Course Handbook - Faculty of History - University of Cambridge

APPENDIX B:
MPHIL IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL HISTORY – MARKING AND EXAMINATION
SCHEME
1. SUMMARY OF THE COURSE STRUCTURE
Part I (40%)
a. Central Concepts and Problems in Economic and Social History and Theory (10%)
b. Research Methods Course (10%)
Social Science Research Methods Course (6%)
Dissertation Proposal Essay (4%)
c. Two Advanced Courses in Economic and/or Social History chosen from a specified list of
subjects (10% each).
Part II (60%)
a. A dissertation of between 15,000 and 20,000 words (including appendices and statistical tables,
but excluding footnotes, references and bibliography) to be submitted at the end of August.
2. THE MARKING SCHEME
The criterion of judgment in determining pass in all MPhil examinations in Cambridge is the
achievement of ‘the equivalent of an Upper Second Class in Part II of a Tripos, extrapolated for one
year of graduate study’. Candidates are required to pass each course element and dissertation in this
MPhil in these terms.
The classification scheme of marking, expressed in percentage points, is as follows:
75 and above Marks of 75 and above indicate a distinction
67-74 Marks of 67 and above are strong marks of high II.1 or 1 st class quality
which, insofar as essay marks are relevant, tend to support the case for
leave to continue to the PhD
63-66 Marks of 63 (the necessary mark for compensation: see Sections 10 & 12
below) to 66 are solid but medium-range marks which will help the
candidate securely to pass the course but may, as essay marks, raise
questions about whether leave to continue to the PhD should be granted
60-62 Marks of 60 to 62 are weak pass marks which indicate that the piece of
work deserves a bare pass in itself but is not strong enough to offer
compensating support should other work be of marginal fail quality
59 Marginal fail mark
58 and below Marks of 59 and below indicate work which falls below the academic
standard of the course as set out above
Note that ‘leave to continue’ to the PhD is judged primarily on the basis of dissertation performance,
although strong performance in Part I can be taken into account in marginal cases.
3. CRITERIA OF ASSESSEMENT
Work at this level, particularly the dissertation, should reveal high standards of intellectual enquiry,
research skills and analytical sophistication.
Examiners should primarily assess the academic content of essays and the dissertation. They should
consider scope (i.e. the appropriateness of the topic; its relation to a larger historical or theoretical
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