To note
From October 2023, the New Framework for Assessment (NFA) described here no longer applies to undergraduate taught courses and to some postgraduate taught courses.
Please see the appropriate Postgraduate Taught Assessment Regulations for details of which assessment regulations apply to which postgraduate taught courses.
1. Introduction
This page provides information about the University's New Framework for Assessment (NFA), introduced in phases to groups of University programmes from 2008/09.
In summary, the NFA was introduced for all first-degree programmes leading to Bachelor awards with honours or to Master of Architecture with honours, and integrated first-degree programmes leading to classified Master awards with honours, for students starting at the beginning of such programmes in the academic year 2008/09 (Phase 1).
It was extended to cover a small group of postgraduate taught programmes in 2010/11 (Phase 2), and included the main ranges of postgraduate taught programmes from the academic year 2011/12 (Phase 3).
The academic year 2011/12 also saw the start of NFA regulations for some Foundation degree programmes, all Honours Year programmes, and programmes within the University's Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework (Phase 4).
The academic year 2012/13 brought in the remaining Foundation degree programmes not included earlier (Phase 5).
All of the necessary information about assessment in each of the NFA contexts is set out in a specific document:
- For the first-degree (undergraduate) programmes in Section 2 below;
- For the postgraduate taught (PGT) programmes in Section 3 below;
- For Foundation degree programmes in Section 4 below;
- For Honours Year programmes in Section 5 below;
- For CPD framework programmes in Section 6 below;
- For postgraduate online courses, see NFAAR-PGOLC.
Each section on this page provides links to all the key documents.
2. New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 1 for first-degree programmes (NFAAR-UG) (full specification)
The links immediately below are to the full, formal specification of the regulations known as the New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 1 for first-degree programmes, and abbreviated as NFAAR-UG. The main link is to a full specification (134 pages). A version history file is also available.
Separate, smaller files are provided for the appendix giving the definitions used in the NFAAR-UG, and for the specific separate decision-making appendices, so that programme regulations, programme specifications, and departmental handbooks can refer directly to these. These smaller file-links are also listed here.
For academic year 2022/23, Appendix 10 of NFAAR-UG v.013 in the full NFAAR-UG specification document is replaced by the document provided separately below, Appendix 10: Exemptions from provisions of the NFAAR-UG - academic year 2022/23.
- New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 1 for first-degree programmes (NFAAR-UG)
- Version history for the NFAAR-UG
- Separate file for Appendix 2: Definitions
- Separate file for Appendix 10: Exemptions from provisions of the NFAAR-UG - academic year 2022/23
- Separate files for decision-making criteria and flowcharts:
- Appendix 11 | Appendix 12 | Appendix 13 | Appendix 14 | Appendix 15 | Appendix 16 | Appendix 17 | Appendix 18
- Appendices 19-22 are disused and replaced by provisions in Appendices 11-14 respectively
- Appendix 23 | Appendix 24 | Appendix 25 | Appendix 26 | Appendix 27 | Appendix 28 | Appendix 29 | Appendix 30 | Appendix 31 | Appendix 32 | Appendix 33 | Appendix 34
- Appendix 11 | Appendix 12 | Appendix 13 | Appendix 14 | Appendix 15 | Appendix 16 | Appendix 17 | Appendix 18
An introduction to the NFA regulations for the main range of first-degree (undergraduate) programmes is available for students, in the form of answers to frequently-asked questions.
3. New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phases 2 & 3 for postgraduate taught programmes (NFAAR-PGT) (full specification)
The links immediately below are to the full, formal specification of the regulations known as the New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phases 2 & 3 for postgraduate taught programmes, and abbreviated as NFAAR-PGT. The main link is to a full specification (68 pages). A version history file is also available.
Separate, smaller files are provided for the appendix giving the definitions used in the NFAAR-PGT, and for the specific separate decision-making appendices, so that programme regulations, programme specifications, and departmental handbooks can refer directly to these. These smaller file-links are also listed here.
For academic year 2023/24, Appendix 10 of NFAAR-PGT v.009 in the full NFAAR-PGT specification document is replaced by the document provided separately below, Appendix 10: Exemptions from provisions of the NFAAR-PGT - academic year 2023/24.
- New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phases 2 & 3 for postgraduate taught programmes (NFAAR-PGT)
- Version history for the NFAAR-PGT
- Separate file for Appendix 2: Definitions
- Separate file for Appendix 10: Exemptions from provisions of the NFAAR-PGT - academic year 2023/24.pdf
- Separate files for decision-making criteria and flowcharts:
4. New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phases 4 & 5 for Foundation degree programmes (NFAAR-FD) (full specification)
The links immediately below are to the full, formal specification of the regulations known as the New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phases 4 & 5 for Foundation degree programmes, and abbreviated as NFAAR-FD. The main link is to a full specification (62 pages). A version history file is also available.
Separate, smaller files are provided for the appendix giving the definitions used in the NFAAR-FD, and for the specific separate decision-making appendices, so that programme regulations, programme specifications, and departmental handbooks can refer directly to these. These smaller file-links are also listed here.
- New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phases 4 & 5 for Foundation degree programmes (NFAAR-FD)
- Version history for the NFAAR-FD
- Separate file for Appendix 2: Definitions
- Separate files for decision-making criteria and flowcharts:
5. New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 4 for Honours Year programmes (NFAAR-HY) (full specification)
The links immediately below are to the full, formal specification of the regulations known as the New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 4 for Honours Year programmes, and abbreviated as NFAAR-HY. The main link is to a full specification (62 pages). A version history file is also available.
Separate, smaller files are provided for the appendix giving the definitions used in the NFAAR-HY, and for the specific separate decision-making appendices, so that programme regulations, programme specifications, and departmental handbooks can refer directly to these. These smaller file-links are also listed here.
- New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 4 for Honours Year programmes (NFAAR-HY)
- Version history for the NFAAR-HY
- Separate file for Appendix 2: Definitions
- Separate files for decision-making criteria and flowcharts:
6. New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 4 for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework programmes (NFAAR-CPD) (full specification)
The links immediately below are to the full, formal specification of the regulations known as the New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 4 for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework programmes, and abbreviated as NFAAR-CPD. The main link is to a full specification (80 pages). A version history file is also available.
Separate, smaller files are provided for the appendix giving the definitions used in the NFAAR-CPD, and for the specific separate decision-making appendices, so that programme regulations, programme specifications, and departmental handbooks can refer directly to these. These smaller file-links are also listed here.
- New Framework for Assessment: Assessment Regulations: Phase 4 for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework programmes (NFAAR-CPD)
- Version history for the NFAAR-CPD
- Separate file for Appendix 2: Definitions
- Separate files for decision-making criteria and flowcharts:
7. Illustrative documentation
An introduction to the NFA regulations for the main range of first-degree (undergraduate) programmes is available for students, in the form of answers to frequently-asked questions.
8. Background documentation available to the University community
Background information about the consultation and decision-making processes that resulted in the introduction of the new framework and an index of consultation and implementation documents is available to the University community by contacting Academic Registry.