Scripts

An examination script shall be the property of the University and shall be put at the disposal of a student only during the period determined for the examination paper concerned. Examination scripts shall be kept by the University for a period of at least 90 days after the results of the assessment concerned were made available.

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Assessment of Projects

Students individually or in groups shall be assessed on their performance on the approved projects. Marks obtained in this assessment should form part of the final mark.

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Re-marking of Examination Scripts

Any undergraduate student who fails a written examination or does not achieve the required symbol or is of the opinion that he should have achieved a higher symbol in a subject where no external examiners are involved, may apply to Senate to

• have his examination scripts re-marked; or
  
  
• have his marks for a separate subject or subjects as well as his total marks verified

A decision by Senate after consideration of an application referred to in (k) in respect of the question whether a student failed or achieved a required standard or symbol shall be final and the Senate shall not consider any further applications in this regard.

An application referred to in (k) shall reach the Senate within 90 days after the examination results are made known and shall be accompanied by the prescribed examination fee for re-marking.

Remarking is not automatic. The Dean and the Vice-Dean of the School concerned will look at each application.

Re-marking of supplementary examination scripts will not be granted. Both examiners, internal and external, must mark all scripts.

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Diplomas, Certificates and Statements

A diploma or certificate, without any erasure of alteration on it, shall be issued free of charge by the Vice-Chancellor to any student who has complied with the requirements for such diploma or certificate.

No person, except the Principal or an officer authorised by the Principal to do so, acting in terms of this article, shall issue any such diploma, certificate or statement which indicates or purports to indicate that a person has passed an examination or successfully completed a module or subject of such an examination.

If the original diploma or certificate is mislaid or destroyed or damaged, the Principal may on receipt of an application on a form approved by the Principal, and on payment of an amount determined by Council, state in writing that a person has passed an examination or successfully completed a module or subject of such examination.

Any diploma or certificate which has been amended or erroneously issued may be reclaimed, confiscated and cancelled by the Principal.

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