Exams and assessment
Over-length work
Guidance on word counts and penalties for over-length work.
Word limits are specified for some assessed work in order to maintain equity between all students doing the same assessment.
Your module leaders must clearly communicate information on word limits to you in the assessment brief.
Assessed work should not exceed the prescribed word limit. You may be subject to a penalty if you exceed that limit.
Providing an accurate word count
For written work, you must provide an accurate word count for each piece of work you submit. This will normally rely on the word count system within Microsoft Word.
The word limit specified for written assessments excludes:
- Tables (tables may not include large amounts of text)
- Graphs
- Equations
- Footnotes
- Bibliography
- Appendices (appendices may contain diagrams, tables or visual images but not large amounts of text)
Excess use of any of the above may result in the word count being checked and a penalty being applied.
Markers will check the declared word count on the cover sheet against the word limit specified for that assessment. If the word count exceeds the specified word limit, the appropriate penalty is applied. It is reported to the School Assessment Board.
Work is marked normally, and the over-length penalty is applied to the raw provisional mark. This applies when marking first attempt work or reassessment work.
If it is suspected that you have not declared the word count honestly, and that the work is longer than declared, the word count may be checked, and a penalty applied. The School Assessment Board may reserve the right to refer a student for consideration under the University's Academic Misconduct Policy.
Penalties for over-long work
| Percentage over the word limit | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Up to 10% | Deduct no marks, but note in feedback |
| Between 10% to 24% | Deduct 5 marks* |
| Between 25% to 49% | Deduct 15 marks* |
| More than 50% | Eligible only for the capped pass mark |
*Or given a capped pass mark, whichever is greater. For example, a raw mark of 43 would be capped at a mark of 40 for an undergraduate student if the work was 20% over the word limit.
