Some formal assessments and reassessments will be conducted as take-home online exams.

What is involved in a take-home exam?

Take-home online exams will be similar to the formal exams you would have taken in-person on campus.

A take-home exam involves:

the examination paper being made available to students through their module blackboard
downloading the examination paper
completing the examination on your own computer
submitting your completed examination paper through Turnitin.

You must complete your exam at the time it is published. If you don’t, this can lead to you failing in that part of the exam unless you’ve been granted an extension or deferral.

How long will I have to complete the take-home exam?

The take-home exam is designed to be completed within the time constraint normally given to exams on campus. Your tutors will not expect you to take longer than the time given to complete it (e.g. two or three hours), and you should not work on your answers for longer than what is advised on the exam paper. In some instances, your tutor will give you an indication of the maximum word count to be written, and you should not go over the limit, otherwise you may incur some penalties.

You are given 24 hours in which to upload your work to Turnitin. This means that when the exam starts at 11am (UK Time), it will finish at 11am (UK Time) 24 hours later.

The 24 hours takes into account that you may experience additional challenges taking the exam remotely or scheduling it around other responsibilities at home. It also allows students who are normally entitled to additional time, rest breaks, an individual room or the use of a computer to manage these arrangements themselves within the 24-hour window.

It is recommended that you attempt your exam as early as you are able to within the 24-hour window to allow yourself time to resolve technical issues if these arise. For courses with specific professional or statutory requirements, you may be given fewer than the standard 24 hours to complete the exam or may be required to do the exam on campus. You will be informed of this during the course of the module.

Where will my take-home exam paper be on Blackboard?

A new section of your module blackboard will be created, where you will be able to:

access the examination paper
read University guidance on the examination
access any additional resources if these are relevant to your examination
submit your take-home exam answers through Turnitin.

You should include your Student ID and Module Title in your answer document. You should format your take-home examination answers as instructed in the exam cover sheet. If there are no specific instructions, you should format it in the same way as you format your coursework essays or assignments. If you are unsure about formatting, contact your module leader.

You should submit them through Turnitin in this take-home exams area. You will be able to resubmit your examination up until the deadline if you notice an error in the file you have uploaded.

What will I need to be able to complete take-home exams?

You will require a personal computer, a reliable stable internet connection and access to your module blackboard.

We strongly advise that you do not use a Wi-Fi hotspot when downloading materials or uploading your completed exam to Turnitin. Please note that should you be unable to upload your exam before the deadline, a reason of ‘poor internet connection’ will not be accepted in any claim for exceptional circumstances.

PC’s at any of our campuses can be used for take-home examinations.

Please note: By taking the exam you are declaring that it is entirely your own work. Be aware that the usual checks for authenticity will be carried out, using Turnitin and other means, and you will face the same penalties as usual if it has been proven that you have plagiarised or colluded with others.

Exams and coursework