South Africa’s largest distance learning university has recently concluded its midyear examinations. However, some unsuccessful students will have the opportunity to rewrite certain examinations to improve their marks.
The University of South Africa (Unisa) has announced that undergraduate students will be given two opportunities to complete an examination. This forms part of the university’s newly implemented provision in their assessment policy.
This provision allows undergraduate students writing a module examination for the first time an automatic additional opportunity to rewrite that examination. This student may write this examination during either the first or the second examination opportunity, except if the college rules provided otherwise.
A STUDENT WHO TAKES AN EXAMINATION FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING THE SECOND EXAMINATION OPPORTUNITY AND FAILS IS NOT ENTITLED TO AN ADDITIONAL EXAMINATION OPPORTUNITY.
Unisa then went on to explain, “where a special FI concession was granted to an individual student for a specific module, the student will not be granted a supplementary examination after failing the FI assessment”.
This means that if a student was absent or was unsuccessful in a May/June 2024 online examination, they will be granted the opportunity to complete the exam during the October/November examinations. These students will be required to pay a prescribed fee.
However, modules with evidence-based assessment, continuous assessments, practical assessments or experiential assessments and modules that require research reports do not have a second examination opportunity.
Some students could not complete examinations due to ongoing loadshedding in South Africa. These postgraduate students were advised to make aegrotat applications to complete their online exams. Postgraduate students who could not complete online examinations due to illness or family matters are also required to make an aegrotat application.
Unisa explained, “Students are expected to submit aegrotat applications within 10 days of their scheduled examination sittings. Aegrotat applications are not considered after the release of marks.”
They added that no aegrotat applications will be processed for postgraduate students who missed their second opportunity. Modules with evidence-based assessment will also not be considered for aegrotats.
The university said that their 2024 midyear examinations were successful and that submission rates for both formative and summative assessments for semester 1 of 2024 remain comparable to previous semesters.
