PROFESSOR SIR STEVE SMITH AcSS
Northcote House
The Queen’s Drive
Exeter
UK EX4 4QJ
Telephone+44 (0)1392 263000
Fax+44 (0)1392 263008
Web
SS/RB
23 November 2011
Dear Andrew
Dr Boss:External Examiner’s Report 2010-2011
College of Humanities: History
MA in the Western Esoteric Tradition
The External Examiner notes the following areas of good practice:
I enjoyed reading the scripts, which indicates that the students were interested in their work, were well taught, and were working to a high standard. The marking was also done to a high standard -- there was no 'grade inflation'! The degree is well structured, containing a variety of topics, but with a consistency of approach that is based on a strong introductory module. The feedback to students was excellent, and the reconciliation of differences between markers was done in thorough manner.
The External Examiner makes the following recommendations:
Essential
I had two concerns. The first was that essay topics were not easily comparable, in the sense that some were highly focussed on particular texts, whilst others were very general. This made fair marking rather difficult. However, this question has already been addressed, and in future years, the essays will all have a relatively narrow focus. The other concern was that there was a certain unevenness in the marking, both with regard to different markers, who did not always use the same criteria, and with regard to different pieces of work on the same topic, which did not always seem to have been treated even-handedly. The first difficulty was due to a certain 'quirkiness' of one particular marker, and this has already been addressed. The second difficulty simply exemplifies why we need to have external examiners!
Advisable
None.
Desirable
None.
I should be grateful if the College would respond to me as required under the procedures contained in the TQA Manual. These look to a response normally within eight weeks after appropriate internal discussion within the College including an opportunity for input from the staff meeting and the College’s Teaching Committee.
Please note that the University’s statement of procedures also requires that the College’s next annual main meeting of the Boards of Examiners for the programmes in question, at which an External Examiner is present, should include early in its agenda a copy of the External Examiner’s report and of the College’s response.
Yours sincerely
Professor Sir Steve Smith
Vice-Chancellor
ccJo Hatt