• Section 1 - Summary
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Definitions
• Section 4 - Policy/Regulation
• Section 5 - Procedures
• Part A - Roles and Responsibilities
• Part B - Overview
• Part C - Supplementary assessment
• Eligibility
• Form of Supplementary Assessment
• Process for conducting supplementary assessments
• Part D - Conceded pass
• Section 6 - Supporting Documents and Information

Section 1 - Summary

(1) The purpose of this Procedure is to outline the types of assessment for which a student may apply, or which may be granted, to enable a student to maintain their academic progress following receipt of initial results that do not meet passing grade requirements.

Section 2 - Scope

(2) The arrangements for awarding of conceded passes will apply to students enrolling in their course for the first time from 2016.

(3) Students who are already enrolled in a course will retain their right to conceded passes as defined in the previous Student Assessment and Progress Policy (available under 'historic versions' in the Student Retention and Success Policy). This right is retained until the completion of their current course.

(4) This Procedure applies to:

1. courses offered within all Higher Education Award coursework courses, and
2. non-award courses offered by HE Colleges where the University is assessing performance.

Section 3 - Definitions

(5) Assessment: Victoria University defines assessment as the methods and procedures by which a student's academic progress and standard, at a given time, are measured. Within this single definition, the University recognises three broad types of assessment:

1. diagnostic — assessment that identifies the level of competency/performance/knowledge before commencing learning in a course/program/learning experience but does not contribute to the student's final grade;
2. formative — assessment that provides feedback to the student during the learning experience;
3. summative — assessment that is focussed on the outcomes of the learning experience.

(6) Block

(7) Conceded pass: A terminal pass granted to eligible students who obtain a result in the range 45% - 49% in a unit which is the last required to complete a course of study. Conceded passes are only available in certain units and cannot satisfy prerequisite requirements for further units.

(8) Award Course: The overall program of study in which the student is enrolled which leads to an Award of the University in line with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). An Award is often referred to by the name of the expected terminal qualification arising from it (eg Bachelor of Business course, Graduate Diploma of Marketing course).

(9) Moderation: A process of peer review to reach consensus on expected standards for student outcomes at different grade levels, relative to the level of the course or unit.

(10) Modified Assessment: An adjustment or alteration to the standard conditions or format of assessment following the development of an Access Plan. It can apply to any formal assessment task or examination. Modifications can include the time allowed to complete the assessment; the conditions under which the assessment is completed; or any aids or assistance required by the student.

(11) Non-Award Course: Non-Award courses are courses that do not lead to the issuance of an Award of the University in line with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

(12) Supplementary assessment: "Second-chance" assessment offered to students who barely fail a unit of study (45 - 49%). Supplementary assessment is not the same as alternative assessment, which refers to first-chance assessments provided at a different time to eligible students, or modified assessment, which refers to assessment with altered conditions to accommodate a student's individual needs.

(13) Unit: An individual subject within a course.

Section 4 - Policy/Regulation

(14) Assessment for Learning Policy.

Section 5 - Procedures

Part A - Roles and Responsibilities

Part B - Overview

(15) Assessment design may include opportunities for students to make a second attempt at meeting the learning outcomes for an assessment task where mastery of particular skills or competencies is required. Where this applies, the requirements are specified in the assessment instructions provided to students and the second attempt occurs before unit results are finalised. 

(16) When final unit results are marginally inadequate for a pass, the following arrangements may apply.

1. Supplementary assessment (or re-submission)
2. Conceded pass

(17) Supplementary assessments are available in undergraduate, graduate entry bachelor courses, HE non-award courses where performance is being assessed by the University and postgraduate coursework units. They are not available in:

1. Block;
2. honours courses;
3. the honours component of a degree with honours;
4. VET enabling or bridging courses;
5. postgraduate research courses; or
6. where the grade awarded is the outcome of a determination under the Student Misconduct Procedure as specified in clause 76.

(18) Conceded passes are available in undergraduate coursework units only.

Part C - Supplementary assessment

(19) College Assessment and Student Progress Boards will offer supplementary assessment where available and the student is eligible.

(20) Where supplementary assessment is not available in a particular unit, students must be advised of this in the unit guide.

(21) Where supplementary assessment is made available in an unusual or non-standard way or under unusual or non-standard conditions, notice of its availability, the conditions under which it may be offered and the grade set used for assessment, must be included in the unit guide.

Eligibility

(22) To be granted supplementary assessment, the student must have submitted each of the unit's marked assessment items and:

1. achieved a total unit assessment mark of 45-49% (or equivalent results in ungraded units), and:
2. failed only one assessment task; or
3. failed assessment tasks, for which the total marks available comprise 50% or less of the marks available in the unit.

(23) Supplementary assessment may also be available for hurdle tasks at the discretion of the Unit Convenor.

Form of Supplementary Assessment

(24) The supplementary assessment task (or tasks) must take the form, as closely as possible, of the assessment task that was failed. The choice of tasks is at the discretion of the Unit Convenor or the ASPB but should provide equivalent opportunity to demonstrate learning outcomes at the appropriate level.

(25) Supplementary assessment task(s), including examinations, must be equivalent, though not identical, to the initial assessment task(s). The assessment tasks or exams will be checked and authorised by the Unit Convenor see Moderation and Validation of Assessment Procedure.

Process for conducting supplementary assessments

(26) Students will be formally advised as soon as is practicable that they have been offered supplementary assessment and the form of the supplementary assessment task(s).

(27) If the supplementary assessment task takes the form of an examination, the time and place of the examination will be provided a minimum of two (2) University working days before the examination takes place.

(28) Where the supplementary assessment takes another form, the Unit Convenor will provide information to the student on the assessment task and its required completion date as early as possible.

(29) There can only be one attempt at a supplementary assessment task.

(30) Upon successful completion of a supplementary assessment task(s), the final grade awarded for the assessment task will be 'Pass' with a mark of 50%, which in turn will only attract an aggregate (total) score of 50% (for the unit).

(31) Supplementary assessment results will, as far as practicable, be reported in a timely manner in order to enable students to enrol for subsequent semesters.

Part D - Conceded pass

(32) Conceded pass grades are available in some circumstances in higher education undergraduate units of study.

(33) Where conceded pass is not available in a particular unit, students must be advised of this in the unit guide.

(34) A conceded pass will only be offered where all the following conditions apply:

1. The student has achieved a mark of 45% - 49% in the unit.
2. The student has submitted all marked assessment tasks for the unit.
3. The unit is not required for practice under professional accreditation rules.
4. The unit is not required as a prerequisite for further units.
5. The unit represents the last 12 credit points needed to complete the course and obtain the qualification.

(35) A conceded pass will be recorded as a (PC) grade. The numeric marks remain unchanged.

(36) Conceded passes are not available in postgraduate coursework units.

(37) College Assessment and Student Progress Boards will be responsible for determining the eligibility and awarding of conceded passes in units as required by the relevant Course Chair or person specifically nominated by the Executive Dean.

(38) The decision will in most cases be made within ten (10) working days of completion of moderation processes for the relevant assessment (unless exceptional circumstances apply), and prior to grade publication.

1. Students qualifying for a conceded pass will be formally notified that they have been awarded a conceded pass and advised of the conditions applying to conceded passes.
2. Students may decline a conceded pass by advising the Course Chair in writing within five (5) working days of the date of notification.

Section 6 - Supporting Documents and Information

(39) Unit of Study Guide template