Marking and assessment boycott

This is where academic staff refuse to carry out marking and assessment duties as part of industrial action.

This marking and assessment boycott covers all forms of marking and assessment processes that contribute to what’s called ‘summative assessment decisions’ for students/learners. This means all decisions about assessments that ‘count’ towards progression decisions (ie continuing into the next phase of your degree) or your final degree.

Yes. A marking and assessment boycott has the potential to cause more concern, impact and disruption to students than any other form of industrial action. With this in mind, we have made the decision to withhold pay for those taking part in the boycott (50% of 1/365th of their annual pay per day of participation in the boycott).

Whenever pay is withheld, we liaise with the Students Unions to agree a way to use this money to the benefit of our students.

Moving from multiple to single markers

While your department might originally have intended to have a module you were undertaking marked by more than one marker, this was not necessarily possible in the context of the boycott. 

Double marking is not absolutely necessary for modules to be properly assessed where other robust methods of checking marks and ensuring they are accurate can be used instead. 

Where double marking may have prevented you getting your results, we advised departments to look at each of their modules where double marking was scheduled, and  consider whether there were ways to ensure that such modules could be fairly assessed using just one marker if necessary. 

In such cases departments may have used a single marker and then examined the distributions of marks to ensure that they were fair and used other processes, such as checking of samples and comparing to mark distribution on the module in previous years to check that markers had applied criteria and marked appropriately. 

Module assessments are also checked by external examiners, who will raise concerns if they do not feel that the marks have been awarded suitably. They are also subject to scrutiny by your Exam Board. 

We are therefore confident that, even where we had to move from double- to single-marking of assessments with moderation, those pieces of work have been properly examined and are accurate exercises of academic judgement.

Dissertations not being marked by supervisors

In any normal year, there is always a risk that a piece of work might not be able to be marked by a supervisor, and first marking by a supervisor is not standard in all departments and disciplines. Sudden illness, for example, might make it impossible for a supervisor to do so (this was an issue during the pandemic for example). 

In such cases it is necessary to find a new marker who has sufficient expertise and understanding to be able to assess the piece of work fairly. This would usually be the person who was due to second mark the work (or someone of similar level of expertise and experience in marking). 

Departments will therefore have been conscious of any issues about having work graded by someone who was not part of the supervision process and this will have been factored into the moderation processes and the Exam Board's scrutiny.

The grades awarded for your work are a matter of ‘academic judgement’ and this cannot be appealed. We also believe that departments have put in place robust measures to ensure that marks were awarded fairly and have been subject to review - we do not think that there is a basis for an appeal based on the changed procedures. 

Although ‘procedural error’ is a basis for appealing grades, the changes put in place have been taken as a contingency to address risks that you would not get your marks due to the boycott and we have sought to put in place adjustments that make certain the procedures adopted can ensure that your work has been appropriately marked.

We are sorry that you may be handing in work and taking part in assessments and exams, and yet face delays in getting feedback and results. Departments/Schools will review any impact over the industrial action period. 

We are committed to doing absolutely everything we can so that this boycott does not compromise the quality of your education, your progression through your programme, or the quality of a degree from the University of York.

If at any point you still feel you have been adversely affected, there is a process you can follow which starts with talking to your department. Find out further information about how to raise concerns as an appeal or complaint.

If your wellbeing is affected in any way, support is available through our central services, from your department, and via our students unions (YUSU and GSA).

Please see our student support and advice pages for links and contact details.

This applies to all students (undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate researchers) but please be aware that our support and advice teams may be busier than normal at this time.

Now that the boycott has ended, we are working with departments to confirm how and when any work still unmarked will be completed, and how students affected will be kept informed of progress. 

We are doing all that we can to get the award of your degree to you as soon as possible but unfortunately we cannot give an exact date as yet. We will share updates as soon as possible once the details are confirmed.

We will maintain your University email account until we have awarded your degree. Please continue to check this regularly as this is how we will continue to send you important information, including your final outcome.

Student visa holders who are eligible for and intend to make an application for the graduate route have been granted a concession over delays to grades. The Home Office has confirmed that students planning to make a Graduate Route application but who do not know when they will receive their results due to the marking and assessment boycott, will be able to apply to extend their student visa permission from within the UK whilst they wait for their results.

If you have any questions, please contact the International Student Support team.

We will be providing you with a letter for future employers and Higher Education Institutions which will explain this situation, and that you have completed all the necessary requirements for your award. It will further ask that they use your record so far (available from your transcript on e:vision or gradintel) in order to enable them to allow you to progress to employment or further study.

You'll receive this at around the time of your graduation celebration ceremony.

This situation is unfortunately impacting students at many institutions across the country, and employers will likely be familiar with your situation. 

We know students will be planning internships this summer, have job offers for after graduation or be starting to plan their graduate careers.

The Institute of Student Employers and our University's Careers & Placements service have made many employers aware of the industrial action and that the impact may vary from student to student. 

If you have any concerns about the impact of the boycott on your own employment or internships, it's worth contacting your employer to let them know and speaking to our Careers and Placement team for support. 

Now that the boycott has ended, we are working with departments to confirm how and when any work still unmarked will be completed, and how students affected will be kept informed of progress. 

We are doing all that we can to get your final mark for the year to you as soon as possible but unfortunately we cannot give an exact date as yet. We will share updates as soon as possible once the details are confirmed.

Please continue to check your University email regularly as this is how we will continue to send you important information, including your final mark for the year.

It is really important that you take any resits you are required to sit as requested. Not doing so could lead to you not having enough credits to progress to, or remain on, the next stage of your studies.

There will be no fee to resit any exams this summer.

In the first instance, please speak to your department or supervisor if you have questions about your eligibility to study abroad, or start a work placement next year.