What are assessments for?
If you’re wondering why you have to do assessments at all, the short answer is that your final module assessments let us assign you credits for those modules, and those credits work together to award you a degree.
The credits you’ve earned show that you’ve met the learning outcomes in the modules you’ve studied for, and gained the knowledge and skills in the course curriculum.
On accredited courses, we also use those final assessments to prove to professional bodies that you’ve met their standards.
Understand what type of assessment you’re doing
One of the first things you’ll see in a Moodle module is how you’re going to be assessed: this might be through essays, reports, portfolios, presentations, demonstrations or examinations, just to name a few. They’re designed to be accessible to you, to let you demonstrate your knowledge and skills to the best of your ability. You can find information about your assessments under the ‘Assessments tab’ at the top of your module.
During my time at university, lecturers have shown me project management tools to help me plan projects and find any potential flaws before I start developing. Using the different methodologies that I have learnt during university have helped me improve my project planning and management skills drastically, which has helped me organise coursework and personal projects.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is about being honest and transparent in your work. This includes making sure that you cite the sources of your ideas and information properly, ensuring that you’re using appropriate research methods, and checking that your work is free of errors. We have lots of services and support to help you develop your skills and establish good academic practice, including the use of anti-plagiarism software, which will be introduced to you at the start of your course. Find out more about Academic Skills Support.
Academic misconduct is any action that could give you an unfair advantage in assessed work, such examples can include but are not limited to plagiarism, collusion or cheating. The University investigates all suspected cases of academic misconduct, which can lead to a review and disciplinary action if we suspect that you have committed an assessment offence. For more information on academic misconduct procedures, see our Student Conduct Policy
If you are undertaking examinations in a time-constrained location, it is important that you understand and follow the rules on the conduct of examinations. For more information refer to Rules for the Conduct of Examinations
Exams and assessments
Information to help you before, during and after your exams and coursework, from planning to getting your results, and what to do if you're ill
During your assessment period
Getting your essays and projects in on time, what you’ll need to bring to exams, and what to do if you can’t attend or submit on time.
After your assessments
How you’ll get and understand your results, how we decide your grades, and what you can do if you disagree.
About these pages
The advice here applies to you if you’re doing an undergraduate or postgraduate taught degree at the University of Portsmouth, whether you’re at the Portsmouth campus, the London campus, or on a distance learning programme. This includes degree apprenticeships.
It explains our policy document, Examination and Assessment Regulations, which details the standards and credit requirements for your degree.
These are the 2024-2025 regulations. We review and update our assessment regulations every year, and you’ll be working within the most recent regulations (unless you’ve been told otherwise). In some rare cases, we may have to make temporary changes to regulations, in order to ensure your assessments are handled with fairness and integrity; if this happens, we’ll inform you of any changes and the reasons for them.
If you’re studying a Degree Apprenticeship, you’ll have a compulsory End Point Assessment (EPA) as part of your assessment plan. If there are any differences between the university assessment regulations and your EPA, the EPA takes priority.