Faculty of Law

Current Students

Tutorial Performance and Marks

1. The criteria to be used in tutorials are similar to those used in assessing written work. Students should seek to show they can comprehend the law and present it accurately, analyse legislation and cases, apply the law to complex factual situations, discern the principles and policies which underlie legal rules, subject the present law to critical review, and develop innovative answers to hard cases.

2. Students will be assessed on the quality rather than the quantity of their contributions. This is not to suggest that quantity is unimportant – it is difficult to award marks to students who are absent or unable to respond to comments and questions. A student’s failure to participate in tutorials also detracts from the potential learning experience of the other students in the group. Thus, to obtain a passing grade it is ordinarily essential to:

    • attend regularly,
    • read the designated materials and be prepared to answer the questions set for discussion, and
    • participate in the discussion of those questions.

In the event of irregular attendance or preparation, only spectacular performances will achieve a passing grade.

3. To achieve good marks, students need to do more than simply respond to the set questions. Students need to contribute proactively to the development of the discussion. This can be done, for example, by volunteering answers to questions raised, making useful comments about the answers given by someone else, and raising new questions.

4. Students need to be considerate of others. A student who regularly dominates discussion or diverts discussion to irrelevant issues will be penalised. A student who speaks a lot, but does not demonstrate proper preparation will not achieve high marks. A student who has prepared well will receive NO marks, unless they demonstrate that preparation by proper participation. If nervousness or other difficulties impair your ability to respond to questions, explain the difficulty to the instructor so that special arrangements can be made.

The following descriptions are of typical levels of performance in certain categories of marks.

Grade

Description

Mark (out of 20)*

Mark (out of 15)*

Fail (less than 35%)

Unacceptable level of absence from tutorials. Participation virtually non-existent or unhelpful. Little, if any, preparation apparent. Unable to answer questions or to clarify vague and ambiguous answers. Apparent lack of commitment to study in the course.

less than 7

less than 5½

Fail (35% to 49%)

Irregular attendance without explanation or excuse, or regular attendance but without demonstrating a reasonable level of preparation. Misses obvious issues; answers are unclear, disjointed, illogical. No apparent attempt to relate issues together.

7 to 9½

5½ to 7

Pass (50% to 64%)

Regular attendance, with reasonable level of preparation demonstrated. Successful in answering questions, but in a patchy way, eg principles and concepts may not be fully grasped or explained; some good and some poor answers. When prompted, can usually explain the point with greater clarity.

10 to 12½

7½ to 9½

Credit (65% to 74%)

Regular attendance and preparation demonstrated. Either a lot of participation of variable quality, or less participation but of good quality. Demonstrates a reasonable comprehension of the issues. Able to clarify responses if requested.

13 to 14½

10 to 11

Distinction (75% to 84%)

Very good attendance. High quality participation based on good preparation. Usually displays good analytical skills and a clear understanding of the issues. Evidence of capacity to cross relate issues and develop innovative answers.

15 to 16½

11½ to 12½

High Distinction (85% and above)

Excellent attendance. Consistent highly-engaged participation based on thorough preparation. Always displays excellent analytical skills and a clear understanding of the issues. Able to cross relate issues and develop innovative answers.

17 and above

13 and above

* to nearest half mark

 

Administrative Procedures

1. As tutors will normally record attendance at the beginning of tutorials, students who are late arriving are personally responsible for ensuring that their presence has been recorded by seeing the tutor immediately after that tutorial.

2. Where a student attends a "substitute tutorial" they will normally only receive a mark for that tutorial where they have obtained the prior permission of the tutor concerned. Where such permission has been given it is the responsibility of the tutor to ensure that the mark is "transferred" to the regular tutorial.

3. Where students seek to attend "substitute tutorials" on more than one occasion, tutors will advise them of the consequences on their assessment and counsel them on the advisability of seeking a change of tutorial times by making an application to the Student Services Manager.

4. Tutors will keep contemporaneous records of the attendance and performance of each student in each tutorial to use as a basis for the assignment of tutorial marks.

5. Students who are absent due to illness should lodge the appropriate medical certificate with their tutor at the next tutorial or, where absence extends for more than one tutorial, within two weeks of the initial absence.

6. Appeals against tutorial marks will be dealt with in the same way as appeals against any other form of assessment).

Policy Number: LAW001
Policy Name: Tutorial Performance & Marks
Contact Person: IT & Administration Manager
Date of Approval: 1998
Date Last Amended: 12 April 2005
Date of Next Review: Sept 2008