Course Handbook - Faculty of History - University of Cambridge

essential that examiners should regard their deadline for submission as unmoveable and respond as
early as they can. If an examiner, for whatever reason, anticipates any difficulty in meeting the
deadline, it would be very helpful if the MPhil Office could be warned as soon as possible. Before
final approval is given, the examiners’ marks must go to the Sub-Committee for the MPhil sitting as
Board of Examiners, then to the History Degree Committee, and finally to the Board of Graduate
Studies of the University. Failure to meet the entirely inflexible deadlines set by these committees,
to which the MPhil’s own deadline is linked, will delay the approval of the degree and may do harm
to the candidate’s plans and chance of receiving funding for the next academic year.
Examiners should not write specific comments or corrections on the texts of essays or
dissertations (all submissions are returned to their authors after the completion of the essay
examination process). The space provided on the second page of the report form should be used to
complete the report, and it should not be longer than can be fitted into this space, but it needs to be
long enough to provide sufficient feedback to students. The reports should give a brief account of
the main claims and features of the work, including any particular achievements or flaws, and
should explain the mark awarded according to the marking scheme and criteria set out above.
Reports and marks should be submitted by the university messenger service or by post on the forms
provided to the MPhil Office, Faculty of History, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9EF. If necessary a
facsimile report can be transmitted to the Faculty at (01223) 335968, with a clear marking on the
cover sheet ‘for the attention of MPhil Office: MPhil in Economic and Social History’. Faxes
should be followed by subsequent posting of the original. Examination reports may be sent by e-
mail or as an e-mail attachment so long as a hard copy with signature is also provided.
19. CONFIDENTIALITY AND FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS
The results of each element of Part I will not be communicated to candidates until approved by the
MPhil Sub-Committee sitting as Board of Examiners. Once approved by the MPhil Sub-Committee,
the anonymised examiners’ reports of those elements marked within the Faculty of History will be
provided to students. The names of examiners remain confidential and cannot be released to
students.
Dissertation marks will not be communicated to candidates until approved by the MPhil Sub-
Committee sitting as Board of Examiners, the History Faculty Degree Committee, and the Board of
Graduate Studies; the examiners’ reports and the names of examiners remain confidential and
cannot be released to students according to Board of Graduate Studies regulations. Anonymised
copies of dissertation examiners’ reports will be sent to candidates after the Board of Graduate
Studies has approved the award of the degree.
Examiners are asked not to discuss their reports with candidates even after the examination process
has been completed, as it would be unfair for some students but not others to learn the identity of
their examiners.
20. PAYMENT OF EXAMINERS
The Board of Graduate Studies will only authorise payment for examiners who are not officers of
the University of Cambridge (except for Affiliated Lecturers, who are eligible). Such examiners are
invited to complete and return the claim form attached to the report form. Please note that the Board
of Graduate Studies has in the past restricted claims from examiners to one essay per MPhil course,
no matter how many are examined; check the claim form for current restrictions.
This document will be supplied to course advisers, supervisors, examiners and candidates
(Updated September 2010)
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