Postgraduate regulations - Joint Institute students
On this page you will find a link directing you to the current regulations pertaining to your course, as well as specific pieces of information that will be important for you to be aware of during your time studying within the Joint Institute.
Postgradute regulations.
Contact the Joint Institute Curriculum and Assessment Officer Patrick Meredith: pm477@sussex.ac.uk for any questions you have on these regulations.
Note below important aspects of the regulations that will be important to be aware of during your studies.
Resitting an assessment
Where to start
Go to for information about what kind of resit you’re doing and when it takes place.
This could be any type of assessment, such as an exam, essay or presentation.
Your resit submission will have new titles and questions. The exception is for dissertations, where you normally continue to work on your existing topic, usually without further supervision.
Resits will be taken in the assessment period following the semester in which the module is delviered. Therefore, retakes for Autumn modules will take place in the retake assessment period following the first semester, whilst retakes for Spring term modules will be scheduled in the retake period after the second semester.
Difference between a resit and a sit
If you’re offered another opportunity to take an assessment, the mark you get may be capped or uncapped.
A resit is a further attempt to pass a module. The mark you get for a resit assessment is capped at the pass mark of 50%. The uncapped mark is shown on your transcript.
Tip: See what level your module is in by choosing your timetable and selecting the relevant module code. The level is listed under the FHEQ row.
A sit is a type of retake that gives you another opportunity to complete a module assessment. Check your Module Results page in Sussex Direct for details of the sit you’ve been given.
Your mark from a sit attempt is not capped and may be combined with marks you achieved for other assessments from the module.
You might be offered an optional sit if we accepted an exceptional circumstances claim.
Important: The mark you get for a resit or sit assessment will be used for progression and/or award purposes, even if it’s lower than your original mark. If you don’t take the resit or sit, your original mark will stand.
Optional resits and sits
You may be offered an optional resit or sit if you’ve been given the credit for your modules, and one or more of the following applies:
- you have a marginal fail – a module mark of 45% to 49% for level 7 modules, and have met the criteria for compensated credit
- the exam board has reviewed your performance and given condoned credit for the failed module
- you have passed the module but because of your exceptional circumstances, the exam board has decided to offer a sit.
Deciding to take an optional resit or sit
Consider the following:
- You need to be confident you can improve your mark. If your current mark is a marginal fail and your resit mark is lower, this may mean the module can no longer be compensated. Speak to the Module Convenor or your Course Convenor for more advice.
- Optional resit marks are capped at the pass threshold. Optional sit marks are not capped.
- You need to consider the percentage of the overall module mark made up from this resit or sit (the weighting). This will determine how much the mark for the module can be improved by taking an optional uncapped sit or a capped resit. To check the percentage weighting of the optional resit or sit offered, select the resit assessment mode in the "Assessed By" column of your module results table in Sussex Direct.
Letting us know your decision
You must decide by the deadline shown on your Module Results page in Sussex Direct. Select the "accept" or "decline" option. You can change your decision as many times as you like before the deadline. If no option shows here, then please contact ZJSU-JI@sussex.ac.uk to confirm your choice.
Important: If you don’t accept or decline this option by the deadline, it will be removed from your record.
Mandatory resits and sits
You’ll have mandatory resits or sits because you have not achieved the required credits on all of your modules.
If you fail your resit, we might allow you to progress into your next stage of study with a trailed resit – this means you have to take the resit to get the credits for the module but you can do it later on.
Repeating the year instead of taking resits or sits
A repeat year means you do the teaching, learning and assessments again to get the credits you need to progress on your course or earn a degree. We won’t use any marks or credits from the original year – you’ll only be considered on what you achieve in your repeat year.
If the summer exam board has not offered you a repeat year, you can appeal to ask for this. Find out more about making an appeal.
Your degree classification
How your degree is classified
Once you’ve gained the credits you need, your classification is worked out.
Different stages are worth different percentages to your overall classification.
The total is called a grand mean.
See the contribution of different stages of your degree on your .
This table shows our Masters classifications:
| Masters classification | Grand mean |
| Distinction | 70%-100% (plus 50% of the credit at 70 or above) |
| Merit | 60%-69% (plus 50% of the credit at 60 or above) |
| Pass | 50%-59% |
Borderline criteria
There are some cases where you might get a higher class of degree.
The exam board may reclassify you if you’ve achieved a grand mean that’s either:
- 1% below the higher classification boundary and at least half the credits that contribute to the award are in the higher class, or
- in the higher class (for instance, at 70%) but less than 50% of the credit that contributes to classification is in the higher class.
When considering borderline students, the Progression and Award Board (PAB) has the discretion to reclassify based on the individual student profile as presented on the marks array. Consideration may be given to:
- performance in the taught modules
- performance in the dissertation/project/module.
Compensated credit
Compensated credit is where you’re given credit despite not passing a module.
Up to 30 credits of modules will be automatically compensated on each stage of your course if:
- the mark achieved on the module is a marginal fail: 45% to 49%, and
- you achieve a stage mean at the pass threshold: 50%
You won’t need to take a mandatory resit but you’ll normally be offered an optional resit.
Your transcript will show you’ve been given compensated credit for the module.
Condoned credit
Condoned credit is where you have failed a module but you don’t need to retake it because the exam board has considered your overall performance and decided that you have met the course learning outcomes.
Up to 30 credits of failed modules can be condoned if you:
- achieve a stage mean at the pass threshold of 50%, and
- achieve a mark of at least 1% on the module(s) to be condoned, and
- meet the course learning outcomes.
You won’t need to take a mandatory resit but you’ll normally be offered an optional resit.
Limitations of condoned and compensated credit
A combined maximum of 30 credits may be compensated or condoned.
When your module is compensated or condoned, you are given the credits for it but you won’t be given a higher mark. The mark you achieved will stand.
The exam board has the discretion not to give condoned credit for academic reasons, or to offer a limited amount, such as 15 credits.
You won’t get condoned or compensated credit if you fail your dissertation.