General Assessment Guidelines

The following guidelines apply to assessment items that have specified submission due dates and/or are completed as a specified learning activity (e.g., submission of an assignment or documentation, or completion of a quiz or an online task). Please ensure that you review the Course Profile carefully to determine if an extension request is applicable to the specific assessment task.

When to apply for an Extension

You can apply for an assessment extension in the event of exceptional circumstances, which prevent you from submitting an assessment by the due date and time, however it is expected that you plan your workload in a way that enables you to meet assessment deadlines. Note: the due date for some assessments will not be able to be extended. If this is the case this will be described in the relevant Course Profile. Please refer to the Examinations Procedure for information on how to defer an exam, as the extension process does not apply to mid-semester, in-class or end-of-semester examinations.

Applying for an Extension

You must apply for an extension using the online submission process prior to the submission due date and time, and as soon as it is evident that you need an extension (per Assessment Procedure).

Your extension request may be refused if the Medical School is not satisfied that you took reasonable steps to avoid the circumstances that contributed to you being unable to submit an assessment item on time.

Refer to the Applying for an assessment extension for a list of acceptable reasons for requesting an extension. You can also download a printable list of all reasons and required evidence.

Email requests for extensions will NOT be considered or approved.

If you apply for an extension after the due date, you must provide an explanation as to why you were unable to apply by the published due date and time, along with evidence of the reason/s for the late request (refer: Assessment Procedure). Extension requests received after the due date and time will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and must be accepted by a Senior Administrative Officer/School Manager for consideration (per Student Grievance Resolution Procedure).

It is your responsibility to ensure that:

• You submit your request for extension as soon as it is evident that an extension is needed.
• Your application is correct and that you have provided appropriate supporting documentation.

You should avoid submitting an extension request at the last minute. You may experience delays in the processing of your request if:

• further documentation is required;
• the request is received after the due date/time (in which case your request will be denied unless there are exceptional circumstances as noted above);
• the request is a second or subsequent application for the same assessment item;
• you have already had 3 or more approved extensions in any academic year. In this situation your application will be reviewed prior to decision making for that extension.

Duration and Number of Extensions

Extensions will only be approved for a specific period of time, which may vary depending on the type of assessment task and the reason for the extension. The length of the extension is determined by the supporting documentation provided with the extension request (e.g., if you supply a medical certificate for 3 days, a maximum 3-day extension will be approved). Longer extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis and depending on individual circumstances; however, this is only in exceptional circumstances such as a new life event and will usually not be longer than 7 days from the time the assessment task was due to be completed.

Only ONE (1) extension per assessment item will be granted. Requests for a second extension for the same piece of assessment will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, with supporting documentation, and after consultation with the appropriate Medical School staff.

If you apply for FOUR (4) or more extensions across all enrolled courses in the MD program (regardless of whether the extensions are approved), your requests will be reviewed, and you may be asked to explain the rationale for your multiple extension requests.

Extensions and Student Access Plans

Where you apply for an extension based on an approved Student Access Plan (SAP), the SAP must clearly state the provision for extensions to assessment due dates. If your SAP includes an extension provision, you must still apply for an extension using the process outlined above, as extensions are not automatically granted if applied for on the basis of a SAP. Please provide your SAP as part of your supporting documentation when applying for an extension.

The maximum extension granted for applications based on a SAP is 7 days. Applications requesting more than 7 days, or second and subsequent extension requests, will require additional supporting information as this request will not be considered based on the SAP, but rather additional events (whether they relate to the circumstances of the SAP or not). As noted above it is only in exceptional circumstances that a second extension will be considered.

Penalties for Late Submission

It is important to note that submission times for all assessments are Brisbane time (AEST) and are set to comply with the Assessment Procedure.

If you do not have an approved extension and you submit an assessment late, you will incur penalties as defined in the Assessment Procedure or the Course Profile for hurdle assessments. In addition, late submission without an approved extension will be considered as a marker for a lapse in professional conduct and may be included as information considered by the MD Board of Examiners when determining your readiness to progress to the next stage of learning (see the Course Profile for further information).

Important summary

The diagram below summarises some of the key messages about the enactment of the extension policy for MD students.

You are required to submit all assessment items, including Clinical Participation Assessments (CPA), by the due date. Refer to the Course Profile for specific information. If your CPA is not submitted to your supervisor by the due date, any supervisor ratings that contribute to achievement of course requirements may not be considered, and you will be at risk of failing the course.

The MD program holds a variety of clinical or practical examinations that require you to complete a series of tasks or stations within a set time; for example, assessment of clinical skills, an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). You will receive a timetable and/or email that will clearly outline the location of your assessment and the designated start time (including any additional requirements). You are encouraged to arrive 15-30 minutes before the designated start time unless other instructions are provided. If you arrive late and a late arrival cannot be accommodated, you WILL be refused entry. If the reason for your late arrival meets the eligibility criteria for a deferred examination, you may apply accordingly.

You must comply with all other examination requirements as per the Examinations Procedure, including completion of inductions to the examination site in the case of the Gross Anatomy Facility (GAF), personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, ID cards and not use electronic devices (unless permitted). Arriving late, even when it is possible to proceed with the assessment, will be considered an indicator of professional behaviour and may be considered by the MD Board of Examiners when determining your readiness to progress to the next stage of learning. Non-compliance with assessment and examination requirements will be considered as a potential breech of academic integrity and professional conduct.

Adjustments that effectively minimise the influence of disability or impairment on performance in one examination may not be suitable for a different for a different type of examination, or at a different time. Adjustments tailored for written examinations do not necessarily translate directly to clinical examinations designed to assess core clinical skills by direct observation. All AEA requests are considered on an individual basis to determine the options appropriate and feasible to support you to demonstrate the learning outcomes being assessed in the clinical examination. For example, in an OSCE, which is time specific, it is not generally possible to alter the duration of individual stations where you will complete a clinical task. However other adjustments within and outside the station and certain time adjustments outside of the clinical task may be appropriate and feasible. Decisions regarding the implementation of AEAs will also take into account the broader contextual logistics for each situation.

For AEA applications to be considered, you are strongly advised to meet with your Diversity Disability and Inclusion Student Advisor to discuss your situation. You are encouraged to do this as soon as possible, no less than two weeks prior to the clinical examination date, as clinical examinations have complex logistics that require significant planning. Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis and will only be considered if a reasonable adjustment can be accommodated as Reasonable Adjustments Procedure. If you need alternative examination arrangements, please refer to Alternative exam arrangements for further information.

Assessment results and feedback from progressive assessments held during the course will only be released after the Course Coordinator has undertaken a review of the assessment results and completed any quality management processes including moderation.

For courses in Years 1 and 2 where students are completing examinations during the year (and not part of the end of year examination period), full details of assessment results will not be released until after any deferred assessments have been completed.

For courses in Years 3 and Year 4, results for progressive assessments that are performance hurdles will not be released until after census date for each semester (March 31 or August 31).

Deferred assessment will be approved in accordance with the provisions on my.UQ. This includes assessments that are outlined in the MD program rules (year 3-4 OSCE for MD Program Codes 5578 and 5719; Clinical Basic Science Examination (CBSE) for MD-Ochsner students enrolled in Program Code 5741).

Deferred assessment is available for examinations held during the academic year and end-of-semester exams, and in most cases for oral and practical exams. Please review the relevant Course Profile for further information.

As outlined on my.UQ, applications for deferred examinations is submitted through mySI-net. Any deferral applications for examinations that are NOT held during the standard end-of-semester examination weeks (refer to Important exam dates) are referred to as “mid-semester exams” in mySI-net. As such, please select mid-semester exam when completing step 8 of the application process (or step 7 for discretionary deferred applications).

If you defer a clinical examination, the timing of your deferred clinical examination will be scheduled in consultation with the relevant clinical unit and will depend on the availability of examiners. Therefore, your deferred clinical examination may occur during the next clinical placement block within the semester or in the deferred examination period at the end of the current semester.

If you apply for FOUR (4) or more deferred examinations across all enrolled courses in the MD program (regardless of whether the deferral requests are approved), your requests will be reviewed, and you may be asked to provide further information regarding your multiple deferral requests so that you can be provided with information to support you during your academic study.

It is important to note that the Year 3-4 program level OSCE is run twice a year. You will need to take this into account if considering a deferral. If your application to defer the Year 3-4 OSCE is approved, you will be offered an opportunity to complete the deferred OSCE at the next available offering (e.g. deferral of the program level OSCE at the end of semester 2 in year 3 will result in offering you a deferred OSCE opportunity at the end of semester 1 of your year 4; likewise deferring your OSCE at the end of semester 1 year 4 will result in offering your deferred OSCE at the same time as the next cohort’s first OSCE offering, that is at the end of your year 4 semester 2).

Assessments that are scored (examinations, some assignments etc.) will be recorded to two (2) decimal places. In addition, scores calculated by standard setting methods such as the borderline regression method (e.g., OSCE and other clinical assessments that utilise this method) or Cohen (e.g., Cumulative Achievement Tests) will also be recorded to two (2) decimal places. Therefore, decisions regarding achievement in assessments that contribute to an overall mark to determine progression decisions will not be rounded.

The process of determining the minimum level required to progress to the next year or stage of learning (the “pass mark” or “cut score”) is called standard setting. There are several recognised standard setting methods that are used in the MD program. Further information is available in the Assessment Literacy section of the MD Community Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site available to all enrolled students.

Where a pass mark has been set at a pre-determined level prior to the actual assessment, standard setting may be used to moderate a set pass mark downwards to the advantage of students. Per the Assessment Procedure, Post hoc variations to grade cut-offs may be permissible where there is justifiable academic reason for the change:

• The Head of School may approve the lowering of grade cut-offs where the change does not disadvantage students; and
• In exceptional circumstances, the Associate Dean (Academic) in consultation with the Academic Registrar may approve grade cut-offs to be increased.

Information about supplementary assessment is available on my.UQ. You are encouraged to review this information as it explains the process of applying for supplementary assessment through mySI-net.

Supplementary assessment is not available for all courses or assessment tasks within a course. Non-availability of supplementary assessments will always be stated in the Course Profile. Whether or not to provide a supplementary assessment is typically related to the assessment being based on the successful development and demonstration of professional competence over the entire course.

Assessment components that are not generally eligible for supplementary assessment include, but are not limited to, workplace-based assessments such as CPAs, Summative Portfolio Reviews in the Workplace Learning Portfolio course, and the Developing Professional Conduct components of MEDI7100 and MEDI7200. It is important that you carefully review the information about supplementary assessments in each course’s Course Profile.

When a supplementary assessment is in the same format as the original course assessment, the passing standard for the supplementary assessment will generally adopt the same standard as the main round of results. You will be advised if the passing standard is different when you are informed about the nature of the supplementary assessment.

When the supplementary assessment task differs in format from the original course assessment, you will be advised of the details of the expected passing standard after you are awarded a supplementary assessment. For example, your supplementary assessment may be an oral or written assessment task when the original assessment task was in the format of a Multiple Choice Question exam. The supplementary assessment task will still provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the course learning outcomes.

Timing and scheduling may need to be changed due to exceptions events (e.g., weather) or public health restrictions (e.g., COVID-19.) Unless UQ assessment policy has been adjusted you will be provided with only one opportunity to complete deferred and supplementary assessment.

Where deferred and supplementary assessment is an examination, you must attend the exam(s) at the scheduled time(s). There are no provisions to defer a supplementary assessment, except where an adjustment has been approved under the Reasonable Adjustments Procedure on the basis of exceptional and unavoidable circumstances only, with the approval of the Academic Registrar.

Requests to sit exams off-campus, including overseas, need to meet the requirements detailed on the Medical School key guidelines webpage.

Where the supplementary assessment is not an examination as per the definition outlined in the Examinations Procedure, the assessment task must be completed by the due date. There is no option for an extension or late submission for any supplementary assessment. If the assessment is not completed by the due date, you will be deemed to have not met the standard and will fail the supplementary assessment task and the course.

Failure to complete a deferred examination or supplementary assessment may result in failure for that course and prevent progression to the next stage of the MD program. While the details below are provided for guidance, specific details regarding the date, time and venue of all deferred and supplementary assessments will be provided closer to the time of the assessment.

Timing of end-of-semester deferred assessments in Year 1 and 2 may vary from the official UQ deferred and supplementary examination period. Year 3 and 4 deferred assessments are usually held during the UQ deferred and supplementary examination period.

Supplementary assessments are usually held in the official Deferred and Supplementary examination period for each semester, as per the University’s Academic Calendar.

Important note: If you defer or are awarded a supplementary assessment in Semester 2 of Year 4, you will NOT be eligible to graduate with the main year cohort in December.

Unless stated in the individual Course Profile, grades following supplementary assessment will be calculated ONLY from the marks in the supplementary assessment (all previous scores do not count). Note: this does not apply to MEDI7100 and MEDI7200; please refer to the information in the Course Profile for these courses.

When the assessment is conducted on the Examplify platform, you will typically receive detailed feedback regarding your performance in the assessment. Several options for the provision of this feedback are available to the Course Coordinator and the timing of the release of this information depends on the scheduling of these assessments. A detailed Strengths and Opportunities Report will be available once all main and deferred assessment results have been finalised. No reports are provided following supplementary assessments.

Some assessments in the MD program comprise expert evaluation within an authentic clinical learning environment or during tutorial sessions, conducted over an extended period.

Assessments of this type cannot be duplicated, and therefore cannot be remarked, or cross-marked by another examiner.

Assessments that fall within this category include (but are not limited to) workplace-based assessments such as CPAs and tutor assessments.

The following PPL exemptions apply to 2023:

• Release of examination papers in all MD courses
• Exemption from recording of oral and practical assessments for the following assessment tasks and courses